Dangerous Desire The CEO’s Hidden Woman

“Good, good, everyone is right! I’m happy for you because you all learned some important lessons from the game! And one more thing I want to tell you is that our life is just like a basketball game– we have ups and downs in it, that is…sometimes we shoot and score, but sometimes we get blocked and find no way out…” Scarlett looked around and smiled at the crew of kids.

“But no matter what happens, you have to stay determined and just keep going! Victory belongs to those who fight till the last minute. Just like our MVP today, Feynman Young!” Scarlett encouraged the kids to give warm applause for the most outstanding player in the game and then dismissed the kids for doing whatever they wanted.

After another busy day, Scarlett returned to the house and laid down on the sofa. She suddenly realized that she hadn’t called Francis in a long time, and he had not called her up either! Scarlett quickly took out her phone and dialed his number.

Francis was in an important business meeting at that time. He never answered a call when discussing business affairs, but as soon as he saw the caller ID, he said to the people at the table, “Excuse me!”

“Francis?” Scarlett said cautiously.

“It’s me,” Francis answered in an emotionless tone.

Scarlett felt that there must be something wrong, so immediately, she said, “I miss you.”

There was a long silence. Knowing that Francis must be mad at her because she had not been updating him on her life as he had wanted, she started a monologue, including every possible detail. She talked about the intolerably cold weather in Manbuca and her experiences with the kids there so far. She also bragged that she’d honed her cooking skills during the last two weeks and was ready to make him a big meal as soon as she got back home.

Francis listened and didn’t interrupt her. After Scarlett paused for a while, and it seemed like she had nothing left to say, Francis said what he’d wanted to for a long time.

“Scarlett, you are already an adult. Don’t you know the basic rules of being a responsible person? You made the decision to do this voluntary teaching in the distant countryside without even discussing it with me. You’ve been in Manbuca for half a month, and you didn’t even call to tell me if you’re good and safe. You didn’t tell me if you had any issues or if there was something I could help out with. Do you always deal with a relationship in this way, or do you just not care about me at all?”

Scarlett was astonished, and her mind went blank. But apparently, Francis wasn’t really waiting for an explanation. He hung up the phone.

***

For the next ten days, Scarlett didn’t call Francis again. She really did feel sorry and regretful, but she thought that apologizing over the phone would be too vague and emotionless. She was planning a formal and sincere apology to Francis when she got home. But since Francis did not know about Scarlett’s plan, he felt a bit annoyed that Scarlett had not called him again, and he felt regretful about having scolded her as harshly as he had.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

Two days before they left Manbuca, the school suddenly received packages of children’s clothes, shoes, books, school bags, and various other useful supplies. The principal of the school, Mr. James, along with Mr. Underwood and some other school staff, thanked Scarlett and the other five teachers for their generosity. But Scarlett and the others did not know what was happening, so they just stood there, receiving gratitude, surprised and puzzled.

After the principal and the school staff had left, Scarlett hurriedly stopped the person who was in charge of transporting the school supplies and asked him, “Excuse me, I was wondering… is it the University of Irving that sent all this stuff? And why? I mean, is this normal? Or is it the first time that something like this has happened?”

“Ah, you are not well informed on this then. So, here’s the thing, recently, the Sandler Scholarship Committee donated a large sum of money to the school. They basically created a special fund so that poor villages and towns could procure school supplies easily and improve their educational resources. The school was very happy and immediately made a big purchase for us to send over here to give the children the best Christmas gifts!” The person explained.

Scarlett stood there listening to his explanation. She was surprised and moved to hear that it was none other than the Sandler Scholarship Committee that was responsible for this wonderful happening. She wanted to call Francis, but she didn’t know how to express her feelings.

Scarlett saw the poverty in the village and saw in the children’s eyes that they were hungry for knowledge. She tried to give the children the best classes and love and care, but she did realize that she could hardly change the situation here overnight. She didn’t expect that someone would do something big like this, something she could not do for the children.

She tried not to think that Francis was doing this for her, but at the end of the day, such a generous and kind move itself was worthy of appreciation. It felt completely different from the last time she had received a scholarship from Francis’s hands, for the money had only been for her own personal benefit that time. But this time, the money was for these children so they could get a better education and make something of their lives. Her hands had been tied, and Francis had done something that would help the children out in a big way.

Scarlett really wanted to see Francis and give him a hug, but she knew it was barely possible at the moment. So she dialed his number… just to hear his voice, at least. It was not long before the phone was picked up.

“I’ll arrive at the train station the day after tomorrow. Will you come to pick me up?”

“At what time?”

“Well, ten.”