I Quit Being a Stepmother (Cypress Gem) novel Chapter 58

Chapter 58

That day was Rhea’s birthday.

She vividly remembered the day she ran into Carter at the hospital. He had his two kids in tow, and it had been her birthday.

Six whole years had passed since then.

Everything had started on that date. And now, she wanted it to end on the same one.

“Go ahead. Drive safe,” Rhea said.

She had the day off anyway. After returning from Draventh, Louie had insisted that she take a day’s rest.

Just before they left, Lauren turned to Mia and said, “Mia, I’ll come visit you at the hospital once I’m done with work.”

“Okay, my dear sister–in–law!” Mia chirped.

Tyler immediately frowned. “Why are you calling her that?”

Lauren just smiled and said, “It’s fine. Let her call me whatever she wants.”

To her surprise, Carter said, “Mia, your sister–in–law is right here.”

Lauren’s pride took a hit, but she couldn’t bring herself to say a single word.

The two of them then got into the car, one after the other. Once they were on the road heading to the office, Lauren softly asked, “Carter, did I do something wrong?” 1

She just couldn’t understand why his attitude toward Rhea had suddenly changed.

“What makes you think that?”

She gave a strained smile. “I thought I must’ve done something wrong. That’s why you started treating me like

a stranger.‘

Carter glanced at her. After a pause, he said, “Rhea is my wife. I can’t just ignore how she feels. I was thinking, if you miss the kids, you could always come by to see them.”

Lauren wondered if that meant that she was no longer welcome to stay over now and then.

She looked crushed. “Carter…”

Just then, his phone rang. Carter picked it up, cutting the conversation short.

At Jamison Group, Carter ordered, “Print two copies of the aesthetic medical equipment report and bring them

to me.”

Lauren nodded and went off to do it. But when she got to the printer, she stood there fiddling with it for a long

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time, completely lost. “How does this thing even work?”

One of Carter’s secretaries, Grace Huber, came over and walked her through it once, expressionless.

+25 BONUS

Lauren stepped back and said, “I’m not very good at this. Carter needs it soon, and I don’t want to waste time. Would you mind printing another copy for me?”

Grace frowned when she heard those words. She knew exactly who Carter’s wife was–a woman who was always kind, graceful, and thoughtful.

Rhea didn’t come to the office often, but whenever she did, she brought treats for the staff.

Lauren, on the other hand, had somehow landed the job as Carter’s secretary out of nowhere. The other secretaries were already quietly grumbling about her. Not only was she clueless, but she also had a habit of slacking off and feigning ignorance.

Grace looked up and said, “Ms. Thayer, this is basic office work. If you keep asking others for help, it just adds to our workload. I’ve already printed one copy for you and shown you how to use it. Please handle the second one yourself.”

The weakness in Lauren’s eyes was suddenly gone. “Ms. Huber, I’m new here. It’s only natural that someone with your experience would help guide me.

“Besides, Carter and I grew up together. He knows that this kind of printing and copying work isn’t what I was trained for. It makes sense if I’m a little slow with it, doesn’t it?” 2

Grace couldn’t stand to hear another excuse from her. “Then you should work hard to learn.”

With that, she walked away. 1

Whether Lauren genuinely didn’t know how to work the machine or if she was just distracted, the pages she printed came out completely out of order.

However, she didn’t even notice. She brought the stack straight to Carter.

He looked up, mildly surprised. “That was fast for your first try.”

Lauren smiled sweetly and said, “It’s my job now. Of course I should do it well.”

Then she returned to her desk. However, her eyes kept drifting back to Carter. He had always been exceptionally attractive, easily on par with George.

Lauren had dated Carter when they were young, and the other women had envied her for it. She had always worn that envy like a badge of honor.

“Lauren?”

Carter had to call her twice before she snapped out of it. She replied, “Sorry. What is it?”

“The pages are all out of order, and some are missing entirely,” he said, frowning.

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Chapter 59