Chapter 979 Rushing to Sign the Contract

Hearing his impatient voice, I knew his intentions were out of concern for me. I tried to ease the frustration in my heart a bit and said, "I know, but I have it under control." Sighing slightly, I added, "Thank you for your concern, but I'm really fine." Seeing his face still clouded with gloom, I changed my tone and asked, "Did you come looking for me this late for a reason?" Perhaps my tone was off, as his softening expression darkened again. "It's nothing." After that, he turned and got into his car, looking as if he did not want to say another word to me. I opened my mouth, wanting to ask more, but then saw him starting the car and driving away from the hotel. Damn it. What did I say? Why was he angry again? Truly, understanding a man's mind was as impossible as imagining worlds beyond our own. Having not slept well these past few days, I was genuinely exhausted. Without dwelling on it further, I returned to the hotel, washed up, and went directly to bed. The next day, I was woken up by my phone ringing. It was a call from Minerva. I was still groggy when I answered the call, but I noticed she sounded anxious, "Ms. Scott, are you up? The signing ceremony with Sanchez Corp is set for 9 o'clock. We should be leaving now, or we won't make it." I sat up abruptly, my mind taking a few seconds to catch up, and glanced at the time—it was already 8:30. Minerva had sent me the time for the signing ceremony the day before, but I had forgotten about it amid my concerns for Lucas. Without a moment to lose, I quickly got up, rushed through my morning routine, threw on some clothes, and hurried out the door. Downstairs, Minerva saw my state and widened her eyes. "Ms. Scott, what time did you go to bed last night?" "After 1 a.m. Why?" She opened her mouth but did not continue, simply pointing toward the car parked at the entrance. "Nothing, let's get in the car. We might be late if there's traffic." I nodded hastily, got into the car, and unintentionally glanced in the rearview mirror. I suddenly realized what she meant by her question. Whether it was due to lack of sleep or not, there were dark circles under my eyes and a faint red mark around my neck, left by Lucas when he choked me. Touching the red mark on my neck, I frowned. The mark had not been so noticeable last night, so how come it seemed even more evident today? Noticing my actions, Minerva asked with concern, "Ms. Scott, your neck..." It was difficult to explain, so I simply evaded it. "I might have scratched it last night without realizing it left a mark." She pursed her lips, seemingly skeptical. "Scratched?" I nodded, changing the subject, "Do you have powder and lipstick with you?" She hummed affirmatively, lowering her head to rummage through her bag. SHe handed me a compact powder and lipstick. I was not skilled at makeup and usually preferred to just apply just some sunscreen before heading out. However, given my appearance today, showing up at the signing ceremony like this would seem neglectful. Fortunately, the powder helped conceal it somewhat, making it less noticeable. Nonetheless, the mark on my neck was not so easily covered. I applied quite a bit, but it was still faintly visible. Thankfully, it was not too conspicuous unless looked at closely. Luckily, there was no traffic jam on the way over. We managed to arrive at Sanchez Corp right on time. Sally was waiting at the lobby of Sanchez Corp. Seeing me get out of the car, she came over with a smile. "Ms. Scott, you arrived just on time." I gave an awkward smile, noticing the young girl following behind her. I could not help but express my surprise. "Are you starting to train your daughter now?" She laughed and gestured for Sonya and Ramona to greet me, saying, "Well, it's the winter break, and they had nothing much to do at home. They insisted on coming to Tully City for a visit. I was rather free, so I brought them along." I smiled at the two girls. It had been some days since I saw them last, and the two country girls had become much fairer and delicate, especially Sonya. The young girl was beautiful, with delicate features. The last time I saw her, she was somewhat timid, but now, she seemed more spirited, almost resembling a young lady of a wealthy family. Standing next to Ramona, I thought that those unaware might even mistake her for the Fullers' biological daughter instead. Sally led us into Sanchez Corp and straight into the conference room. The lawyers from both sides and the responsible persons for the contract were seated in the room. As we entered, everyone stood up, with the contract documents already prepared in advance.