Chapter 11 Repay Me Next Time

• It was unbearable looking at how grief-stricken Susan was. I heaved a heavy sigh and told Lucian, “Lucian, please just let him go!”
• Looking at me, Lucian frowned but complied regardless. He then let go of Howard, dropping him to the floor.
• As for Howard, he collapsed to the ground instantly as his knees were void of any energy. Seeing that, Susan quickly went to assist her son up, not forgetting to throw a few punches at Lucian too. “You stole my son’s girlfriend, and now you’re assaulting him! Do you think you can do whatever you like just because you’re rich?”
• Lucian, as a gentleman, merely received her punches without retaliation for a while before backing away.
• “And you! I was so wrong about you, Jennifer!” Susan roared as she brought Howard closer to me.
• But before I could say anything, Howard bowed deeply and begged once again, “Please, Jennifer, can you get Mr. Sutton to borrow me a million first? I promise to return it in the future.”
• I shook my head silently, refusing for the umpteenth time.
• Seeing that I was unwavering, Howard cruelly dragged his mother to the ground, forcing her to her knees. “Help me beg her too!”
• The lady was obviously offended by his gesture but otherwise conceded with a sigh and kneeled before me.
• Howard’s tactics worked as he knew I could not tolerate seeing Susan on her knees before me. “Please don’t do this, Mrs. Coffey!”
• But the lady was insistent on not getting up until I agreed to Howard. Just when I was at a loss, Lucian handed me a check with a million written on it. “Do whatever you want with it,” he said flatly.
• Staring at the check in my hand, Howard’s blood-red eyes were dripping with greed.
• It took me a while to decide, but I eventually gave it to Susan. “Mrs. Coffey, you should take this. If you realized that Howard is lying, then please keep the money for yourself.”
• When the ordeal was finally over, I helped Susan up and sent her out.
• Howard followed suit without a moment’s delay. But even before exiting the stairway, he already snatched the check from his mother’s hands.
• “Why did you decide to help him?” I looked at Lucian with mixed feelings after they left.
• Frankly, I was expecting a touching answer like - “I just wanted to help you get out of trouble.” But I overestimated his concern for me. “Well, I never said I was helping him. You gave him the check, so you owe me the money now,” he snorted.
• “Why, you sneaky b*****d!” I almost combusted on the spot. “Lucian Sutton, there’s no way I’m able to repay you that amount. And don’t you dare use this as a way to extort me in the future.”
• However, he merely chuckled. “You can repay me in the future, though do note that I charge interest!”
• “Go to hell,” I said while punching him lightly on the arms. It was such a chore conversing with him, though he seemed to be enjoying the exchange. He then pointed towards my room and said, “Alright, go and grab whatever you need and follow me home.”
• My heart skipped a beat at the word “home.” But I knew not to overthink it. Yeah, a home with a three-day lease. I thought with a bitter smile.
• We made our way to my bedroom. While waiting for me to pack, he sat on the bed and observed my choice of clothes in the wardrobe.
• Just then, a comment emerged from the man behind, “Jeez, you ought to improve your tastes, young lady. You’re not living in the eighties, you know?”
• Annoyed, I flung whatever I was holding at him instantly. “It’s called being conservative!”
• Tragically, what landed straight in his face was one of my black underwear. Awkwardness showed on his face instantly as he scrunched up the garment roughly in his hands as if he were trying to burst it up into flames.
• Is he mental? What the heck is he trying to do?
• Flustered, I quickly grabbed it away from him and packed it into my suitcase.
• Lucian merely glared at me wordlessly before walking out of the room. Then, I could hear his loud voice coming from the hallway as if he were letting me know what he was saying on purpose - he had just rescheduled a business meeting to the next day.
• After ending the call, he massaged his cheeks and sighed while looking at me. “Tsk-tsk. Jenny, Jenny, look what you made me do...”
• “Stop it, Lucian! As if that was my fault! You’re the one who started this whole thing,” I argued as I lugged my suitcase past him.
• Grabbing the luggage from me, he strode away hostilely. “You’ve once again affected one of my business deals. At this rate, I don’t think you’ll ever be able to repay your debt, Jennifer.”
• “Just shut up!” I shouted back as we made our way back to the car.
• The trip was nothing but silence yet again. That was until we drove near the city center and saw Howard and Shannon along the streets.
• They were all over each other as Howard flexed his newly-earned money, evidently proud of his top-notch acting.
• Following that, Shannon rewarded him a kiss on the forehead as she casually pocketed the check.
• A wave of indignance surged upon that sight. I sighed and rubbed my forehead in frustration. The money made it to that woman’s pocket after all! I’m truly an idiot for falling for his lies.
• Susan was a victim in this case as she had no idea her son was lying, after all. Evidently, she saw the two and was angered by his lies as she disciplined him on the streets, hurling him slaps. The next sight almost broke me when I saw Howard pushing his mother to the ground and sauntering away hand-in-hand with Shannon!
• Looking at poor Susan on the floor, I yelled for Lucian to stop the car, but he only accelerated away from the scene.
• Slumping back into my seat in guilt, I could barely meet Lucian’s eyes. “I’m sorry for making you lose a million for no reason.”
• “For no reason? I don’t think so. After all, I gave the money to you, so it was definitely well-spent for me. But you should be the one to decide as to whether it was used fruitfully.”
• I almost had a double-take at his words. Money well-spent for him? Wait... Why do I sound so important to him?
• Yet, he did not continue the topic. Instead, he asked, “You seem to be pretty decent at cooking?”
• I simply nodded, not knowing if there was any intention behind his question. Upon my answer, he drove to the farmers’ market without saying another word. When we arrived, I trotted behind Lucian obediently. Throughout the entire trip, he ordered me around to procure various groceries. For heaven’s sake, I even had to do the bargaining and weighing of ingredients myself.
• But the good thing was that he would carry the bags of groceries for me. To be honest, I wouldn’t have had it if he didn’t anyway. Owing to his strength, handling five to six bags with one hand was a piece of cake. Even after all that, he still had the energy to look out for me and drag me along with his other hand when he saw that I was walking too slowly.
• Walking past the fish market, the sight of fresh fishes brought me to a halt. “Hey, Lucian, why don’t we get a fish? If I recall correctly, Grandpa always loves him some baked fish.”
• The man merely shrugged. “I’m alright with whatever as long as you know how to make it.”
• I eventually settled with a few slices of cod that weighed about five to six pounds. When I was about to pay, Lucian casually lifted his occupied arm and gestured towards his pocket. “The wallet’s inside.”
• Fishing it out from his pocket for payment, I intended to return it to its original place afterward. But he stopped me. “Just hold on to it.”
• I paused for a bit and ultimately kept the wallet in my own pocket as told.
• “What a good husband you have here, young lady!” beamed the stall owner as she gave Lucian a thumbs up.
• For some reason, her remark brought a smile to my face as tears gathered at the rims of my eyes.