With

Chapter 37

“I don’t care. You have to figure out a way to make him go, or else you’re covering my food expenses this month.” Alicia raised her eyebrows.

“Hey, aren’t you being unreasonable? Fine, I’ll figure it out, but you’re writing my reflection statement.” Calla handed Alicia the paper and pen.

Grinning, Alicia replied, “Even though writing a reflection statement for the husband is not my forte, I can definitely accomplish the task.”

Calla shook her head at Alicia’s words. At least she didn’t have to worry about the reflection statement anymore. But how could she ensure that Mercer would go on the trip?

Thursday night, Calla tossed and turned in bed.

She had hoped to see Mercer over the past two days to ask him if he would join them on the trip. But he had been elusive, leaving her frustrated.

She and Alicia had 200 dollars riding on this. What should she do?

Despite her reluctance, Calla eventually picked up her phone and sent a text to Mercer. “Are you very busy lately?”

She couldn’t think of anything else to say, so she feigned concern.

After waiting for several minutes with no response, Calla tossed her phone aside.

It was late. Mercer was probably either asleep or busy with something exciting. After all, the nightlife of a CEO should be glamorous.

Calla had given up hope. But just as she was about to turn the lights off and go to sleep, her phone beeped, signaling a new message. She quickly picked it up, and sure enough, it was from Mercer.

“Just finished work for the day. Why aren’t you asleep yet? It’s not good for the baby.”

Realizing that he had been working late into the night, Calla felt a twinge of pity. And when he expressed concern for her, she felt a warmth in her heart.

However, his last sentence brought her back to reality. He was only concerned about the baby inside her.

Just as Calla was hesitating, her phone chimed with another message. “Get some rest soon. You have work tomorrow.”

She knew she had to seize this opportunity before it slipped away, so she quickly typed out a message and sent it.

“Will you be going on the trip with us tomorrow?”

This time, there was no text message. Her phone rang instead.

It was indeed from Mercer. Though feeling a little nervous, Calla answered the phone immediately.

“Hello?” In the quiet of the night, she could hear her own heartbeat.

+15 BONUS

“Do you want me to go with you?” A pleasant voice came from the other end of the line.

Hearing this, Calla felt a surge of nervousness. Should she say yes or no?

If she said yes, would it mean she was revealing her feelings to him? But if she said no and he didn’t go, she and Alicia would lose their 200 dollars.

After a moment of consideration, Calla hurriedly replied, “You… are so busy with work. You should take the opportunity to relax over the weekend. After all… health is wealth, right? Haha…”

Calla felt like her mouth had stretched to its maximum for that fake laugh. Those words were so

insincere, and her face flushed. Luckily, Mercer couldn’t see her.

There was a brief silence on the other end before his voice came through. “I got it. Go get some rest,” he said in a softer tone.

“So-” Before Calla could say anything else, the call was disconnected.

So was he going or not? She felt frustrated for not getting a direct answer.

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