Chapter 6 Can I Borrow Her for a Few Days?

At 9 AM sharp, Martha arrived at the Harrison Group. As she stepped into the elevator, she spotted a familiar figure.

"Good morning, Mr. Stone," she greeted him with a nod.

Eden Stone nodded at her politely. He had just returned from a business trip overseas and coincidentally ran into Martha on his way to the president's office.

"You don't look too good."

"I'm fine. Probably I didn't sleep well last night," Martha replied with a forced smile. She couldn't help feeling bitter that even an outsider like Eden seemed to care more about her than her own husband Stefan did.

While her mind wandered aimlessly, the elevator arrived on the 27th floor, where the president's office was.

"Please excuse me, Mr. Stone."

Martha left the elevator, heading for her seat.

Watching her walk away, Eden shook his head in resignation.

He could tell that nothing had changed in Martha's life since he'd left town for his business trip abroad.

He felt sorry for her as she was indeed unlucky to marry Stefan.

...

The president's office.

Eden knocked on the door before entering the office.

"I'm back."

Upon hearing his cheerful voice, Stefan stopped reading his file and looked up. His eyes were dark with unfathomable emotions.

Eden sat on the sofa and tried to find some topics. "I saw your wife in the elevator earlier. She didn't look too good. Is she sick?"

Stefan scowled at him sharply, clearly not in the mood for idle chatter.

"She's your wife," Eden continued with a chuckle. "Why not be nice to her?"

But Stefan only glared at him sternly, the air around him growing colder by the second.

"Just cut to the chase," he snapped impatiently.

Eden could tell Stefan was running out of patience, so he put away his playful smile and wore a solemn look.

"You sent me overseas to search for bone marrow in myeloid banks, but it was difficult to find a match for what you needed."

Seeing Stefan's darkened face, Eden could tell this was very important to him.

"Who will have the bone marrow transplant? Usually, the success rate is higher between family members or relatives."

Hiding the emotions in his eyes, Stefan parted his lips and sent him away. "You can leave now."

Eden had been used to his moodiness. When he was about to leave, he remembered one last thing and looked back at Stefan, saying half jokingly. "My assistant has been on vacation recently. If you don't need Ms. Doyle, may I borrow her for a few days?"

Stefan kept his eyes glued to the file in front of him, not bothering to look up. "It's up to you."

"OK."

After gaining his permission, Eden left the president's office, heading for Martha's desk.

He knocked on her desk. Martha slowly raised her head.

"Ms. Doyle, I need your help in the following days."

Martha was taken aback by this sudden request but before she could say anything, Eden handed her a file.

"Contact the spokeswoman and sign the endorsement contract with her in three days."

Martha returned to her senses and replied without hesitation, "OK, Mr. Stone."

Eden nodded at her and left.

As soon as he was out of sight, Martha opened up the file and saw who their spokeswoman was going to be - it was none other than the model who had held a grudge against her for years.

...

In the afternoon, Martha went to a film studio on Sanway Road where she hoped she could sign this contract without any issues arising.

In the studio, the model was busy posing for photos. Standing nearby, Martha watched her, her eyes full of complicated emotions.

The model was named Joann Lowe, the most famous woman frequently appearing in the entertainment news headlines nowadays. Martha used to see her often before.

Joann was Hollie's close friend. Martha guessed Joann would give her a hard time because of it.

Shortly after, Joann's agent showed Martha to the lounge.

Though Joann had finished the shooting, she didn't come to the lounge until half an hour later. When she did arrive, she sat on the sofa and stared at Martha with disdain.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting so long," Joann said mockingly. "I've been too busy lately. What can I do for you?"

This encounter with Joann brought many bad memories to Martha. She wasn't surprised about Joann's attitude.

With a professional smile, she replied calmly, "On behalf of the Harrison Group, I'm here to discuss the endorsement opportunities with you."

Joann snorted, looking at her in irony. She picked up the water prepared by her assistant, took a sip, and stared at Martha with a mocking smile.

"Martha, you always look down on me, don't you? Why do you want me to be your company's spokeswoman?"

Martha slightly looked away and answered, not arrogantly nor humbly, "Let the bygones be bygones. You are the model my company prefers."

Joann leaned backward.

"I'm too busy to be your spokeswoman. Besides, I don't think your company shows any good faith, Martha."

"What do you want?"

Joann spread her hands dramatically. "You should know it. Don't ask me."

Before Martha replied, a staff member yelled to the room, "Joann, get ready for the next shooting."

"Okay then," said Martha standing up abruptly, "I won't hold you up." She nodded at Joann and walked out.

As soon as Martha vanished from the lounge, Joann immediately picked up her phone and dialed a familiar number.

Her mocking voice echoed through the lounge just as the call was answered.

"Hollie, you won't believe what just happened. Martha came to see me and asked me to be the Harrison Group's spokeswoman."

"Did you say yes?"

"How could I agree so easily?"

Joann picked up her water glass and fiddled with it.

"I still remember how she used to treat us."

"All right. You must give that bitch a hard time."

...

After leaving the film studio, Martha walked aimlessly down the street and exhaled.

She had predicted the contract wouldn't be signed quickly when she saw Joann.

However, if Joann refused to sign on as spokesperson for Harrison Group, it would affect their endorsement filming plans - not something she wanted Eden to find out about.

Lost in thought, Martha was jolted back into reality by her buzzing phone.

It was a message from Rupert.

[Martha, you must have the checkup in the hospital on time. Remember to take medicine.]

Frustration flashed through Martha's eyes. She didn't think her cancer could be cured even if she went to the hospital every day.

Besides, she didn't have the mood to take care of herself at this moment.

A car suddenly was pulled over to her.

The window of the driver's side was rolled down. A man's handsome side face was exposed, which looked familiar to Martha.

She recognized it was Rhys!

Martha was surprised. Why did he appear here?

"What a coincidence, Mrs. Harrison," he said.

Martha nodded at him in response. Then she wanted to play dumb and walk away.

The cooperation between them had been reached, so she was willing to have anything to do with Rhys.

But it was clear that he didn't want to let her go.

"We met again. It must be fate. Why not get in the car and talk?"

Rhys was there to pick up Joann, his current girlfriend, for a date. However, he saw a familiar figure on the street and drove up to look closer. It turned out to be Martha, as he expected.

Martha ignored him, but Rhys didn't give up, driving to follow her.

"Are you pretending not to know me? Don't you know I can terminate the contract at any time?"

"You..."

Martha stopped in her tracks, glaring at him. She couldn't find a proper word to retort upon him for a moment.

Rhys could see the unconcealed embarrassment, anger, and helplessness on her face.

A relaxed and triumphant smile played on his lips. "Get in. Hurry."

Martha looked solemn. She tried hard to make him sign the contract, so she couldn't give him any chance to terminate it. Therefore, she could do nothing but sit in his car obediently.

"Why are you here?" Rhys asked in a mellow, sexy voice, making Martha more alert.

"I come here for work."

Rhys curled his lips. Before he spoke again, his phone started ringing.

He answered it impatiently, but the voice from the other end of the line was fake sweet. "Mr. Williams, will you arrive at the studio soon? I'm waiting for you."

The space in the car was limited, so Martha overheard the voice.

It was Joann!

"I'm busy now," Rhys answered perfunctorily and ended the call.

Staring at him, Martha thought for a while and failed to refrain from asking, "Do you know Joann Lowe?" she asked.

Rhys darted at her, nodding.

Martha's eyes lit up. According to Joann's tone earlier, Martha could tell she was intimate with Rhys.

"I... I have an endorsement for her. Can you ask her to sign the agreement?"

'Sign an endorsement agreement?'

Rhys narrowed his gaze at her, looking at her up and down. She sounded as if they were close friends.

He lit a cigar and remarked in a deep voice, "I can speak a line to help you."

His words cheered up Martha.

However, he added, "I cannot always help you without any rewards. I've let go of you easily last time. This time... Well, Mrs. Harrison, you should give me some benefits, right?"

He leaned forward to approach her as he spoke, planting an arm next to her cheek. His scent enveloped Martha instantly.