Chapter 230: Preparations

Though the two of them shared a bed this night, not wanting to arouse any suspicion from Jack, their hearts were anything but as close as they seemed on the surface. They were physically close, yet emotionally distant. Sometimes, mere words couldn't truly convey what was going on in each other's hearts. Martina didn't know when she gradually fell asleep, even though she had many nightmares one after another after falling asleep. Benjamin, on the other hand, had hardly slept a wink the entire night. It was only when the day was about to break that he finally managed to get a little rest. The next morning, by the time Martina woke up, Benjamin was no longer there. This man was always like that, regardless of what he was doing, he never cared for his own well-being. Ironically, he was the one who needed rest the most, yet he worked so tirelessly. If it had been before, Martina would have felt heartbroken and unable to say a word, but now she couldn't find her voice. At first glance, it might not seem that different, but in reality, there was a world of difference. Perhaps the words she had spoken last night had finally had an effect. Benjamin was a man of immense pride, and according to his personality, he couldn't possibly continue to subdue himself. She had made herself perfectly clear, and Benjamin must be furious with her. From now on, she didn't need to bear any psychological burdens, and there was no possibility left between them. Perhaps this was the best choice, and it was the only choice. Despite having slept through the latter half of the night, Martina now felt utterly exhausted. With work to attend to today, she had no choice but to muster her strength, concealing the faint dark circles under her eyes, and headed out the door. It seemed that Jack had other matters to attend to today, as he was not at home at this moment. Martina was relieved and finally didn't have to pretend. She had a simple breakfast and then left. Thinking about how Jack's birthday was less than half a month away, she planned to find some time in the coming days to buy a gift. After all, Jack had been so good to her; it would be embarrassing if she couldn't even bring herself to buy a gift for his birthday. However, Martina hadn't decided on what gift to buy yet. Something too ordinary might not be suitable, and something too expensive was also out of her budget. After all, she couldn't use Benjamin's money to buy a gift for Jack in her name. Martina had already made up her mind not to spend a single cent of Benjamin's money. So, in the days ahead, she would need to work harder to earn money and try to get a unique birthday gift for Jack. At this point, Jack had no idea about Martina's thoughts. If he knew, he would undoubtedly be even more touched and increasingly dissatisfied with his grandson. Jack was just like that. When he liked someone, he genuinely liked them, and when he didn't, he genuinely disliked them. It wasn't just empty talk. His own grandson excelled in numerous ways, but when it came to matters of the heart, he seemed as oblivious as a piece of lumber. He might not even measure up to an average guy from the neighborhood. Jack would break out in a cold sweat every time he thought about this. He didn't know how he had raised such an emotionally unintelligent kid; his grandson, whose wife was about to leave, continued to work every day. Martina quickly left home and didn't notice the shadow following behind her, keeping a close watch on her every move. When she had gone quite a distance, the person finally revealed themselves, and to everyone's surprise, it was Elizabeth. Today, Elizabeth seemed to be in decent spirits. Especially when she saw Martina leaving alone, she became even more delighted. It was unclear whether it was due to her mood or some other reason. See, Martina was already on her own so quickly, right? She thought she was so capable, but in reality, she relied on Benjamin. Without his protection, she was nothing. No matter what others said, at least in Elizabeth's eyes, there was no one who could compare to Benjamin, and no one could outshine him. The tasks Elizabeth had assigned were proceeding systematically, and other things were going on as planned. In recent times, news about Jack's return had already spread far and wide, and many people were keen to know his whereabouts. It seemed like everyone wanted to meet with him. However, he couldn't possibly meet with everyone, and he only saw a select few people with whom he had relatively good relationships. He reluctantly spent some time with them. Otherwise, given his health, he might not be able to handle it. He couldn't risk his life just to meet with others. Currently, Jack didn't have any grand ambitions. He simply wanted to see Martina and Benjamin together as soon as possible, and perhaps have a healthy, chubby baby. If he could live for a couple more years, he'd consider it a complete success and be content. But judging by Benjamin's current situation, it seemed like it would take ages for him to become a father. Maybe his wife would even run away before that happened. Martina had no idea about Jack's thoughts and had been keeping herself busy and self-improving during this time. Time seemed to pass quickly for her. Benjamin was also occupied with work during this period. Besides Jack's upcoming birthday, he had many other things to take care of. On top of that, he had been tirelessly contemplating how to get Martina back. This was a long and arduous process, and just thinking about it made him feel challenged numerous times. Despite Benjamin's courage and resourcefulness in other areas, when it came to pursuing a girl, he really lagged behind, not even measuring up to a regular guy. No body is perfect. Currently, Benjamin was as busy as a beehive. He was swamped every day, to the point where he had to squeeze in time even for meals. In comparison, Martina had it a bit easier, at least not as inhuman as Benjamin's schedule. She still had some personal space, and she thought she wouldn't be able to handle it if she had to sync her schedule with Benjamin, going to work and coming back together every day.