Chapter 3 The Contract

• John sat in his chair in the cold office, his jaw clenched and thin lips forming a straight line.
• A few suit-clad men stood in the center of the space, their heads bowed and not even daring to breathe aloud.
• John pinched his intensely throbbing temples, not entirely sure what was going on.
• Wasn't he supposed to be dead?
• As soon as he remembered the car accident from his past life, John's eyes grew cold.
• "Leave."
• "Yes."
• The voice was emotionless, but to the men who heard it, it sounded like music from heaven. They dashed out joyfully, feeling as if they had been pardoned.
• They exhaled a sigh of relief after shutting the door behind them.
• "Don't you believe that lately, President John's aura has grown more and more terrifying?"
• "It's a good thing he let us out at last, because I almost choked to death."
• "John McCain is a human air conditioner factory, to put it plainly. I mean, really, why even turn on the air conditioning? One could save money on electricity costs if it would just stand next to President John."
• When he noticed the newcomers, the man across from him coughed rapidly to alert the others.
• "What's not right? a sore throat?
• The man said, "......."
• His eyes gave a desperate hint. Assistant Ben had arrived at some point, as the other two realized as well and turned to find themselves facing him.
• The three felt a great deal of shame.
• After cautioning them with "Watch your words," Ben gave them a detached glance and then walked into President John's office.
• "You don't think he'll tattle on us, right?" asked one of them, dabbing at the cold perspiration from his forehead.
• "I suppose it shouldn't."
• John laughed icily and gloomily in the office. He'd let them get away with it in a past life. He would not let them get away with it now that Heaven had granted him a second chance at life.
• They will all pay, without exception.
• Simply put...
• A flash of impatience flashed in John's eyes as he thought back to his previous life, when Emily had clung to him like chewing gum and he had tried in vain to shake her off.
• Had he reincarnated a few days sooner, there would have been no contract signed.
• He gave it some thought, added an additional contract, and gave it to Assistant Ben.
• "Show Emily this, and ask her to sign it."
• "Give her an extra $10,000 dollars per month if she's willing to sign it," he continued after giving it some thought.
• Money solves problems. What he feared more than this pitiful amount was Emily's neediness.
• Ben, the assistant, was taken aback by what he saw in the contract.
• However, he put the contract away and only then started talking business because, as an assistant, the most important thing was to do more and ask for less.
• *
• Emily didn't have any other jobs lately because she was being reprimanded by the fans of a well-known celebrity for unintentionally offending them, all thanks to Baxter Brother's guidance. She spent the whole afternoon curled up on the couch, playing games.
• Night had fallen by the time she stood up to stretch.
• She could see the brightly flickering city lights from her spot by the window.
• As she was leaving the company, she noticed that many employees were still putting in extra hours. Emily gave a gossipy earful.
• It seems that a male artist employed by the company had an affair with a female fan and was currently facing blackmail. The fact that he had a girlfriend in the business was crucial.
• Emily gave a tsk. The best gift a man can give is chastity. A man without morals was not worthy of desire.
• Downstairs, the driver was still waiting for her. When she inquired, she discovered that he had not left the entire afternoon.
• "Next time you can do your own thing, no need to wait for me here," said Emily, feeling a little guilty.
• "I am your devoted chauffeur. My responsibility is to serve Madam all day long."
• Emily was astounded by her cheap husband's kindness once more. He had made all the appearances that were expected of him, even though their marriage was a contract.
• She arrived home after eight o'clock.
• Assistant Ben had been waiting for some time by then.
• He had not expected her to be working; he had assumed she would be at home. Assistant Ben felt a little better about her now.
• From nutty to industrious nutty.
• Maybe not all that much better, hmm.
• When Assistant Ben noticed that no one was in the area, he pulled out some documents and said, "Please review these clauses. If everything is in order, you may sign. A monthly additional ten thousand dollars will be provided, according to President John."
• When Emily heard the words "ten thousand," she instantly reached for the pen and signed in the blank space below, even though her initial intention was to carefully read them.
• Ben, the assistant, expressed surprise and asked, "Won't you read them first?"
• "I don't need to read; I trust President John!"
• First of all, she was aware of John's virtues. And she could not refuse a mere ten thousand extra a month.
• That would be 50 thousand dollars per month. Many people's annual incomes were not even that high. Why couldn't she get along with wealth?
• Assistant Ben had no idea Emily would have such faith in President John. "You should still take a look," he said with a complicated look.
• Emily didn't carefully read the supplemental agreement until after that.
• 1. Avoid getting close to Party A within three meters unless absolutely necessary.
• "Not a problem. Not only three meters, but thirty meters is acceptable."
• 2. It is forbidden to make any physical contact unless absolutely necessary.
• Emily: "Um."
• "Don't these two sentences just restate one another? How could there be any physical contact when we are unable to get within three meters?"
• Her height was not even three meters.
• Ben, the assistant, coughed lightly. In fact, he thought these extra clauses were extremely odd as well.
• What transpired further clarified that she had to know her place and not approach him on purpose. He was free to end the contract at any time if he broke it.
• End the contract!
• When Emily heard these words, her heart skipped a beat. If the contract was terminated, all the funds would be lost!
• "Please relay to President John that I will definitely memorize these clauses thoroughly, reciting them every morning after I wake up, to constantly remind myself and keep to my proper place," she said, hugging the agreement to herself.
• Ben, the assistant: "..."
• "It is not necessary to go that far."
• "Is that what she actually said?"
• "Noted."
• John hung up the phone and picked up a towel absentmindedly to pat dry his wet hair.
• His body was still emitting wisps of steam from the shower, which accentuated his already sharp brows and eyes.
• He frequently resided in a studio apartment close to the corporate headquarters for convenience.
• To be honest, he was pretty surprised by Emily's response.
• Given his past life experiences, John sensed Emily ought to be hatching a major scheme.
• Before beginning work, he thought of this and sent a message to the housekeeper.
• Some people worked through the night, while others drifted off to sleep.
• She would naturally cherish her second life and take good care of herself now that she had one.
• Emily was therefore ready to go to sleep by 10 p.m.
• The liver detoxified during the hours of 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. Getting enough sleep during this time was essential. Emily backed up her words with actions. She read through the agreement as soon as she woke up the following day, making sure she remembered it all.
• After all, this was directly related to her later-life bliss.
• She then showered and put on makeup.
• Emily's appearance was, coincidentally, exactly the same as in her former life. She also easily adjusted to her new identity because of this. She believed that they had to be connected in some way.
• Easy days passed while she ate, drank, took care of herself, and had beauty treatments.
• Emily paid her hospitalized younger brother a special visit because she was thinking about him.
• Though extremely well-behaved, the poor child was pale-faced as he lay on the bed and addressed her affectionately as Sister Emily. Her heart melted at that.
• She moved him to a luxury suite with a sweep of her hand, hired a personal caregiver, and headed out.
• A few days passed quickly, and her skin softened and became more supple.
• But—
• Emily squeezed her tender stomach. Had she put on weight?
• "Uncle Arthur, have I gotten fatter?" she asked, scowling.
• Uncle Arthur's eye corner quivered. It would be odd if she didn't put on some weight after spending the entire day eating and sleeping.
• However, it would undoubtedly be difficult for the young miss to accept the news directly. He also thought that girls appeared better when they had some meat on them.
• With caution, Uncle Arthur retorted, "You were too thin before. This is how things are at the moment."
• Emily sighed. She had thus actually gained weight.
• "Ask Sister Monroe to make me some diet meals," she said, swallowing painfully as she looked at the table full of delicate cuisine.
• "It's alright, let's begin tomorrow."
• She balled her heart into a fist. She needs to start working out hard tomorrow in order to lose weight!
• Uncle Arthur shook his head and grinned. Since Madam's arrival, the home has become livelier in place of the previous coldness.