Chapter 8 Looking For Santino

"My ex-boyfriend went to that company for an interview. They have hired him with a pay of fifty thousand a month."

Rhonda became angry as she spoke about Santino.

"He has been jobless for six months. He used to be idle at home playing video games all day. I wonder if the CEO of Sloan Corporation is out of his mind. Why would they hire an idle person and offer him fifty thousand a month?"

Eliam choked on his noodles. Rhonda quickly gave him a glass of water.

"You also think the salary is high, don't you?" she asked, examining his face. "Fifty thousand dollars! That's unbelievable. Your monthly salary is only thirty thousand dollars. Why don't you give it a try at Sloan Corporation?"

Hearing that, Eliam coughed more violently.

His face flushed; it took a long while for his breathing to return to normal.

"Didn't you say you have no contact with your ex-boyfriend? How did you know he got a job at Sloan Corporation?"

"Well, his girlfriend told me. The three of us were classmates in college. She and I work in the same company now. We used to be good friends."

Eliam was surprised.

It seemed like the woman in the apartment tonight wasn't Rhonda.

"Isn't it awkward and embarrassing for you to work in the same company as her?"

"Yes, it is. So I'm looking to change companies."

Eliam didn't speak further. He finished his noodles and went to take a shower.

When he came out of the bathroom, he saw Rhonda texting someone.

Eliam told her he would sleep in the study tonight, took his laptop, and went to the next room. It looked like he would have to work late tonight.

Rhonda didn't care. She took her pajamas and went to take a shower.

In the study, Eliam turned on his laptop, his brows knitted in concentration.

After thinking for a long time, he picked up the phone and called the HR officer who spoke to him in the morning.

Meanwhile, the officer trembled with fright when he saw the call from Eliam. Ever since he joined the Sloan Corporation, the CEO had uttered only a few sentences to him. Most of them were said today.

"Mr. Sloan, what can I do for you?"

"Do you remember the candidate we had decided to hire today? His name is Santino Byrne. I want you to lower his salary to ten thousand per month for disclosing the salary information. If he doesn't agree, replace him with the other candidate."

The next morning, Rhonda deliberately got up early and made a hearty breakfast.

During breakfast, Richard suddenly asked, "Eliam, where did you sleep last night?"

Eliam's face froze, and he glanced at Rhonda.

"I'm asking you. Why are you looking at Rhonda?"

"I finished work only at midnight. I didn't want to disturb Rhonda, so I slept in the study."

"You just got married two days ago. Leave your work behind and concentrate on accompanying Rhonda." Richard thought for a while and asked, "Why don't you two go on a honeymoon?"

"Honeymoon?" Eliam looked at Rhonda. "Is that your idea?"

"No, I didn't say anything." Rhonda frantically shook her head. She didn't know how Richard found that Eliam didn't sleep in their bedroom with her last night.

But Eliam didn't believe her.

"Rhonda didn't tell me anything. I'm eagerly waiting for a great-grandson. If you don't make my wish come true, I'll teach you a lesson."

Eliam was annoyed to hear his grandfather pressurizing him to have a baby early in the morning.

Maggie stood by the door and overheard the conversation. She remembered the prenuptial agreement she saw in the young couple's bedroom.

If Richard knew the two had planned to divorce in six months, she wondered if he would lose faith in Rhonda.

In that case, Amanda would get a chance to marry into the Sloan family.

Rhonda had taken the day off from work. After breakfast, she went straight to the hospital.

Nora's surgery was scheduled for next week. She would have to undergo a series of pre-operative examinations this week.

After the morning rounds, Rhonda met Nora's attending physician, Robert Coyle.

Robert was an elegant and handsome male doctor. He had studied abroad and was one of the finest young doctors.

He patiently explained Nora's condition to Rhonda.

The nurses were all envious of Rhonda.

"Dr. Coyle has been talking with that girl for a long time. Dr. Kerr will be insanely jealous if she sees this," one of the nurses gloated.

"Oh, I can't wait for her to see this. Dr. Coyle isn't her boyfriend. He is still single, and we all have equal opportunities."

"So you are also interested in Dr. Coyle?"

"I'm not the only one interested in him. Dr. Coyle is an excellent man. Any woman would fall for him."

"Shh! Dr. Kerr is here." The nurses immediately shut up and pretended to be busy.

Amanda glanced at the nurses gossiping as she walked past them. "What were you talking about?"

"We were talking about how patient Dr. Coyle is. He has been talking with the patient's family member for half an hour." One of the nurses forced a smile at her.

Amanda looked at the doctor's office and saw a young girl sitting opposite Robert.

The girl wore a high ponytail. Her skin was smooth and flawless. She looked pristine and young like a college student.

The girl said something, and Robert smiled at her.

His smile was like the warm sun in winter -- bright and refreshing.

His contagious smile was the reason why Amanda had a crush on him. She had chased after him for three years when they studied abroad. But despite all her efforts, Robert continued to remain indifferent to her.

Amanda's face darkened.

"Which patient's family member is she?" Amanda asked.

"She is the granddaughter of the patient in Bed 23."

"The patient with terminal cancer?" Amanda pursed her lips and asked, "Has she paid for the surgery yet?"

"She has only paid the deposit. She still has to pay four hundred thousand dollars."

"All right. Don't arrange the surgery for the patient until she has paid the full amount."

"But she is Dr. Coyle's patient." The nurse was hesitant. She didn't expect Amanda to use her position to get even with the girl for a private grudge.

"I'm in charge of arranging the operating theater. I should allocate it for the patient who has made full payment first. Tell her it is my decision. If there's a problem, ask Dr. Coyle to meet me."

Rhonda broke down crying when Robert told her that her grandmother's condition was critical.

Robert handed her a piece of tissue and comforted her, "Don't worry. As long as we perform the operation on time, your grandmother's condition will improve."

Rhonda sniffed loudly and thanked Robert. Then, she saved Robert's WhatsApp number so she could contact him in case of an emergency.

That afternoon, the agency called Rhonda and told her that a client was interested in her apartment and wanted to see it.

Rhonda hurried home but couldn't open the door. After several attempts, she realized the lock had been changed.

Just then, a neighbor came out and told Rhonda that Santino had asked someone to change the door lock yesterday.

Rhonda became furious. She immediately called Santino, but he had changed his phone number.

She remembered Sloan Corporation had hired Santino, so she went to the company to find him.

Rhonda went to the receptionist and inquired about the department Santino worked for. But the receptionist didn't know him.

Rhonda became anxious. She decided to go into the company to look for him. However, the receptionist didn't allow her.

Having no choice, Rhonda sneaked in when the receptionist went to the washroom.

There were a total of twenty-five floors in Sloan Corporation. Rhonda first went to the fifth floor to look for Santino in the technology department.

Considering she didn't have access to the elevator, she could only take the stairs. Rhonda searched for him everywhere, looking at every office from the fifth floor to the fifteenth floor but couldn't find Santino anywhere.

Rhonda was too exhausted to climb the stairs again, so she waited by the elevator.

Just then, the door of the elevator behind her opened. A middle-aged man stepped out, followed by a young man.

Seeing Rhonda, he immediately stepped back into the elevator and pressed the close button.