When they got home, Sidney went upstairs to freshen up, while Jayson made a phone call in the living room before coming upstairs. Sidney quickly finished her shower and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted from the day. She fell asleep shortly after, and when she woke up the next day, it was already bright outside, and the person beside her was gone. They had gotten home at dawn yesterday, and today she slept until late morning, barely feeling rested. With Jayson working such long hours every day and having to wake up early, how was his body holding up?
Sidney got up and started cooking chicken soup in the kitchen. During this time, she remembered to call Alondra—it was already afternoon, so she should be awake by now.
Soon, the phone was picked up, and Alondra's voice came through, casual as ever.
"Alondra, did you get home safely last night?"
"Yeah! What's up?"
"Yesterday, Jayson said those two men tried to drug us, so I was worried about you. But when I went over, no one was there, and I kept calling but you didn't pick up."
"Oh... I left soon after! It's fine!"
"Good to hear... you..."
"What's wrong?"
"Uh... are you with that guy?"
"Who?"
"Josiah."
"No! Why would you ask that?"
"It's nothing, just asking. You seemed pretty close yesterday."
"Oh! He's a regular client of mine, so we know each other pretty well!"
"Hmm, how long do you plan to keep doing this job?"
"I don't know, I'll just take it one step at a time."
"Why don't you find a place your dad can't find and run away?"
"How could he not find me? For the right price, he'd probably move mountains to track me down." Alondra said bitterly.
"I think this job is dangerous for you, and it's not something you can keep doing!" Sidney said anxiously. She hesitated to speak directly about what Jayson had said the previous day about Alondra's actions for money. Although she and Alondra were close, she knew that Alondra had a strong sense of pride in this area and wouldn't allow anyone to intervene.
"Don't worry about me! I have people watching over me! Anyway, I gotta go!" Alondra casually chatted for a few more sentences before quickly hanging up.
Sidney sighed, unsure of how to help her. Should she ask Jayson to help her?
Sidney prepared a pot of homemade stew, packed it up, and headed straight to Jayson's office building to deliver it.
Since she had been there before, the security guard at the entrance recognized her. After informing Jayson, he invited her to take the elevator up.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Mr. Smith was there to greet her. "Jayson is in a meeting. Please wait in the office."
Sidney nodded. After all, she had come uninvited, so it was only right to wait.
Sidney placed the soup on the coffee table and waited for an hour. When Jayson finally returned, he smiled as soon as he saw her. "Woke up?"
"Yeah, I brought you some homemade stew! I made sure to skim off all the fat."
Sidney lifted the lid, releasing the warm, fragrant steam. She set the pot down and sat next to him. He took a spoonful, savoring the hearty stew, a faint nod of approval crossing his face as he ate.
"I made sure it's all clean and fresh," Sidney said confidently, her eyes gleaming. "You can never be sure about the stuff they sell outside—who knows what's really in it? Homemade is always better!"
"Still... not bad." "Not bad." The soup was still too hot for him to drink all at once, so he took small sips.
At that moment, there were three knocks on the office door. Before Jayson could respond, it was pushed open.
A rugged-looking man in a sharp suit walked in. Upon seeing the two of them sitting on the sofa, he walked over and plopped down beside Sidney.
"homemade stew? So, this must be the wife?"
Sidney nodded at him politely, though she didn't know who he was.
"So, this is the perk of having a wife, huh? When you're tired from work, she brings you chicken soup to nourish you. A woman outside could never do that."
Jayson gave him a sharp glare, and Atticus immediately shut up.
"What's the matter?" Jayson asked.
Atticus spoke, "There was a point in the meeting minutes that I think... it would be better to send Ann as the French business representative. I'm not sure what you think about that."
"Although Ann is fluent in French, she's still inexperienced in business. It would be better to send James. Anyway, let him try it out first."
Jayson finished the last sip of soup, and Atticus glanced at the pot. "At least leave me a little bit to taste!"
"Why don't you have your wife make it for you?"
"You're taking a joke way too seriously!" "You're so serious even when I'm joking!" Atticus teased Jayson, then turned to Sidney and said, "I've known him since school, so we joke around like this. Don't take it seriously, Sister-in-law!"
He nodded.
"My wife's about to give birth, but once she's done, I'll have her take Sidney out shopping. She's been complaining about being bored and having no one to hang out with!"
Sidney nodded again.
"When is Sidney planning to have one of her own to add some excitement to the family?"
Sidney smiled awkwardly, not sure how to answer. She looked to Jayson.
"He already said he likes to joke, don't take it seriously," Jayson reassured her.
Sidney nodded.
"Get going! You're paid to work, not to joke around!" Jayson waved Atticus off.
Sidney picked up the empty pot and prepared to leave as well.
"Where're you going?"
"Home," Sidney answered obediently.
"Come here!"
Sidney walked over to him, and he led her into a small room.
"What are we doing?" she asked, confused.
"You fell asleep so quickly last night. I'm making up for it today," he said, impatiently unbuttoning her clothes.
Sidney panicked and struggled, "Not here, it's weird!"
"I've locked the door."
"It'll be heard!"
"The soundproofing is great."
"…"
"Let's have a baby quickly…"
"You're a pervert!"
Afterward, Sidney put her clothes back on, her face flushed as she sat on the edge of the bed. She felt both exhausted and sleepy.
"You can rest here," Jayson said, tying his belt as he opened the door to the small room.
"No, I'm going home," Sidney stood up. "By the way, can I borrow some money from you?"
"I gave you a card, didn't I? It has no limit."
"No, I want to lend Alondra money so she can leave Opal Lounge as soon as possible."
"She's already too deeply involved to get out."
"I want to lend her money, hoping she can leave B City and start fresh."
"She's already too involved. She can't leave now."
"Can you help her?"
"Don't worry about her, it's her choice, and she'll have to deal with the consequences."
