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Chapter 8 The Doctor And His Baffling Gaze

  • Three hundred thousand?
  • Stunned at her father's audacity, Chelsea spilled her tea in haste as she exclaimed, “Three hundred thousand? Are you mad? A dowry isn't worth that much. You're committing daylight robbery!”
  • What happened to the two hundred thousand he mentioned? Did he raise the figure just because he thinks he can milk more money out of the Gomez family?
  • Donald seemed unperturbed by her outburst. Instead, he sneered, “What do you know about money? Medical bills are expensive these days, and your mother is in poor health. Our finances will be tight without your support. You have no idea how much we've spent on you. Food, clothes, and education... Everything comes with a hefty price.”
  • Chelsea clenched her fists as she approached her father. Lowering her volume, she gritted out, “That wasn't what you promised me before we came.”
  • “Then what did I promise you?” The menacing glint in his gaze was a warning. Dire consequences would be in store for her mother if she disobeyed him.
  • Shaking with anger, she stammered, “Y-You...”
  • Worried that they would get into a full-blown fight, Ben pulled Chelsea away from her father as Dan attempted to defuse the situation. “Not to worry, my dear. Three hundred thousand, yes? Chel, that's not a problem for us. We can afford it! Your father is right; it can't be easy raising a child. As parents ourselves, we can fully empathize with him. Three hundred thousand isn't a big sum. We'll have Ben send it over shortly.”
  • “Mr. Gomez, we can't just—”
  • “It's fine, Chel. We're not short on cash, and Ben is our only son. We'll pass down our wealth to the two of you anyway. Spending it now or later doesn't make much of a difference.” Dan knew that Chelsea meant well, and he did not want her to argue with her father over these matters.
  • Three hundred thousand was an astronomical sum as far as dowries went. If the groom's family bought a house for the newlyweds, anything close to a hundred thousand was more than a generous sum. Wealthier families could sometimes fork out up to two hundred thousand. The next tier would be the billionaires, though this was beyond their financial abilities.
  • Before meeting with Chelsea and her father, the Gomez family had planned to offer two hundred thousand. A fifty percent increase was unexpected, but it was a small price to pay for their darling son.
  • Chelsea's fury was palpable, and Ben could only coax her, “Don't get angry. I hate it when you're upset. We're not short on cash at all. Three hundred thousand is perfectly reasonable. If we ever have a daughter in the future, that's the dowry we should be expecting as well. My dad can give more—”
  • “Ben, just shut up!” So what if you have a lot of money? You can never satisfy the greed of scumbags like my father. With nowhere to vent her anger, Chelsea took it all out on poor Ben. Shrugging his hand off, she grabbed her purse and stalked out of the room.
  • While Ben chased after Chelsea, Ben and Sally tried to defend her when Donald grumbled about her naivety. Chelsea's phone began ringing with a call from Femme Fatale. “Your client would like to bring forward his reservation. Please be at the club at four sharp to accompany him.”
  • She felt like she was about to explode from frustration, and a clingy Ben did not help matters at all. “Don't be angry, okay? He's your father, and it's not easy raising a kid. Chel, I hate seeing you this upset. If all it takes is some money to make peace, I'm fine with forking out the sum. It's not a big deal.”
  • Chelsea flung his arm away in annoyance. In a heartless and desperate tone, she pleaded, “Ben, why must you humiliate yourself for love? There are so many women out there who are better for you. I don't deserve you. Do you know how stressed I am being with you? If you agree to his every request, I'll be indebted to him for life. There's so much that you don't know.”
  • Every word was a stab to Ben's heart, but he went forward and tried to hug her nonetheless. “I'm not pressuring you or asking you to pay me back. I love you, and I want to be with you forever. Money is the least of my concerns. Nothing else matters if I don't have you.”
  • Alas, his arms wrapped around thin air as Chelsea dodged his hug. Sighing in resignation, she said, “Fine, consider me worn down by your unconditional love. But you have to promise me not to give him anything more than two hundred thousand. I'll back out of this wedding if you do.”
  • His jaw dropped in shock. “B-But what should I say if my dad asks about the dowry?”
  • “Just tell him that I used a hundred thousand to buy a wedding gown.” As the words “wedding gown” fell from her lips, she spied Liam out of the corner of her eye. He was staring at Chelsea coldly, which baffled her to no end. His appearance sent a thought through her mind. Aren't he and Wendy about to head to the altar as well?