Chapter 5 French Interpreter

Jade did not know how she fell asleep, but when she stirred into wakefulness while the haze of sleep was still heavy in her mind, she felt her belly churn in pain. She knew that it was a premenstrual symptom. The last few times it happened, Zephaniah was at home, so this time, Jade subconsciously searched for his comfort. “Dear, my belly’s in pain…” She reached out but ended up touching air. Jade opened her eyes blearily, and it was only right then that she realized the space beside her was empty and cold. Clearly, the man had taken off quite a long time ago. He left a note on the bedside table. [I have a flight to hurry to. It’s for a business trip that will last three days.] Zephaniah’s handwriting was like the man himself. It was neat as well as tidy, and the gap between every word was just right. Jade held the note tightly. The string in her heart finally broke. She lowered her head and sobbed quietly. During the past three years, whenever he did not come back, she would spend countless nights alone, but she had never felt so miserable. Her heart had never ached so badly. Jade was in great discomfort due to her menstrual pain and because of the cold she got due to her negligence. She called her company and applied for sick leave before she turned off her phone, covered herself with her blanket, and slept. When she was hungry, she just ordered some porridge and had it delivered to her doorstep. Two days later, she recovered from her flu and finally felt much better. Jade woke up and took a shower, which made her feel pleasant all over. She then made a call to Gemma Barker. “Gem, I need you to do me a favor.” “What’s up?” Gemma asked. “Do you have money? Could you lend me some if you have any?” Jade knew Gemma was from a middle-class family. Her parents both worked under someone else, and they did not earn much each month, but she really had no other way out of the situation. “Is this because of your father?” Jade hummed in agreement. South City’s top judge was under investigation because of embezzlement, and news of it was everywhere. Even the beggars knew about it. Gemma said, “I’m on the night shift, so I can’t leave my post. I’ll transfer eighty thousand dollars to you through my phone. It’s just a small amount, but that’s how much I can only take out right now. I’ll help you think of ways to get the rest of the money.” “It’s enough. I’ll think of the rest.” Jade did not know what she could say now. She felt choked with emotions. “Gem, thank you very much, you’ve helped me a lot.” Gemma snorted. “It’s not like we’ve just become friends, cut it out. Oh, by the way, you learned French before, right? I have a resident here who needs an interpreter for French. It’s a hundred thousand per night, do you want to give it a try?” “A hundred thousand?” She could earn one hundred thousand just by joining one negotiation? It was practically a saving straw for Jade, because what she needed now was money. “I’ll do it! Give me the contact details.” “But they’re heavy drinkers. Can you take it?” “It’s fine. Didn’t we drink a lot while we were still studying? You know just how well I can drink, right?” “All right, then.” After their short conversation, Gemma soon sent a number over. Jade made the call, and when she mentioned Gemma, the other side knew the purpose of her call immediately. He asked her to prepare her own outfit and meet him at Euphoria Hotel at six in the evening. Jade jotted down all the details on a paper with a pen. She had spent three minutes to make arrangements and land herself the high-paying translation job. Jade felt so good that she only wanted to scream. Together with the amount she borrowed, she just managed to get one hundred and eighty thousand dollars! Jade regarded the temporary job very seriously. She browsed through her wardrobe and spent a few hours picking out her outfit. When she saw that it was quite late, she quickly put on her makeup, grabbed her bag and keys, and went out. About ten minutes later, a taxi arrived at Euphoria Hotel. Jade had only mentioned the contact number to the service staff, and he immediately knew which guest and which room she referred to. He then led her to the third floor. The floor of the long corridor was covered with a soft, red carpet, and no sounds were made when they stepped on it. There were only four people in the room. Jade was able to tell just which one was the leader from one glance, so she walked forward and stretched out her hand. “Hello, Mister Alexander, I’m Jade. I’m the French interpreter.” “Oh, you’re here?” When Mister Alexander saw how Jade greeted him the moment she stepped into the room, how her outfit was appropriate for the occasion, and how her clothes gave her a natural elegance, Mister Alexander found himself admiring her quite a bit. He shook her hand. In a few words, Mister Alexander introduced the people beside him to Jade, and he also told her that the negotiation today was about exporting commodities. Since the representative from the other party was a Frenchman, they had to hire an interpreter to come over.