My One-month Marriage With Mr. Hawkins novel Chapter 62

Florence delved into her busy designing work once again after the competition’s rules were declared the next morning. Ernest no longer came to her room to read, yet he had allocated an assistant for her. “Hi, I’m your new assistant, Shirley Flores. You can call me Shirley.” Shirley was a fresh university graduate and she looked naïve and cheerful. Her professional skills were excellent and she was very respectful to Florence too. Florence did not mind having an assistant during her busy time yet Cooper was clearly unhappy. He looked at Shirley coldly and asked, “Why did the company send you here all of a sudden?”

As if she had memorized what she should answer beforehand, she replied smoothly without hesitation, “Hasn’t Florence just gotten the first place in the last competition? She has made our company proud, and now the company values her very much. That’s why I was sent here to help.” Having represented the company itself, Cooper had nothing else to say. Yet he was still acting unfriendly towards her. “Don’t you disturb Florence, I’ll arrange work for you.”

Florence was starting to get busy, and she indeed had no strength to care about Shirley. Since she trusted Cooper very much too, she allowed him to arrange it all. At last, it was Cooper who ended up doing the tasks that required close assistance while Shirley was the one who did all the crappy jobs. Shirley was dissatisfied, she argued and bantered with Cooper occasionally, lightening up the nervous working atmosphere.

It was soon the time for finals. Florence led the model into the working compartment she was allocated to and started changing clothes, making preparations before the competition. Just then, the door was pushed open by someone from the outside. Isabel walked in with a domineering attitude. Florence frowned and instinctively blocked in front of the clothes, staring at her with alert. “What are you doing? You have no right entering my working compartment before the competition, get out!”

Isabel was not affected by her words at all and she ordered the model to leave for a moment. The model hesitated and fearing the power behind her, she still chose to leave. She spoke to Florence before she left, “Miss Fraser, I’ll be outside, you can call me whenever you need me.” Florence frowned and did not say a word.

Isabel closed the door after the model left. She looked at Florence with a false smile and said, “Florence, you don’t have to be that nervous. We already know each other so well and I won’t do anything to you.” It was her who did all the bad things, and she was bold enough to say she did nothing. Florence asked coldly, “What do you want?”

“Nothing. I just want to show you some pictures.” Isabel smiled and took some photos out from her purse. She tossed them casually onto the table in front of Florence. The photos spread and they were all about her contact with Cooper these days. There was the photo which Cooper picked dish for her during the bonfire festival, Cooper hugged her in the water when she was swimming, and also when Cooper protected her from being poured by the wine…Every photo was taken at such a tricky angle that made them looked extremely intimate to each other, even more lovey-dovey than ordinary couples.

“Florence, I suppose you remember you have a fiancé, and that fiancé is Mr. Ernest Hawkins?” Isabel leered. “Since you’re a woman who has a spouse, I guess it doesn’t look great being so intimate with other man? Or is it because you’re two timing your fiancé?”

“Isabel Hopkins, don’t be ridiculous! We’re innocent, me and Cooper, and what you said is untrue…” Florence pulled down her face and clenched her fists; she slightly panicked and felt uneasy. Isabel sneered, “Is it up to you to say so? Will the old lady of the Hawkins family trust you when she sees these photos?”

It was Georgia Hawkins who arranged the marriage between Florence and Ernest all by herself. The reason an arrogant person like Ernest wanted to go through the engagement process, even willing to agree having a fake engagement with her was all to console Georgia. It was said that Georgia had a very poor health and she was unable to withstand any shock. Ernest’s marriage was the thing she cared about the most now, and if she had seen these photos…Florence felt a chill down her spine and she did not dare to imagine the possible detrimental consequences afterwards at all.

Isabel looked at her despondent look with satisfaction and her mood was greatly lightened up. “Of course, don’t you think of telling the old lady about this with Ernest Hawkins first, because during the time I hand these photos to her, I would also tell her...” Isabel paused, and every word she said afterwards was full of evil intention. “That the engagement between you and Ernest Hawkins is fake!”

Florence froze and her face went cadaverous. Her voice slightly trembled as she spoke, “Are you insane? How dare you say such nonsense?”

“Nonsense or not, you know better than I do. Florence, I’ve heard every single word you said to Ernest Hawkins in the changing room that day.” Every word she said had slowly eliminated the fluke she thought she had. She felt her body cold and she could barely keep her balance. It was the biggest secret between her and Ernest, and Isabel had actually known it! She was completely doomed.

Isabel sneered with complacence. “Since I’ve heard that, I’ll certainly have ways to make the old lady believe that, and also the intimate relationship between you and Cooper Scott. I wonder what would happen to you after that.”

“Isabel Hopkins! What on earth do you want?” Florence gritted her teeth to keep her from falling down. Her weakness had been held by her enemy and she had no way to resist her. “It’s easy. If you quit the finals this time, I’ll be kind to help you conceal all these, how’s that?” She had made full preparations and the competition was going to begin, yet Isabel wanted her to quit at a moment like this. It was the most demonic thing she had ever seen.

Florence stared at her with rage. “You did this on purpose? You heard our conversations that day, yet you choose to tell me before the finals start.”

“Yes, indeed. I want you to experience wholeheartedly the despair whereby success is right in front of you, yet you could only choose to give up.” With a ferocious look, Isabel spoke with a cruel tone of voice. “Or, you could choose not to give up, as long as you don’t mind the old lady know the truth. Your agreement with Ernest is going to expire anyway.”

It was going to expire, but it was not yet expired. Even if there was only one day left, she could not let such a thing happen. That was what she had promised Ernest. With a cadaverous face, she could not withstand any longer and she collapsed onto the chair, as if all her energy had been drained at once.

“Florence, you could only be trampled by me all your life, and don’t you think of escaping.” Isabel laughed complacently. She then walked to the clothes worn by the mannequin and cut it with a pair of scissors. That was Florence’s work, the work she did with painstaking effort. She immediately stood up and shouted, “Isabel Hopkins, don’t you touch it!”