Chapter 7 She took out her phone and called him. As usual, he didn't answer. So she called Jared. "Mr. Hinton, where is Garrett?" "Mrs. Melendez, Mr. Melendez is on a business trip. He won't be back for three days." For the past three years, she had only been able to know Garrett's schedule through Jared. She sat on the bench, her head spinning, her elbows resting on her knees. "Can you give me his itinerary? I want to see when he's free." Jared looked awkwardly at the man sitting nearby. "Mrs. Melendez, Mr. Melendez really hasn't had any time lately. He just finished a major acquisition, and the new company's accounts are a complete mess." Adrienne fell silent. She knew Garrett was busy. He was so busy that over the past three years, he had forgotten their wedding anniversary, her birthday, and every holiday. She had spent them all alone at home. "Alright, if he comes back, could you give me a call and let me know?" "Sure, Mrs. Melendez." Adrienne hung up the phone and stared blankly at the bustling crowd inside the courthouse. Newlywed couples beamed with joy, while divorced pairs passed by like strangers, treating each other like disgusting pests to avoid. She pulled out her phone and started browsing job postings from nearby companies. Her resume had long been pre- pared. First things first, she needed to find a job. She had studied vocal performance in college, but after what happened with Loretta Pierce, she was terrified of singing. She couldn't bring herself to sing a single note anymore. Her lashes lowered as she slowly scrolled through job listings, eventually settling on a mid-sized company that was looking for an assistant to the director. There were no professional requirements listed. The only requirements were about height, weight, and appearance. She sent her resume in, and within three minutes, the company called her, asking her to come in for an interview that afternoon. Having never worked before, she didn't understand all the twists and turns of the industry. At first, she even thought it might be a scam. 0.0% 16:42 Chapter 7 But when she actually sat down in front of the interviewer, the woman glanced at her face and nodded. "When can you start?" Adrienne was a little surprised. "Aren't you going to ask about my qualifications?" "You're a music major. What qualifications could you possibly have? The job mostly involves attending business din- ners with the director. The pay is high, but it runs on youth. Think it over." "Alright." She was led to handle onboarding paperwork. It wasn't until she met the director that she realized that it was someone she knew. Back when she had just married Garrett three years ago, she had met this director once. At the time, he was a senior executive at the Melendez Group. He didn't recognize her and, during a company party, mistook her for a waitress and tried to kiss her, only to be caught by Garrett. Soon after, word spread that he had gotten himself in trouble at the company and had been fired. His name was Willard Gibson. At that moment, her resume was pulled up on his computer screen. "I thought I was seeing things. Isn't this Garrett's woman? Coming to my little company looking for work. How sur- prising! What, did he dump you?" His gaze remained burning as he stared at her, slowly closing his laptop. "I heard your husband barely comes home, even after three years. How does he have the heart?" Adrienne truly was stunning. She was quiet, gentle, and breathtaking. The more you looked at her, the harder it was to look away. 12 58.5% 16:42