No More Mrs. Nice Wife (Eleanor) novel Chapter 1012

Serena's mood and outlook had changed dramatically. Her initial fear of the illness had given way to a sense of ease. Moreover, her own recovery meant there was hope for her mother's condition as well.

——

In Vanessa's villa, she had just gotten off a call with her mother and was in a foul mood. Laverne placed a newly acquired advertising contract in front of her. "Vanessa, I know you've been down lately, but this is easy money we shouldn't turn down—"

Vanessa glanced at the contract with disgust. "What is this trash? You want me to be a spokesperson for diapers?"

"No, what I mean is—" Laverne tried to explain.

Furious, Vanessa slammed the contract on the table. "Do you think I'm so desperate I'll take any ad that comes my way? Don't bring me these demeaning offers again."

Laverne sighed and patiently reasoned with her, "Vanessa, times have changed. We're losing almost all of our high-end endorsements. This brand may be new, but the endorsement fee is very generous."

Vanessa rubbed her temples in frustration. She knew her situation well. She knew something was wrong after Henry Holt had called her the other night only to hang up without a word. She was sure Serena had pulled some trick to ruin her reputation. Later, when she tried calling him back several times, she discovered he had blocked her number.

This gave her a bad feeling, but now she couldn't find Henry and had no idea what was going on with him.

As for Ian, she had given up hope. In fact, she was waiting for him to contact her to terminate their arrangement, because she was genuinely terrified of the blood draws.

After the last one, her mental state had deteriorated. The anemia caused hypoglycemia, and combined with immense stress, it gave her terrible headaches.

Vanessa had recently come to a profound realization: it's no use earning money if you're not alive to spend it.

Laverne said no more and left with a bag of Vanessa's dry cleaning.

Just as Vanessa tried to stand up, a wave of dizziness forced her back down. She gasped in pain, her expression twisting.

After some hesitation, Vanessa picked up her phone and called Gavin. To see Ian, she had to go through him.

"Miss Shannon, how can I help you?" Gavin's voice came from the other end.

"Gavin, is Ian busy right now? I have something I need to discuss with him."

"I'm sorry, Miss Shannon. Mr. Goodwin is in a meeting and can't take your call at the moment."

Vanessa tightened her grip on the phone. It was the same old excuse from Gavin. She forced a laugh. "Gavin, you know my relationship with Ian. If something important gets delayed because of this, you won't be able to take responsibility for it, will you?"

She had to speak with Ian directly about this; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to answer to her father.

"My apologies, Miss Shannon. You can tell me what it's about, and I will pass the message along," Gavin replied, his tone polite but distant.