After Betrayal - I Married a Handsome Tycoon-Chapter 20: The Exhausted Field

Moira Sloan was still awake when she received Connor Quinn’s message. She was lying on her stomach in bed, her fair, delicate toes pointed up as she binged a show.

It was a horror movie. Two streams of bloody tears flowed from the female ghost’s ink-black pupils, which, combined with her pale face, was genuinely hair-raising.

Moira was absorbed in the movie when a message popped up at the top of her screen.

She glanced at it, a corner of her mouth quirking. She didn’t reply.

’It’s just a mutually beneficial relationship. There’s no need to get all lovey-dovey.’

’Does it hurt?’

’How about some kisses and cuddles to make it all better?’

’That’s the kind of talk for starry-eyed young couples, not us.’

She didn’t reply, and on his end, Connor Quinn didn’t ask again.

「The next day.」

Before going to sleep, Moira had only felt sore all over. When she woke up this morning, that soreness had turned into sharp pain.

Especially around her hips and pelvis, which felt as if they’d been forcibly pried apart.

It wasn’t the exaggerated, weak-in-the-knees feeling from TV shows and novels, but every step she took came with a discomfort that was impossible to ignore.

Moira Sloan loved looking her best. In her own words, even if she were pushing eighty and on her deathbed, she’d still have to crawl out of it to put on a gorgeous face of makeup.

So, while the pain was hard to bear, she could grit her teeth and endure it for the sake of beauty.

Moira washed her face and applied some light makeup. ’Maybe I won’t go into the shop today,’ she thought. ’Shauna Duane is there, so I can just rest at home for a day.’

’Before today, I’d always thought there was no such thing as an over-plowed field, only an overworked ox.’

’After this experience, I suddenly realized that being the "field" was hard work too.’

’It might have looked like I wasn’t doing anything, but I put in just as much effort.’

Just as Moira was lost in thought, the phone she’d tossed aside suddenly rang.

She was in the middle of applying her eyeliner. Her hand trembled at the sound, but thankfully, her skills were sharp enough to prevent a makeup disaster.

The call was from Shauna Duane. Moira had barely said "Hello" when she heard Shauna’s voice, brimming with excitement. "Moira, we’ve got a huge order!"

Moira replied nonchalantly, "Hm?"

"Someone wants to buy your lacquerware jewelry box, and they also want to order a custom set of furniture. They’re offering one million!"

Shauna finished, expecting Moira to be just as excited as she was. Instead, Moira just clicked her tongue and laughed drily. "A jewelry box and a custom set of furniture for one million? Why don’t they just go rob someone?"

"That’s a lot of money, isn’t it?" Shauna asked.

"It’s far too little," Moira stated.

Shauna was stunned.

"Three million," Moira said. "Ask them if they’ll take it. If they will, I’ll head over now. If not, forget it."

Shauna Duane was born and raised in Everwood County. Other than the few years she’d spent in the provincial capital for university, she had never really left. She’d never even heard of such an enormous sum of money. "Th-three million?"

Moira laughed softly, her offer generous. "Close the deal, and I’ll give you a fifty-thousand commission."

Who would argue with money? "I won’t let you down!" Shauna said, practically buzzing.

With that, Shauna immediately hung up.

Moira had just finished her makeup and stepped out of the bathroom when her phone rang again. It was Shauna.

Moira took her milk to the microwave to heat it up. Leaning against the counter, she said with a smile, "So the deal is done."

"How did you know?!" Shauna replied, ecstatic.

"I’ll be there in twenty minutes," Moira said.

"Great!"

After hanging up with Shauna, Moira found her milk was perfectly warm. She lazily drank it while basking in the sunlight from the window, then tossed the cup into the dishwasher, changed into a long dress, and headed out.

Her body was evidence of last night’s "fierce battle," so she threw on a white, knee-length cardigan for good measure.

’I’ll just pass it off as a trendy layered look,’ she thought.

Moira took a cab to the lacquerware shop. As she was getting out, she saw two people standing inside. A tall woman stood with her back to the door, her face hidden from view, but Moira recognized the man.

It was Shane Jennings’s assistant, Sean Grant.