I Stopped Waiting and Started Loving novel Chapter 31

Less than a minute later, Jasper Ford hurried into the room.

The moment he stepped inside, he sensed the terrifying, suffocating aura radiating from his boss.

He cautiously inched toward the dining table, his eyes immediately landing on the note and the black card left behind.

"Ms. Hayes... she left?"

Jasper's eyelids twitched, a sinking feeling settling in his chest. "I'll call her right now and tell her to come back!"

Quentin Vance didn't say a word, didn't even spare him a glance, and simply turned on his heel, his expression somber as he strode into the study.

With a loud slam, the heavy door shut tight.

Jasper wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, staring at the closed door with mounting anxiety.

This man's temper was getting more unpredictable by the day.

...

Meanwhile, at the Davenport International Medical Center.

When Bonnie Hayes received Jasper's call, she had already been standing at the reception desk for over an hour.

Seeing the caller ID, her heart sank.

What had to happen was finally happening.

She answered the phone, speaking up first with an apologetic tone. "Jasper, I'm so sorry for letting you down. Are we going to the courthouse tomorrow to finalize the divorce?"

On the other end of the line, Jasper nearly choked on his own breath.

"Ms. Hayes, couldn't you have just waited for us to get back before deciding to leave?" Jasper's voice was full of helpless exasperation.

Bonnie lowered her eyelashes.

Whether she waited or not, there was only going to be one outcome.

She just didn't want to wait around for Quentin to coldly kick her out; that would have been far too humiliating.

Taking the hint and leaving on her own terms at least allowed her to keep a shred of dignity.

Before she could speak, Jasper continued. "The three-year contract isn't up yet. Since you signed the papers and took the money, you need to uphold your end of the deal. If you insist on unilaterally breaking the contract, the penalty is ten times the original amount."

Ten times.

That was millions of dollars.

Bonnie froze completely. Where on earth would she get that kind of money?

"No, no, no, I didn't want to leave," she explained desperately.

Wait.

"The person who reported me for practicing without a license... was you?"

Seraphina paused for a second before bursting into an exaggerated, mocking laugh, dramatically covering her mouth.

"Oh my, I was wondering why you suddenly stooped to wearing that receptionist uniform. So you got reported."

Seraphina laughed so hard she practically shook, the triumph in her eyes impossible to hide. "I know exactly who reported you. Want me to tell you?"

Just then, a nurse called out from down the hall. "Can I get some help moving these boxes?"

Bonnie ignored Seraphina, stepping right past her and heading toward the elevators.

But Seraphina stuck to her like glue, leaning in to whisper in a low, venomous tone.

"I'll tell you the truth, Bonnie. I was the one who told Parrish you were working here."

"Parrish probably worried you'd try to bully me, so he had someone report you. I must say, I didn't expect you to have so many tricks up your sleeve to seduce men. You actually managed to stick around."

Bonnie stopped in her tracks.

She stared at the mountain of heavy cardboard boxes piled by the elevator, then suddenly bent down and scooped up the largest, heaviest one of them all.

The box was so massive that once she had it in her arms, it completely blocked her line of sight.

"Wow, this box is incredibly heavy. I can't see a single thing in front of me."