Chapter 5 This Time, She Doesn't Want to Endure It!

"You're short on money?"

Samuel casually glanced at the spot where she'd pushed the item, his expression unreadable.

"Seems like Ms. Brooks' husband isn't very capable, can't even provide you with a comfortable life."

"I don't care about material things."

Catching the mockery in his words, Nora frowned slightly and turned her head away from his gaze. "Whether I have money or not doesn't matter to me. I only care if that person is someone I love."

Really? If she truly didn't care about money, then why did she drop him without hesitation after his downfall all those years ago?

Could it be... she never loved him at all?

Samuel secretly clenched his fists, and when he spoke again, his tone was even colder.

"Since Ms. Brooks is now my personal secretary, you'll accompany me to the charity gala tonight. Later, I'll have Assistant Nelson bring you a gown and a styling team."

"Yes, Mr. Green."

Seeing that he wasn't going to dig deeper into her relationship with Dr. David, Nora let out a long breath and hurried away.

"This..."

Kevin glanced in the direction Nora had left, holding back repeatedly, but finally couldn't help whispering.

"Mr. Green, Emily will also be at tonight's gala. Having Ms. Brooks as your companion, isn't that... a bit inappropriate?"

"What's inappropriate about it? I'm having my secretary accompany me to a function, and I need the Johnson family's permission for that?"

Samuel shot him a cold look.

"You're right, Mr. Green."

Kevin flinched and immediately fell silent.

But in his heart, he secretly drew a cross for Nora.

Emily, the Johnson family's young lady, was notoriously jealous. Nora was in for a rough night.

...

"Samuel, why are you so late? I've been waiting forever."

As the sun set and night fell, darkness soon descended.

The five-star hotel in the city center was now brightly lit.

As soon as Nora and Samuel walked into the hotel ballroom, Emily, wearing a crimson haute couture gown, came over to Samuel.

She saw Nora but completely ignored her, melting into Samuel's arms and tracing her fingers across his chest.

"Stop it!"

Samuel glanced at Nora from the corner of his eye, suppressing his disgust as he put his arm around Emily's waist. "Had some things to handle at the company, so I'm a bit late."

"I know, I'm not blaming you."

Seeing him being so affectionate with her today, Emily's eyes lit up, and she smiled even more charmingly.

Nora just stood there watching them, feeling her stomach twist into a tight knot. Her head hurt, her heart hurt, her bones hurt—every part of her body ached.

Why?

For five years, she'd kept telling herself: she and Samuel were over.

Samuel was heaven's favored son, she wasn't good enough for him, she shouldn't drag him down into the mud.

But why did her heart still hurt so much seeing him with another woman?

"Mr. Green, I'm not feeling well. May I go rest for a moment?"

After struggling for a long time, she finally managed to find her voice.

She looked at Samuel with pursed lips, her face pale, her eyes full of pleading.

"You..."

Samuel's brow furrowed slightly, and he instinctively released Emily, wanting to go to her.

But at that moment, Emily suddenly grabbed his sleeve and looked Nora up and down with an arrogant expression.

"Ms. Brooks? It really is you! You're dressed so... presentably today, I almost didn't recognize you! But speaking of which, what are you doing here? Who brought you?"

Who brought her here?

Wasn't she asking when she already knew the answer?

Nora knew Emily was going to cause trouble, but she couldn't ask Samuel for help—he was Emily's fiancé now.Compared to a woman he'd had a brief fling with five years ago, his fiancée was obviously more important to Samuel.

"Miss Johnson, I'm now Mr. Green's personal secretary. Mr. Green was worried that my limited experience might embarrass the company at social functions, so he specially brought me to this gala to broaden my horizons."

After taking a deep breath, Nora pulled herself together and gave Emily a neither humble nor arrogant smile.

"Personal secretary!"

Emily repeated her words coolly, then suddenly raised her hand and pointed to a display stand in the distance.

The stand held various pieces of jewelry, all items for tonight's charity auction.

"Ms. Brooks, if you're going to take care of Samuel's daily needs, you'll inevitably have to help him coordinate outfits and accessories. So, identifying jewelry is a skill you must have."

"How about this—today, as Samuel's fiancée, I'll test you! Pass my test, and I'll allow you to continue working at Bright Capital. If you can't meet my requirements, submit your resignation voluntarily."

Emily snorted coldly and said loudly enough for all the guests present to hear.

"Go pick three pieces of jewelry from that collection that would be most suitable for Samuel."

"Almost all the jewelry on display at tonight's charity gala is for women. Where would there be accessories suitable for Mr. Green? Miss Johnson, you're making things difficult for that young lady!"

"Some people deserve it. Knowing full well that Miss Johnson would be attending the gala, she still shamelessly clings to Mr. Green. She's practically announcing to everyone that she wants to be a homewrecker."

As soon as Emily finished speaking, laughter erupted around them.

Those words mixed with mockery and malice made Nora feel like she'd returned to five years ago.

Back then, when she pursued Samuel with all her heart, his friends had ridiculed her the same way.

"Attention-seeker," "overreaching," "social climber."

In the eyes of those upper-class people, all the negative words in the world seemed invented just for her.

But she hadn't done anything wrong—what right did they have to treat her this way?

Just because they were born into privilege, they could look down on poor people?

Five years ago, she had to consider Samuel's feelings and wouldn't confront those who mocked her, but today, she didn't want to swallow her pride anymore.

"Fine, I'll go pick accessories for Mr. Green right now."

She slowly raised her head, looked deeply at Samuel and Emily, then walked straight past them to the jewelry display and quickly selected three items.

"Sapphire cufflinks, an antique from the British royal family. I believe their quality complements your temperament perfectly."

"A J-brand watch—not the latest model, but it's a limited edition. Only ten in the world."

"And finally, this pink diamond necklace—'Eternal True Love.'" She smiled at Mr. Green. "I heard your wedding with Miss Johnson is approaching? Give this to your fiancée, and she'll surely be delighted."