Free Web NovelChapter 125: Chapter 126: Getting the Wrong End of the Stick and Talking at Cross-Purposes
Sonia Quincy was happy to take on the job, but she couldn’t help feeling a little apprehensive.
Because this couple’s identity was anything but ordinary.
That’s right. They were the Shaws. Of Shaw Technologies. The same Shaws who had consistently bested the Quincy Family on the Aethelburg Wealth Rankings for twenty years straight, second only to the Lockwood Group.
Looking at the message Julia Dawson had sent a few minutes ago, Sonia Quincy’s brow furrowed into a tight knot.
She typed and deleted in the chat box, repeating the process several times before finally sending a single sentence.
—The people from Shaw Technologies want me to design jewelry? Who the hell am I? I figured landing the *Legend of the King* job was already a sign my ancestors were looking out for me.
—AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Julia Dawson was roaring with laughter on the other end.
Sonia Quincy turned off her phone and closed her eyes, a headache brewing. ’People are such strange creatures,’ she thought. ’Anxious when you can’t land a big commission, and even more anxious when you land a ridiculously huge one.’
The only difference was that the first anxiety was about not making money, while the second was about not being up to the task.
"Sonia, are you okay?"
Evan Yates had noticed Sonia Quincy’s mood was off ever since she got in the car. Now, seeing her put down her phone only to close her eyes and sigh, he grew concerned she was having trouble at work.
She was in the late stages of her pregnancy, due to give birth in about two months. In reality, many companies were unwilling to keep employees who were that close to their delivery date. Seeing her anxious expression, Evan Yates naturally assumed the company had found a way to let her go because of the impending birth.
"Are you having some kind of trouble at work?" he followed up.
"Huh?" Sonia Quincy was taken aback by the question and took a few seconds to react.
"Ah..." She nodded, telling a small white lie. "Not trouble, exactly. It’s just a bit difficult to handle, and I’m trying to get myself in the right headspace to deal with it."
"I see..." Evan Yates narrowed his eyes. ’I knew it,’ he thought. ’Sonia Quincy really was fired because she’s about to give birth.’
This was a common dilemma women faced in the workplace. Although morals and laws forbade any company from doing such a thing, a lone individual was still no match for corporate interests.
Having navigated the professional world for over a decade, Evan Yates was long accustomed to such phenomena. But when it happened to his good friend’s wife, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of sorrow.
"It’s okay, Sonia." In his current situation, there was nothing he could do to help Sonia Quincy, so he could only offer a few words of hollow comfort. "Anyway, you’re about to give birth soon. Just think of leaving now as an early maternity leave."
"...Huh?" Sonia Quincy had no idea what he was talking about.
"Sigh..." Evan Yates sighed, his expression grave. He continued, "Because of Preston’s injury, our game’s progress has slowed down for now, but the money he earned a while back is more than enough to cover the birth."
"The birth?" Sonia Quincy grew more and more confused the more he spoke. "I don’t need to pay for the delivery. Your Preston already paid the hospital in full right after I got pregnant."
"He paid in full?!" Evan Yates’s eyes widened in surprise, then he suddenly broke into a happy smile. "If it’s already paid for, then you have even less to be anxious about, Sonia. Just go home, get some good rest, and wait for the delivery. You don’t need a thing, and you don’t have a single thing to worry about!"
"...Ha?" Sonia Quincy’s brow tied itself into a knot, and she was completely bewildered. "I’m perfectly fine. Why would I need to go home and rest to prepare for childbirth?"
Evan Yates: "Of course you should go home to rest and prepare! In your condition, no one will hire you if you go out for interviews!"
Sonia Quincy: "..."
BZZZT—
Just as Sonia Quincy was reeling in confusion from Evan Yates’s nonsensical words, a message from Julia Dawson popped up on her phone.
Snapping out of her confusion, Sonia Quincy picked up the phone from her lap and looked at the new message from Julia Dawson.
—Teacher Quincy, don’t be nervous. Mr. Shaw and Mrs. Shaw are both very easy to talk to.
’No, it’s impossible not to be nervous...’ Sonia Quincy shook her head at her phone, typing a reply with trembling fingers.
—I can’t do it. I’m nervous.
Julia Dawson replied instantly.
—Teacher Quincy, you really don’t need to be nervous. Mr. Shaw’s entire family loves your designs, especially his daughter-in-law! The moment she saw the camellia design you did for me, she immediately decided she wanted to meet you.
Sonia Quincy took a deep breath.
—How did they see that custom design?
Julia Dawson: Oh, I forgot to explain. Mr. Shaw’s daughter-in-law is my best friend from high school. We were chatting last week, and I happened to mention that my wedding jewelry was all sorted out. She asked to take a look, so I sent her your design sketch.
"Hm?" Sonia Quincy’s eyes widened in disbelief.
—It was that simple?
Julia Dawson: It was that simple. The Shaw Family may be wealthy, but they aren’t picky. They choose things based on one simple principle: they have to like it. They don’t care about brand names, nor do they rank people or things by status. So, Teacher Quincy, you really, truly don’t need to be nervous!
Sonia Quincy: ...Fine.
She gave up.
Besides, the car was almost at Mina Jennings’s studio. No matter how nervous she was, she would have to face the music soon.
"We’re here, Sonia."
Three minutes later, the black Mercedes stopped in front of the studio.
Sonia Quincy had just unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car when she saw Mina Jennings and Julia Dawson walking out of the studio to greet her.
"Teacher Quincy!" Julia Dawson called out cheerfully to Sonia Quincy before she had even gotten close.
"’Teacher Quincy?’" Inside the Mercedes, Evan Yates was taken aback by the exclamation. He looked up in astonishment at Sonia Quincy slowly ascending the steps and muttered to himself in disbelief, "Even online customer service reps get called ’teacher’ these days?"
"Teacher Quincy." Julia Dawson trotted over to Sonia Quincy’s side, affectionately linking her arm in Sonia’s and carefully guiding her inside. "Mr. and Mrs. Shaw are already waiting. We can go right in."
"Ah?" Sonia Quincy’s heart began to beat erratically with nervousness. She quickly dug into her bag for the mask she’d prepared and scrambled to put it on.
"Don’t bother wearing that." Mina Jennings snatched the mask from her. "They already know who you are," she said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "It’s useless."
"Wha—?!" Sonia Quincy instantly grew even more nervous.
"Preston, Preston."
Watching Sonia Quincy enter the studio, Evan Yates immediately pulled his phone from his suit pocket to send a voice message to Felix Preston.
"Your wife is doing pretty well for herself. Even though she’s just an online customer service rep, people at her company are already calling her ’teacher’."
Felix Preston: Hm?
Evan Yates: "And that’s not all. She had barely stepped out of the car, not even through the front door yet, and two people came out of the office to greet her. Acting like a real big shot!"
Felix Preston: Hm????
