“What do you know? Men can never get enough of women. It was not unusual for a man of Mr. George’s intelligence and charm to have a wife at home and a lot of girlfriends outside. Besides, women like Miss Torres are the best of the best. Despite her beauty, she is so talented and would be perfect for Mr. George.”
The chatter continued. I looked at Dennis being held by Sheila Torres and thought they were a perfect couple.
They said equal marriages lasted. When I thought about it, there seemed to be quite a gap between Dennis and me.
I was in a daze when Luna calmly pulled Sheila Torres away from Dennis’s arms and said, “The paramedics should be here by now. Call a hotel paramedic! Help get the young lady to the hospital.”
Luna, who was no nosy type, burst out to pull Dennis and Sheila Torres apart, apparently trying to keep them in line.
Fortunately, the hotel staff was quick to help Sheila Torres out.
They rearranged the staff and the annual meeting went on.
Dennis was called away by Luna, apparently, she was trying to say something.
I found a place to sit, ate something, and felt sleepy.
After a long wait, Dennis came back.
He smiled when he saw me yawning, “Sleepy?”
I nodded and looked at the crowd in the hall. “Will it be long before we get home?”
He smiled, reached for me, and said, “We can go home soon.”
He took me by his hand, handed me a glass of milk, and said, “Let’s go. I’ll show you some people.”
They were all people who had done business with the George Group, and who were doing well in City P.
Dennis was not a man of many words. As he dragged me through the doors, he almost always said the same thing, “This is my wife, Clara.”
After the introduction, Dennis was going to take me back, but we met Rose in the crowd of people who were going back.
There were a lot of people at the George Group, but it seemed to me that Rose barely said hello to anyone all evening.
She was either drinking or eating.
She greeted me with a smile.
After a few steps, I stopped and looked at her, “Are you going back?”
She nodded, “Yes.” Her speech was light and her disposition was light.
“Why don’t you join us? Where do you live? We’ll take you home. It’s not easy to get a cab here.” It was not that it was hard to get a taxi, it was almost impossible.
She froze and looked at Dennis, clearly confused.
I tugged at Dennis’s clothes, and Dennis nodded and said faintly, “Come on!”
I got in the car. Dennis and I were in the back, while Rose and the driver in the front.
With little to say, she gave her address and the driver took her back.
As she was getting out of the car, she looked back at me and smiled, “Thank you!”
I nodded, unconcerned.
When she left, Dennis looked at me, “Since when have you been so nice?”
I was stunned and asked, “We’re on our way, aren’t we?”
He smiled, “Clara, that’s not an excuse.”
I thought about it and gave a more pertinent answer, “How can I put it? She is a rather pitiful woman.”
She would be forty years old. At her age, she had a house, a car, and a child in Newton Town, so it was impossible for her to come to City P for her salary, even if City P'’s salary was high. So, it was most likely that something happened to the family.
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