Your First Love is Pregnant? I'm Done Being Mrs. Hawthorne!

###Chapter 74: If You Can’t Stand It, Then Get a Divorce

Even though the salary was tempting, Nina Wainwright felt it was more important to be cautious.

Picking up her novel, she went back to reading.

But the person called again. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

She stared at her phone for a moment before finally answering.

"Using the computer is actually very simple... Here’s the thing, we’re really short-staffed. If it’s convenient for you..."

"Logically speaking, with a salary like that for so little work and short hours, you should have plenty of applicants. There are many people better than me, so why insist on hiring me? I’ve heard there are a lot of job scams these days. I think I’ll pass. Thank you." Nina Wainwright finished speaking and hung up directly.

’Even though I haven’t worked in years, I’ve heard that some HR reps are fakes, and even entire companies can be phony. Who knows what they’re really up to behind the scenes.’

Having overheard this, Leo Larkin placed a cup upside down on a tray, set a towel aside, and walked out from behind the bar.

He went to his private break room behind the bar and called Catherine Grant.

The call connected, and Catherine Grant’s boisterous voice immediately burst through. "I can’t believe you’re actually calling me! I’m always the one calling you, you bastard! When are you coming back?! My girl is looking for a job everywhere, and I can’t even help her!"

"I’m at the bar. Your friend showed up today for some reason. Looks like she’s in a bad mood," Leo Larkin said in an icy tone, holding the phone slightly away from his ear.

"What? Why are you only calling me now? I’m coming right over—"

"Shut up. You talk too much," Leo Larkin interrupted impatiently.

Catherine Grant cursed him under her breath. "Fine, you talk then."

"You told me before she was looking for a job, right? I’m telling you, the workload here is no joke—"

Before he could finish, Catherine Grant cut him off like a firecracker. "I’m your friend, and I’m asking for your help! You can’t even pull a few strings? You’re still going to be this harsh? Then what was the point of me swallowing my pride to ask you in the first place!"

A vein throbbed on Leo Larkin’s temple.

"Pretty please, big brother... Just help me out. I’ll let you in on a secret: her health isn’t good right now. Like, really, really bad. She can only sit. But working a seven or eight-hour shift learning to mix drinks should be fine... Just help me, please?" Unable to win with aggression, Catherine switched to a softer approach.

Leo Larkin frowned, not responding immediately.

"Leo, my big brother..." she cooed in a syrupy voice.

"Shut up. Say my name like that again and I’m blocking your number," Leo Larkin said coldly.

Catherine reverted to her normal tone. "Other people get paid over ten thousand, you can give her half of that. Six thousand, eight thousand, whatever works. Just let her learn to mix drinks quickly and be a dedicated bartender."

"I’ll talk to her," Leo Larkin said, then hung up.

He came out of the break room.

Walking over to the bar, he watched Nina Wainwright while pretending to arrange some glasses.

Nina, engrossed in her book, didn’t notice his gaze.

A phone’s ringtone once again shattered the bar’s tranquility.

Nina Wainwright saw that the caller was the same woman from before and immediately answered.

"Hello..." Her voice held a hint of anticipation.

Before she could say more, the phone was suddenly snatched from her hand. Leo Larkin put it on speaker, and they heard the woman on the other end say, "Since you can’t lift heavy objects, the offer is two thousand a month, with no social insurance or housing fund... I can’t guarantee anything with your condition—"

"She doesn’t want the job," Leo Larkin said, hanging up the phone for her.

Nina Wainwright looked up at him, her eyes filled with confusion. "You... why did you answer for me? And hang up my phone?"

"Catherine Grant told me you wanted to work here," Leo Larkin said, walking over and sitting down across from her, his expression blank.

Nina Wainwright looked up, surprised. "What could I do here?"

"Bartender," Leo Larkin replied.

Nina knew that any arrangement made by Catherine would be a good one, so she only asked, "What are the hours?"

"We run three shifts here, but since your salary will be lower, you can just work the day shift. Eight hours," Leo Larkin replied.

"Okay. Is it just mixing drinks? Because of my health, I can’t lift heavy things or stand for long periods," Nina Wainwright said, feeling it was best to be upfront about these things.

Leo Larkin grunted in acknowledgment. "You can just sit at your station and mix drinks. But... I’m only giving you a chance. Whether or not you can stay after a month depends on your abilities."

Nina Wainwright stood up and said gratefully, "Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I’ll work hard. If I don’t measure up, you won’t have to say anything. I’ll leave on my own."

"The starting salary is seven thousand a month. You’ll get the same social insurance and housing fund everyone else gets. If you want to earn more later, you’ll have to get your health back, learn to upsell drinks for commission, and you’ll also get a cut of the tips. All in all, some people make twenty thousand a month," Leo Larkin finished, then glanced at the sign on the table.

"What are you having for lunch?"

Nina Wainwright quickly took out her phone, scanned the QR code to open the ordering page, and browsed it carefully. "The menu here is quite extensive," she remarked. "I’ll just have the stone pot bibimbap."

Leo Larkin grunted. "Place the order and pay for it yourself. The kitchen will bring it out."

"Okay, thank you," Nina Wainwright said.

Leo Larkin told her she could start tomorrow and went back to the bar.

’I can’t believe it,’ Nina Wainwright thought. ’I just came here on a whim to clear my head, and I ended up with a decent-paying job where I can even learn a new skill.’

After lunch, Nina sat in the bar and continued to read. The sun had already set, and she still hadn’t finished the thick novel in her hands.

As evening fell, the bar gradually started to fill up.

Nina ordered a steak pasta and soaked in the bar’s atmosphere as she ate.

At seven o’clock, a call came in from Zachary Hawthorne.

Nina Wainwright answered, her tone indifferent. "What is it?"

"Why aren’t you back yet? Where did you go now?" Zachary Hawthorne asked, his voice low and heavy.

"Out reading," Nina answered calmly.

"It’s already seven. You’re still out reading? Aren’t there enough books at home for you?" Zachary said.

"It’s too quiet at home. It’s livelier out here," Nina said, turning a page.

The novel had put her in a pleasant mood today, and finding a job had made her feel even better.

Zachary Hawthorne paused for a moment, his tone softening slightly. "Where are you? I’ll come pick you up."

"No need. You go do your own thing. I’ll come back when I’m done with my book," Nina refused.

"Do you even see me as your husband anymore? Where the hell are you?!" Zachary’s voice was now tinged with anger.

Nina’s good mood instantly evaporated. In a cold voice, she retorted, "I’m not even home by seven, and you’re already throwing a fit? When you go out in the middle of the night, do you think of me as your wife? Don’t give me that ’rules for thee, but not for me’ crap. If you can’t stand it, then file for a divorce and find someone who will wait at home for you every day."