Chapter 2 A Woman

Marilyn wondered if this man had a mental problem. How could he ask a stranger to be his wife? He looked like a decent man but he spoke utter nonsense!

Rolling her eyes, Marilyn responded to his absurd offer, "Firstly, I have a boyfriend. Second of all, I can find a job myself and don't need you to support me. So could you just pay my medical fees and leave immediately?"

Kendrick crossed his arms across his chest and smiled mockingly, "Firstly, you will break up with your boyfriend right away. Second of all, you can't find a job without me and you will starve to death. Lastly, you were the one who broke the traffic signal and crashed into my car. My driver was startled because of you. If I want, I can slap a lawsuit on you instead!"

Marilyn pounded her bed in anger. What a monster!

"Are you insane? You're blackmailing the person whose arm you broke! What kind of a man are you?"

Marilyn was so furious that her cheeks had puffed up, like an angry globefish. Suppressing the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, Kendrick looked at her with a straight face and said, "I've already given you a way out. You will only benefit from it. I'll ask you again. Do you agree to marry me?"

Marilyn roared angrily, "No!"

"Okay," said Kendrick with a dangerous look in his eyes. His thick eyelashes concealed the emotions in his eyes. He lowered his voice and said, "Mark my words, you'll beg me to marry you."

With that threat, Kendrick threw Marilyn's broken phone on the bed, turned on his heel, and left.

The chubby doctor, too, walked out of the ward. He shook his head and muttered to himself, "What a dramatic scene! It was right out of a romance novel where the domineering CEO falls in love with the poor girl!"

Marilyn hurriedly turned on her phone and saw numerous calls and messages of concern from her best friend, Hilda Zhang. The rest of the notifications were from her colleagues gloating over her, one from her manager criticizing her, and there was a phone call that was answered by Kendrick.

Marilyn stared at her cell phone miserably. She felt so awful about being humiliated like this.

The last message on the screen was from Hilda Zhang. She said that Marilyn was fired by the company because she was absent from an important meeting for no reason. Her desk had been cleaned up and her stuff had been thrown outside.

Marilyn was about to reply when another call came from Hilda Zhang. "Marilyn, what's going on? Why aren't you answering my calls?"

Marilyn relayed the entire ordeal to her friend. Hilda Zhang was enraged. "Damn it! What kind of a psychopath have you met? I'll come to your ward as soon as I finish my work at noon and help you deal with that jerk!"

Marilyn sighed and hung up the phone. Before she could calm herself down, another text message popped up from the hospital, urging her to pay the fees. As fearless as she had been when she faced Kendrick, now she felt like a coward. After all, an empty pocket would discourage anyone. Her father's hospitalization fee still hadn't been paid, and now her own fees were added to that burden. What a miserable life!

Just then, her belly rumbled inappropriately. She searched her pockets and her bag to find a few extra dollars. All she found was two dollars and ten coins, which was certainly not enough to buy even a bowl of rice.

She started making some phone calls to borrow money but her acquaintances either hung up on her or refused outright. With no other option left, she decided to call her boyfriend.

The two had quarreled some time ago but not broken up. Marilyn was extremely busy with her father's matter and her boyfriend had never even bothered to check on her through it all. On the contrary, he mocked her in his WeChat moments.

Gritting her teeth, Marilyn dialed the number. "Hello, it's me. Do you have any money? I want to..."

It was very noisy on the other side of the phone and the sound of girls laughing in the background came through. Tim Cao snapped impatiently, "What do you want? Didn't we break up? Why are you calling me now?"

"What! When did we break up?" Marilyn's eyes widened.

"Haha, my dear lady, you are so funny. You are so busy with your career that you don't even have time to check WeChat moments? I updated my status to 'single' on my WeChat moments yesterday. Please give me a like," Tim Cao sneered. "You are abstinent like a holy maiden. Have you ever let me touch you even after being together for so long? God knows who you had been with before! Now that you're in trouble, you're remembering me! Do you think I'm running a charity? How about this? You spend one night with me and I'll pay you for it. What do you think?"

"You bastard!" Marilyn was trembling with anger. She tried her best to yell at him, but was too choked up to talk.

"Then you aren't getting a penny out of me. Go to hell!"

Before Marilyn could say anything more, Tim Cao turned to the girl with the high-pitched voice in the background, and rudely hung up the phone.

Marilyn held the phone for a long time, shaking violently. She was unable to calm down.

Four years ago, she had attended a party where someone got her drunk. When she woke up, she found herself lying naked on the bed in a hotel. She had quickly put on her clothes and run away without even turning back to look at the man's face. This incident had left a scar in her heart. She was so ashamed that she had never dared to mention it to anyone.

From then on, the touch of anyone from the opposite sex disgusted her. She was not the holy maiden that Tim Cao thought she was.

"Miss Marilyn, may I come in?" asked a middle-aged woman, peeking into her room. The door was slightly ajar.

Marilyn wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "Come in, please."

That kind woman came in with a lunch tray in her hand. "Our boss has asked me to bring food for you."

Marilyn was in a premium ward, so with the click of a button, a small table rose automatically on the bed. The woman set down the bowls of food in the tray on the table one by one. A delicious aroma filled the room.

"Who is your boss?" Marilyn asked with a nervous gulp.

"Mr. Kendrick. It was his driver who hit you." She smiled sweetly, "He asked me to ensure that you eat the chicken soup and venison soup. These are some fruits that are high in calcium. It's all very good for your health."

Marilyn frowned as that arrogant face came to her mind. "No, thanks! I'm not hungry now."

"You'd better eat. His private nutritionist has customized this meal for you," coaxed the woman gently, pushing the table toward Marilyn. "Our boss wants to treat you well, and what he said today is also true. It's just that he is blunt and honest. That's why you may not have liked his tone," she explained.

The aroma of the food rose to Marilyn's nostrils and her lips were unable to hold her saliva in. But she shook her head resolutely and said, "Take it back. I won't accept anything from him, even if I'm starving to death, and nor will I be his wife. I don't know him at all!"

The woman sighed and was about to try persuading her again, when suddenly there was a sound outside the door. Hilda shot into the room like a small cannonball. "Marilyn, where is the bastard who wants to take advantage of you! I'll deal with him!"