This time, Tilda’s claims turned out to be accurate. Her cousin was truly exceptional, and Rosalind acknowledged it promptly.
She replied swiftly:
[I have a business trip tomorrow. I’ll discuss this project with my boss when I return! It’s genuinely promising.]
A prompt response came:
[You have a business trip tomorrow too?]
Rosalind replied:
[Yes, I’m headed to Jingtown City.]
Malcolm said:
[What a coincidence! I’m also going to Jingtown tomorrow. I’ve been invited to give a lecture at the University of Technology. If you have time, we can meet up and delve into the project in detail.]
Being unexpectedly invited, Rosalind couldn’t determine Malcolm’s true intentions or whether Tilda had ulterior motives.
Nevertheless, she believed the project held significant potential and couldn’t afford to miss out due to suspicions.
After contemplating for a moment, she responded:
[Alright, let’s stay in touch.]
Setting her phone aside, Rosalind entered the bathroom. Upon emerging, she noticed an unread text message that wasn’t on WhatsApp.
She opened it and discovered it was from an unknown number:
[I heard you’re acting as a mistress for a wealthy man. Imagine what your mother would do if she found out?]
Boom.
Rosalind felt a sudden chill wash over her entire body, as if she had been drenched in icy water!
Without a second thought, she knew it was her father’s mistress who sent the message. Unable to cause trouble at her mother’s hospital, she had now turned her attention to Rosalind!
She replied:
[What do you want exactly?]
Sure enough, the person responded:
[Find a way to convince your mother to agree to a divorce, and I won’t expose this secret to her.]
Rosalind trembled with anger as she read the message.
She never imagined someone could be so shameless! After being a mistress for over two decades, she was still scheming to force the man to divorce his wife!
However… she genuinely worried about her mother finding out.
If her mother discovered the contract marriage, she would refuse surgery and might even experience severe emotional distress, leading to further complications!
Seeing Rosalind’s lack of response, the person added another message:
[Don’t think you can escape. If I say it, I’ll do it.]
Ulric entered the room and noticed her distressed expression.
Approaching slowly, he placed a hand on Rosalind’s shoulder and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Startled, she instinctively hid her phone’s contents and replied, “It’s nothing, really.”
“Rosalind, I think you should inform your friends that you’re currently married.”
Caught off guard by Ulric’s serious tone, she responded, “Huh? Tilda would persistently question me! I’m terrible at making up stories, especially when it involves fabricating a person.”
Rosalind was well aware of Tilda’s personality, she wouldn’t let it go until she thoroughly investigated her husband’s background. There was no way she could deceive her with a fictional character.
“In that case, just tell her.”
Ulric’s dark eyes focused on her face, searching for something.
“Tell her what?”
Rosalind instinctively asked, realizing she hadn’t even considered revealing that she and Ulric had registered their marriage.
After a few seconds of silence, Ulric furrowed his brows deeply. “Am I that unappealing?”
“But our contract is only for a year…” Rosalind also worried about having to explain their divorce in the future.
Rosalind analyzed the situation rationally and explained, “I understand that you don’t like Tilda introducing potential boyfriends to me. You’re concerned that I might have ambiguous relationships during our contract period, which could have physical implications for you. Rest assured, I have no such intentions. If you feel verbal assurance isn’t sufficient, we can add a breach clause to the contract. I have no objections.”
During their previous conversation, Rosalind had deeply contemplated Ulric’s cleanliness obsession. It stemmed from his inability to accept sharing a woman with other men.
Especially considering she was still regarded as a substitute for his first love, his concerns were understandable.
In reality, Rosalind had only been with him. She simply didn’t want to mention that her first time was with him because it felt like emotional manipulation.