I Stopped Waiting and Started Loving novel Chapter 9

The air in the room went dead silent.

Bonnie's ears burned with embarrassment as she met the icy stare of the man sitting across from her.

"Please don't misunderstand," she rushed to explain. "I didn't break up with my ex just to take this job. I only found out you needed someone for a contract marriage after we had already broken up."

"Do you... believe me?"

Bonnie looked at him nervously.

It was her very first day on the job, and the last thing she wanted was for her boss to think she was a shallow gold-digger who dumped her boyfriend the second a paycheck appeared.

Quentin's expression remained perfectly flat as his long fingers twirled the porcelain spoon in his bowl.

"Keep playing it," he ordered, his tone frigid.

"What?" Bonnie froze.

Quentin's brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of impatience flashing in his cold eyes. He clearly despised people who didn't understand his instructions.

"Play the audio message. Finish it."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable, domineering weight.

Bonnie swallowed hard, her heart in her throat.

She knew Jasmine's unfiltered mouth entirely too well.

All she could do was pray internally that Jasmine didn't say anything even more disastrous.

Bracing herself, she tapped the audio message again.

"That ungrateful bastard broke up with you and immediately started parading around with another woman! Talk about a seamless transition! I'm so pissed! I marched right up to him and said I'd tell you he was here on a date, and guess what that jerk said?"

"He actually had the nerve to say he was networking and that you're the one who refused to trust him! He said he used to explain himself every time, but now he's tired and doesn't want to explain anymore!"

"But the second I turned my back, I heard that woman ask him why he told you he was networking when they were clearly on a date. Bonnie, I fully support you dumping him! Good-looking men are completely unreliable. They're all cheating scum!"

The audio finished, leaving the dining room so quiet they could hear each other breathe.

Buzz—

Another vibration. A second audio message popped up.

"I despise being around people with complicated romantic entanglements." Quentin leaned back in his chair, his expression as cold as ice. "You can leave."

Panic seized Bonnie's chest, and she shot up from her chair.

"Mr. Vance, please wait!"

She looked at him desperately, her mind racing.

"I admit what just happened was incredibly awkward, but I have completely severed ties with my ex. I promise you, I will never let him interfere with our arrangement. Furthermore, you don't just need a wife in name; you need someone who is constantly available to manage your health."

"I understand pharmacology, I know specialized physical therapy techniques, and I know how to nurse a body back to health. I can also cook and meticulously manage your daily life. Unlike the women who approach you with ulterior motives, I am strictly here to do a job for the money. I won't cling to you, and I won't cause you any trouble."

"If you look across all of Harlow City, could you honestly find a more suitable, cost-effective candidate than me?"

Bonnie stood tall, her face radiating absolute determination and sincerity.

"Mr. Vance, please give me one more chance. I swear this will never happen again."

Quentin didn't speak immediately.

His cold, dark eyes lingered heavily on Bonnie's face for a long time.