Chapter 10 Turning on the Dime

After working all morning, Callie stretched her back and checked the time. It was already lunchtime, and her colleagues were starting to head to the cafeteria.

"Callie, let's go together," one of her colleagues, Litzy, asked her.

"Sure, coming!" Callie turned off her computer.

However, just as they reached the corner, an unexpected guest walked toward them. The smile on Callie's face disappeared in an instant.

"Callie."

Yamilet's voice was indifferent, showing no emotion in particular. But Callie knew that her mother showing up at her company couldn't have meant anything good.

After greeting Litzy, Callie and her mother went to the outdoor balcony.

"What do you want?" Callie asked directly.

Yamilet replied bluntly, "Callie, don't play dumb with me. About what I told you last time regarding your brother's wedding, you need to come up with the money soon."

"I already told you, I have no money. There's nothing I can do about this."

"Don't force me to be drastic," her mother threatened. "If you still want to work here, give me the money. Otherwise, I'll make sure you regret it."

Callie clenched her fists, her expression turning somewhat grim.

But Yamilet remained indifferent and continued, "Since you're married now, your husband should provide dowry money. I don’t ask for much, just 100,000 dollars. As longs you give me the money, I'll handle Mr. Lambert for you. Otherwise, I’ll sell you to him to make money. You know what, Mr. Lambert is willing to reach a deal like this with me.”

"Enough!"

Callie snapped. "No matter what you do, my answer is the same—I have no money."

With that, Callie turned and walked away, leaving her mother in a state of shock, her chest heaving. Yamilet never expected that Callie wouldn’t compromise even after she took a carrot and stick approach.

'Well, if that's how it's gonna be, don't blame me for being ruthless,’ she thought to herself.

"Callie, you'll regret this."

Yamilet snorted coldly as a calculating glint flashed in her eyes.

Little did she know, just as they left, a figure slowly emerged from the corner. A trace of amusement flickered in the woman's surprised eyes.

She thought, ‘What a surprise. Callie Marsh has been married.’

After the encounter with Yamilet, Callie lost her appetite. She only took a few bites before returning to her office.

However, when she walked into the office, she noticed many curious glances toward her, and people were whispering softly.

"No way, is she really like that?"

"Yes, she is really married, I heard it! This means she must had been dating for a while, but pretended to be single in front of everyone."

"You know? You think you know someone."

Callie had a hint of doubt that she was the subject of their conversation, but she didn't dwell on it. She simply pulled out her chair and sat down.

"Callie, I heard you got married, is it true?"

A colleague's words made Callie's heart skip a beat. She remembered what Nelson had said in the morning, and felt a headache coming.

Just as she was about to deny it, she noticed a few pairs of ears perking up nearby. They were Callie's admirers, who often tried to woo her.

But then she thought that it wouldn't be such a big deal to announce her marriage, as long as she didn't reveal that her husband was Nelson Oconnor. This would also discourage these annoying suitors.

"Yeah, I did."

Her confirmation caused quite a stir.

Those who had been listening in the corner instantly wilted.

"No way, Callie, when did this happen? Why didn't we hear any news from you?" Several colleagues came around her immediately.

"Yeah, it's not cool of you to keep it so secret. And you didn't even invite anyone to your wedding." Callie felt a bit embarrassed. Actually, she herself still felt this flash marriage very unreal.

"Let's talk about this later." It wasn't that she didn't want to share, but she was afraid what would Nelson do if he found out.

"C'mon, Callie, tell us, who is your husband? How did he marry a beautiful woman like you?"

"Yeah, and you probably have been dating for a long time, but we haven't even met him once."

"..."

Callie made up a half-hearted excuse to appease her colleagues' curiosity.

After everyone had left, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Callie focused on her work, but then her phone kept buzzing, making her eardrums hurt.

She checked the messages, and saw that they were all from her former suitors asking for their gifts back.

"Oh my god, these people are so materialistic!" Litzy couldn't help but roast.

"They couldn't have been more enthusiastic when they were pursuing you. Now they're turning on a dime just like that."

But Callie thought it was better this way.

"Yeah, I shouldn't have accepted the gifts in the first place. It would be better to return them anyway."

Without hesitation, she created a group chat with all of them.

"The gifts will be sent to your homes with cash on delivery. So please remember to pay the postage!"

There was no way that she would pay for the shipping though.