Chapter 2 Asking for Money

I did indeed look terrible right now. My cancer had returned three months ago, and I was now nothing but skin and bones. As for Emily, she was pure and adorable. Her round face and expressive eyes reminded me of how I'd looked back in my college days. In comparison, not only was I a ghastly sight to behold, but I also looked like death itself. But what could I do about it? I was probably going to die soon. A colleague softly reminded her, "Mr. Pierce loves his wife the most. Don't stir up trouble, or you'll regret it." See? Everyone believed Calvin was madly in love with me, but no one knew he wished I were dead. Emily pursed her lips. Then, she immediately put on a sweet smile. "Summer, Mr. Pierce is in an important video conference. He's not seeing anyone right now. If you have something urgent, I can go in and let him know." Emily was insinuating that she could come and go from Calvin's office freely. She was showing off. She had a beautiful smile—if you could overlook the scheming in her eyes. I had to admit that the smile did resemble how I used to look. It was no wonder Calvin treated her differently. In the past, Calvin's lovers and personal assistants had always been just flings. He'd only been trying to test me. At first, I'd resisted and fought him. But I'd realized that the more I protested, the more shamelessly he acted, so I pretended not to see anything. Eventually, when he brought women home and performed a live show right in front of me, I could calmly shut the door for them. But he had never brought Emily home, and I had never seen her. Yet in the group chat, I often saw colleagues gossiping about them. It seemed Calvin and Emily watched movies together, had candlelit dinners, and wore matching outfits. I knew Calvin wasn't just playing around this time. He was in love. Everything they were doing was what I had once experienced in colleague. I sat on a chair and looked at Emily. "No problem. I can wait here for him. Oh, and please bring me coffee with milk and sugar. Thanks." Emily hadn't expected me to be so calm and immediately gave me a sour look. "What do you think you are? How dare you ask me to get you coffee?" "Who do you think you are then?" I questioned and looked steadily at her with an emotionless face. She was momentarily stunned, and her face flushed. Her arrogant demeanor was just like mine back then. Calvin had found himself my replica. Someone else quickly made me a cup of coffee and brought it over. I heard Emily mutter "bootlicker" under her breath, and the colleague blushed before hurrying away. I chuckled softly. "So you do know that your identity has to be kept under the table, don't you, Ms. Lane?" Something in my words hit a nerve, and Emily shouted, practically growling. "Who are you calling lowly? The woman who isn't loved is the real third party! Mr. Pierce doesn't love you anymore, and you're the one clinging to him! "Look at you. Who would love someone like you when you look so horrible?" As she spoke, she came at me and tried to pull me up from the chair. I shook my head. The poor girl was too young and hot-headed. I hadn't come here to fight her. When Calvin had brought two women home the day after our first wedding anniversary, my heart had died. It wasn't worth it to get mad at him and waste what little life I had left. Two colleagues nearby sensed the situation was about to escalate and quickly stepped in to hold her back. Emily had only managed to knock over the coffee cup in front of me. The cup shattered into pieces on the floor. Her hand got a small cut, and she immediately started crying. I looked down at the coffee stain on my clothes. Luckily, I was wearing black today, so the stain wasn't too visible. "Summer, I didn't expect you to be this cruel. Why did you have to get violent?" Calvin's voice rang out. When I looked up, he was already holding Emily tightly in his arms. Though the cut on her hand was mild and had barely drawn a trace of blood, Calvin was frantic with worry. "Are you all just standing there? Get the first aid kit! Call the family doctor. Tell him to come to the office immediately!" I looked at the ridiculous scene in front of me and at Emily's snug expression. I couldn't understand what she was so proud of. Was being loved by a trashy man something to boast about? Perhaps my indifferent gaze irritated her because her eyes welled up again, and her voice pitifully choked up. "Calvin, I'm sorry. It's all my fault for making Summer upset. But I can't control my heart. Is it wrong to fall in love? Is it wrong for us to be in love?" Her crying was beautiful, and her tears glistened like jewels. Even I felt a twinge of pity. Calvin wiped her tears tenderly, then turned to me with a cold glare. "Why are you here? Haven't you stopped working here for a while now?" I chuckled. So he knew I hadn't been to work, huh? I stood up and looked at the miserable couple on the floor. "Calvin, I need 100 thousand dollars. Transfer it to my account today, or else…" "Or else what?" Calvin gritted his teeth and stared at me like I was his mortal enemy. I smiled and pointed at the diamond necklace around Emily's neck. "That should count as a marital asset, right? I have the right to claim it by law. I'm giving you 30 minutes. If the money's not in my account, I'll call the police. Your choice."