I Once Married You (Harper and Benjamin)

Harper's Indifference

Harper's heart had long been numb. The fact that the man she loved deeply loved someone else wasn't new to her, but for some reason, her numb heart still felt a faint ache.

Seeing her silent for a long time, Frank asked with concern, "Harper, why do you have to put yourself through this? What exactly does Benjamin mean by this?"

Harper looked up at Frank and handed him her phone as well, saying, "Let's focus on work. I've rested for many days and fallen behind on a lot of progress. I need to visit the site with Sophia later, you keep an eye on things here at the office."

Harper deliberately changed the subject, not only avoiding Frank's question but also showing no intention of continuing the discussion.

Frank's brows furrowed, and his expression slightly faded as he said, "Harper, did you even hear what I said?"

"Frank, I know you care about me, but we're at the office now. Let's not talk about other things, okay?"

Harper smiled as if to reassure Frank that she was okay, really fine.

In fact, her heart wasn't as suffocating as it had been initially. After all, Harper knew Benjamin didn't love her even before they got married, and everything that happened later subconsciously helped her to adapt slowly.

She thought to herself that she would be better.

Frank said no more. Even though he was worried, he didn't want to make Harper feel uncomfortable.

Harper had switched to busy mode. After organizing the drafts, she headed to the site with Sophia.

In the Martin Group's top-floor executive office, the atmosphere was heavy. Benjamin's expression was bleak, his deep-set eyes radiating an intense chill.

At that moment, Curtis knocked and entered. "Mr. Martin, I've looked into it. Those marketing accounts stirring up topics all stem from a small company registered just last year. I've handed the matter over to our lawyers. Also, Ms. Davis' assistant, Rue, called wanting to explain the situation to you."

"There is no need to respond to her, pull the trending topic, and notify everyone that no stories about me should hit the trends again."

"Understood."

Curtis nodded, glancing briefly at Benjamin, whose mood was visibly dark.

As Curtis was about to leave, he heard Benjamin's deep voice. "And her? Any news?"

"Her?" Curtis thought.

Thankfully, Curtis had a slight understanding of Benjamin and quickly replied, "Mrs. Martin and her assistant have gone to the construction site..." "Has she called or made any move?"

"No," Curtis responded softly.

Benjamin's frown deepened, his expression growing even darker. He waved his hand dismissively, signaling Curtis to leave.

Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, Benjamin gazed down at the city below, feeling as if something had etched an undeniable mark deep within his heart.

He picked up his phone and dialed a number. After several rings, someone finally answered.

"It's me," Benjamin said.

"I know. What's up?" Came the reply.

Benjamin furrowed his brow, his handsome face betraying hesitation. After a half-second, he spoke in a low voice, "I'm not dating Lauren. The trending story is fabricated."

"I see." Harper responded coldly.

His brows knitted tighter. "Harper, don't you have anything to say to me?"

"No, after all, your thing with Lauren doesn't involve us, right?"

Harper returned his words to him unchanged.

Benjamin's thin lips pressed together, and he asked softly, "Are you mad?"

"No."

"Harper, I did lie to you last night. I didn't mean anything by it; I just didn't want you to misunderstand. Lauren was having dinner with a sponsor who was being rude. Her manager, Rue, couldn't handle it, so she called me to step in and help. Nothing inappropriate happened between us," Benjamin explained clearly.

"I got it," Harper replied indifferently.

Stung by Harper's cold response, Benjamin's emotions surged as he said, "Harper, what are you saying? Does it mean that as far as you're concerned, anything I do is okay as long as it could lead to a divorce?"

Harper seemed helpless, and she said, "Benjamin, what do you want from me? Do you expect me to make a scene and demand an explanation? If I did that, you'd tell me to behave. I've been very compliant, yet now you think my attitude is bad. So, what do you expect from me?"

Benjamin scoffed, "So you've come up with all these excuses just to show me you don't care, right? Does it even matter to you if something really happened between me and Lauren?"

Clearly angry, Benjamin didn't wait for Harper's response and added coldly, "Harper, you really did great. I'm making a fuss over nothing."

With that, Benjamin hung up the call.

Staring at the disconnected phone, Harper looked utterly frustrated.

She didn't understand why Benjamin had called just to say these things.

She had done exactly as he wanted and Benjamin was still not satisfied about it.

Harper thought it was because lack of love meant no matter what she did, it wouldn't please him.

Harper sighed silently, feeling a turmoil of confusion inside.

But Harper had no time to ponder as Sophia hurried over and said, "Ms. Mitchell, Mr. Kerr needs you to come over."

Following Sophia, she went to see Charlie, and all her focus shifted back to work.

After the trending news about Benjamin and Lauren was pulled, Lauren received the update immediately.

However, it wasn't entirely bad news for Lauren. Her phone, managed by Rue, had been ringing off the hook since morning.

Many previous non-cooperative sponsors and endorsers were now extending olive branches, and she had signed several deals in just a couple of hours.

Moreover, with Lauren's new song about to be released and many brands seeking endorsements. This undoubtedly marked a victorious turnaround for Lauren, proving her detractors wrong.

Amid the good news, Rue couldn't help but worry, "What if Mr. Martin issues a statement clarifying that he's not with you?"

That could jeopardize the endorsements.

"I don't know," Lauren responded nonchalantly. Benjamin had pulled the trending topic, which indirectly told everyone they weren't dating, but he hadn't clarified that they had no relationship. "Order lunch from the Silver, I'm going to deliver it to Benjamin at the Martin Group."

"What if someone retakes your picture while you're there?"

"I'm just delivering lunch. What can I do if they decide to take pictures?"

Rue, having no further objections, went to prepare as she had instructed.

At half past eleven, Lauren arrived on time at the lobby of the Martin Group building. The receptionist recognized her and didn't dare to treat her with anything but respect, especially given her bold arrival at this hour.

She took the elevator to the floor where Benjamin's office was located. As she emerged, Curtis spotted her immediately and hurried over. He said, "Ms. Davis, what brings you here?"

"I'm here to bring Benjamin lunch. Is he done with his meetings? Is he in his office?"

Curtis paused slightly, then replied in a measured tone, "He is, but..."

"I'll see him myself. You carry on with your work."

Lauren then bypassed Curtis and walked toward the office.

She knocked on the door, and the person inside, assuming it was Curtis, gruffly said, "Come in."

She pushed the door open and immediately saw Benjamin, head down, working at his desk.

She placed the food on the coffee table and approached his desk. "Benjamin, take a break and have some lunch."

Hearing Lauren's voice, Benjamin looked up.

In a calm voice, he asked, "Lauren? What are you doing here?"

"I brought you lunch. I felt sorry about the trouble last night and wanted to apologize for bringing you lunch. You're not holding it against me, right?"

Lauren looked at Benjamin expectantly.

However, Benjamin did not respond directly. He simply watched her quietly, his expression detached and cool. Finally, he said, "Lauren, just because I didn't expose what really happened last night doesn't mean I don't know everything. But I want to make one thing clear. I do not want such an incident to happen again. So, please take what you brought and leave the Martin Group now, okay?"