Taken By My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 84: Chapter 84

Half an hour later, Shirin and Lorraine emerged from the internship coordinator's office, looking dejected.
Shirin was on the verge of tears, her expression one of sheer frustration. "I don't want to go to such a remote place. Why won't Lucia let me switch with you?"
They had tried every possible argument, but Lucia was as unyielding as a rock. She emphasized that this was the school's arrangement and that every student had to comply.
Normally, as long as someone was assigned to each position, the internship coordinator would turn a blind eye to their switching. But this time, for some strange reason, Lucia just wouldn't budge.
She also stressed that the school had already filed the records. If they switched positions without permission, they would definitely be punished. With such a heavy warning looming over her, Lorraine felt helpless.
Shirin shook Lorraine's arm gently. "It's so far away. There will be lots of mosquitoes. I'm sure there won't be any good food, and who knows, there might even be snakes or vampires?"
"Come on, have a little faith in science. There's no way there are vampires," Lorraine said, feeling a bit exasperated. "Alright, let's think of something else."
"How about you ask if they need an extra person over there? I'll go with you. Lucia probably wouldn't object, right?" Shirin suggested hopefully.
"Is that even possible?" Lorraine asked, surprised.
"Do you have the phone number of the person in charge at Moore Group? Give them a call, please?" Shirin pleaded, her eyes wide and hopeful.
Lorraine's heart softened. She did have the phone number of the medical office head at Moore Group on that note. She thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I'll check if they need more people."
"Lorraine, I love you," Shirin said, hugging her tightly. "Call them now."
Lorraine took out the note and her phone and dialed the number. By the time she finished, her palms were already sweaty. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous.
The call was answered quickly.
Alice Lewis, the head of the medical office, listened to Lorraine's request and said she would think about it. She then reminded Lorraine to report for work in three days as scheduled.
Shirin watched nervously as Lorraine hung up the phone. "What did the person in charge say?" she asked anxiously.
Lorraine stared at the ground, lost in thought.
"Lorraine? Lorraine—" Shirin prompted.
After a few gentle nudges, Lorraine snapped back to reality. "Yes, I'm listening."
"What did the person say?" Shirin pressed, her anxiety palpable.
"She said she'll think about it. The person in charge is a lady, and she sounded quite kind. It should be fine," Lorraine replied.
"That's good. I hope we get some good news," Shirin said, trying to reassure herself. "What were you thinking about just now?"
"N-nothing." Lorraine shook her head, feeling a bit silly about the fleeting thought that had crossed her mind.
'There are so many supervisors. Why did I just have to think it would be him on the phone? A small and insignificant department like this probably wouldn't catch anyone's attention,' Lorraine thought.
At the Moore Group medical office, Alice, a plump woman, hung up the landline and turned to the person standing behind her with a polite smile. "Alright, she'll be coming to work on time.
"But she mentioned that a classmate of hers will be joining as well."
Three days later, the good news finally arrived.
Shirin happily packed all her snacks and followed Lorraine into the Moore Group with a big smile on her face.
As expected, Alice was extremely amiable. She gave the two girls a general introduction to the medical office.
It was essentially a small hospital, with thirty to forty doctors and nurses, all dedicated to serving Moore Group employees.
The office was located on the third floor of Moore Group, and all medical treatments for employees were free of charge, including free nursing care.
After listening to the introduction, Shirin shook her head in amazement. "Moore Group really has great benefits. The expenses for this year must be huge, right?"
"Moore Group is never short of money," Alice said, handing each of them a set of white lab coats and masks. "Alright, get to work.
"Moore Group's motto is that we're not short of money, but we definitely don't keep idle people around. That's what our CEO says."
Lorraine's throat tightened. She thought of Eugene, and a bitter taste welled up inside her. Afraid it would show on her face, she quickly grabbed her lab coat and slipped into the changing room.
When Lorraine came out, everyone was already in their places. The one assigned to train her was an older doctor who was very upright and gentle. As they interacted, Lorraine felt he was a good fit.
Before she knew it, half a day had passed, and it was lunchtime.
Everyone else had gone to the Moore Group cafeteria. Lorraine took off her mask, pulled out the meal card Alice had just given her, and headed over as well.
The cafeteria was bustling with noise, spotless, and the food selection was abundant. The employees seemed to genuinely feel at home here, with a warm and friendly atmosphere.
Standing in line to get her food, Lorraine found herself thinking about something she had seen in a financial news report.
The host had praised Eugene for his ability to balance work and people's emotions. Under his leadership, Moore Group would continue to thrive and remain unbeatable.
"Would you like something?" The voice of the person serving the food brought her back to reality.
Lorraine picked out a few dishes she liked and carried her tray out.
Shirin's table was already full, so Lorraine ended up sitting in the farthest corner.
She hadn't more than a few bites when a carton of milk suddenly appeared in front of her.
Henry was extremely shy, his face flushed red. "Lorraine, you didn't get a drink. Here's some milk for you. Enjoy your meal."
Henry's persistence left Lorraine almost in awe.
As Lorraine was about to decline, Henry added, "It's your first day at work. Are you getting used to the medical office?"
Lorraine paused, then finally caught on. "You knew about this? My joining Moore Group—was it because of you?"
"It was a small favor. I just mentioned it to Alice in the medical office, and she took care of it," Henry said modestly, his ears turning red as he couldn't help but seek her approval.
Men always loved the look of admiration in a woman's eyes, and Henry was no exception.
Lorraine's thoughts stalled for a moment, and she blurted out, "It was you. I thought—"
"What did you think?" Henry asked curiously.
"Nothing," Lorraine said, lowering her head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
The familiar feeling crept back into her heart, and she had to take a deep breath to push down the suffocating sensation.
Lorraine quickly shoveled a few more bites of food into her mouth. "Henry, I'm done. You enjoy the rest."
"Aren't you going to eat more?" Henry asked, surprised. "Did I disturb you?"
Lorraine glanced down at her toes.
"It's okay. You can go ahead. I'll pick you up after work this afternoon. How about we go out for dinner?" Henry suggested.
"I have other things to do. I'll see you later," Lorraine said, feeling a bit agitated.
Henry patiently stood up and took out a napkin to wipe the oil stain off her hands.
Lorraine tried to pull her hand back forcefully, but as she looked toward the cafeteria entrance, she hesitated.
Eugene walked in, surrounded by a crowd of secretaries and assistants. Zackery followed behind him like a fawning lapdog, though there was a hint of barely concealed triumph in his expression.
Elsie stood beside Eugene, talking to him. Eugene's incredibly handsome face always wore a faint, enigmatic smile.
Even so, Lorraine distinctly heard the sharp intakes of breath around her. Many female employees were smitten with him.
The smile on his face quickly faded, but to Lorraine, it was painfully glaring.
Lorraine quickly pulled her hand back, fumbled in her pocket for a mask, put it on, and then slipped out through a side door of the cafeteria.
Behind her, someone seemed to glance her way, but maybe not.
After finishing her meal, Shirin found Lorraine in the medical office lounge, where she was staring out the window in a daze.
She took a sandwich out of her pocket and handed it to Lorraine. "You didn't eat much today, right? Here."
Lorraine took the sandwich but held it in her hand, having no appetite.
Shirin, however, was in high spirits, cheerfully leaning in to share some of the gossip she'd heard in the cafeteria that day. "Mr. Moore actually comes to the cafeteria to eat. That's pretty rare.
"The people with him were your dad and your sister, right?"
Lorraine nodded. She couldn't deny it, even if she wanted to. Shirin had seen them together at school before.
"I heard that your dad pulled off a huge deal for Mr. Moore a few days ago, and he did an amazing job," Shirin said, exaggerating with her gestures. "So these days, he's the center of attention.
"Everyone at Moore Group is trying to get on his good side. And Elsie's been coming around more and more often, often staying in the office to work with Mr. Moore. They come and go together. It looks like Mr. Moore might marry her, huh?"
Lorraine paused, her mind flashing back to Eugene mentioning his girlfriend. She nodded absentmindedly. "Maybe."
Zackery had never been one to care about honor or decency. As long as he stood to gain, he didn't care which daughter ended up marrying Eugene.
'This time, he'll probably get what he wants and rise to prominence,' Lorraine thought.
She didn't really care, though. The Shaw family would never share their good fortune with her. They only seemed to need her when things got tough.
"That would be great," Shirin said with a smile, leaning back on the sofa and letting her imagination run wild. "Once she marries Mr. Moore, you'll surely be able to come work here after graduation.
"You'll have to put in a good word for me, so I can stay too. I love it here. I love this kind of company. And Mr. Moore is so handsome and easy on the eyes."
Shirin babbled on, her round face lit up with a goofy grin, but Lorraine wasn't listening to a word. Her despondent mood welled up inside her once again, slowly filling her chest.
She didn't want to face it, but she had to admit that all her unhappiness stemmed from Eugene.
There was a knock on the door three times, and Alice poked half her face through the doorway, looking a bit off. "Lorraine, someone's here to see you. Why don't you go check it out?"