Thinking about that man, Ji, made her remember last night, and her face flushed uncontrollably. He really was... intense and skillful. It was just as Eve had said—rich boys like him knew all sorts of tricks.
'But this will be the only time.' She had completed her first "task" and figured she wouldn't run into him again. After showering and getting dressed, Leah Sinclair had to admit, he certainly knew what kind of clothes to buy.
The dress had a mock turtleneck that covered the marks on her neck. She let out a soft sigh of relief. Otherwise, she wouldn't have known how to explain them when she went to see Grandma Sinclair.
When she arrived at the hospital, Grandma Sinclair was awake. Her condition had improved considerably since the surgery. Seeing Leah, she chided her gently, "Didn't I tell you not to keep running over here? It'll get in the way of your work. I'm almost all better."
"Don't worry, Grandma, it's not a problem," Leah Sinclair said with a smile, setting down the fruit she was carrying. She then picked up an apple and began to slowly peel it.
"Sigh. I'm just an old woman dragging you down."
Grandma Sinclair took Leah Sinclair's hand. She knew her own son and daughter-in-law hadn't wanted to cover her surgery costs, but she couldn't blame them.
After all, eight hundred thousand was an enormous sum for their family. Even selling their house wouldn't have been enough to cover it.
She had been very surprised when the hospital scheduled her for surgery. Leah Sinclair had told her she had already paid all the fees, and she worried about how Leah had gotten that kind of money. Leah explained that she had found a job, and her kind boss, knowing her situation, had given her an advance.
But she had to sign a ten-year contract with the company, with the money deducted from her salary each month. Grandma Sinclair felt she was dragging her granddaughter down, forcing her to sign what was essentially a contract for indentured servitude, and had initially refused the surgery.
It was only after Leah had pleaded tearfully, begging Grandma Sinclair to have the surgery and stay with her for a few more years, saying she wouldn't know what to do without her, that Grandma Sinclair finally agreed.
"Don't say that, Grandma. You being well is more important than anything," Leah Sinclair said, squeezing her grandmother's hand reassuringly.
Although Grandma Sinclair's surgery was a success, her age meant she tired easily. It wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep again. Leah Sinclair tucked her in, gave a few instructions to the caregiver, and then left.
She had to focus on finding a job for the next few days and couldn't stay at the hospital to look after Grandma Sinclair. Gritting her teeth, she had hired a caregiver for two hundred a day—no small sum for her. She had an interview that afternoon, and it was a very important one.
Just as she was leaving the hospital room, she ran into Grandma Sinclair's attending physician, Chester Hale. He called her into his office. "Your grandmother's post-operative recovery is going quite well," he said. "But she is getting on in years, and she still has hypertension and high blood sugar. While these aren't critical issues, they still need to be managed."
"Okay, Dr. Hale. Is there anything else I need to watch out for? I'll write it all down," Leah Sinclair said, taking a notebook from her bag.
After he finished explaining, Chester Hale smiled. "It looks like you found a good new job. That dress, if I remember correctly, is a new C&Y design, isn't it? Costs several thousand. Decided to splurge?"
Leah Sinclair's hand paused as she was putting her notebook away. She hadn't realized the dress was so expensive and felt a pang of annoyance. Lowering her head, she replied, "You're joking, Dr. Hale. It's just a knockoff I bought online for a hundred or two. Now that I have a job, I need to look a little more presentable."
Chester Hale didn't say anything more. He wasn't blind; he could certainly tell the difference between the real deal and a fake. He had seen that exact dress when he went shopping with his sister the other day, but he didn't call Leah Sinclair's bluff.
He had already been shocked when Leah Sinclair produced the eight hundred thousand. The story about a salary advance and a ten-year contract might be enough to fool Grandma Sinclair, but it couldn't fool him. Still, this was Leah Sinclair's private life.
He wasn't one to meddle in others' affairs. As a doctor, he witnessed life-and-death situations on a regular basis and saw far too many people give up on treatment because they couldn't scrape together the surgery fees.
Chester Hale had originally thought Leah Sinclair would give up, just like Grandma Sinclair's own son did. But she didn't. She only begged the hospital not to give up either and to just give her a little more time.
She had insisted she would find a way to get the money for her grandmother's surgery, and she did. As for where the money came from, he had no right to ask, nor did he want to.
Seeing that Chester Hale had nothing more to say, Leah Sinclair stood up, said her goodbyes, and quickly left. She had to rush to her interview. Once she was out of the hospital, she glanced down at her dress and decided to head back to her rental apartment to change first.
Dr. Hale had recognized the dress in a single glance. Even though she'd managed to brush him off, she didn't dare parade around town in it anymore.
By the time she changed and rushed over to Aevon Group, the interviews were just beginning. She hurried to a seat in the waiting area. The only reason she had managed to get an interview with Aevon Group was because of a recommendation from her academic advisor.
With her grades, she could have gone on to graduate school; she had even secured a guaranteed placement. But she gave it all up for Grandma Sinclair. Her advisor thought it was a terrible shame, but there was nothing to be done.
By the time Grandma Sinclair's surgery was over and the dust had settled, she had already missed the peak season for internships and job hunting.
Her advisor had previously collaborated with Aevon Group on a few consulting projects and didn't want to see her talent wasted at some other company. So, he called in a favor and recommended Leah Sinclair to them.
Aevon Construction Group was one of the country's most renowned construction firms, with its headquarters in Riverfall. For architecture students like Leah Sinclair, Aevon was one of their top three dream companies to work for after graduation.
It wasn't just because of its prestige; Aevon was also known for its excellent employee benefits. The interview went relatively smoothly, as she was a candidate personally recommended by her advisor.
Aevon was trusting her advisor's judgment more than her own abilities. Her advisor rarely made recommendations, but the people he had recommended in the past had all been exceptional.
They signed the contract. Since it was already Friday, they agreed she would start on Monday as an intern assistant.
The salary wasn't particularly high. As an intern, her base pay was only 3,500 a month. With various allowances and subsidies, she could probably make around 5,000 a month.
Once her internship period was over, her base salary would increase again, and she might be able to earn six or seven thousand a month. For her, that was already quite good.
As she walked, Leah Sinclair calculated how long it would take to pay off the rest of the debt with her new salary and the money from Azure Bay. Just then, Eve called, telling her to come over that night; she had arranged a gig for her. After a moment of silence, Leah Sinclair agreed.
At this point, she had no choice. The first time was already over. If the rest of it was just accompanying men for drinks, she could accept that.
When Leah Sinclair arrived, Eve handed her a dress. She looked at it and hesitated. "Eve... this dress... is it even shorter than yesterday's?"