Chapter 2 Can You Spare Me Some Cash?

• "Are you the one?" Shawn asked, eyeing Jojo skeptically.
• Under his mask, he impatiently thought, This girl's dressed in rags, from head to toe. Her clothes look like they're barely worth a dime, and those shoes are practically falling apart. Her weary face screams she hasn't eaten in days. Why did Grandpa pick her?
• Jojo's heart sank at his question. She reflected, The guy who assaulted me on the train, and those trainmen saying he got killed trying to off Mr. Lawson. Now Mr. Lawson's after me— does he want to finish the job?
• "No! Not me!" Jojo hurriedly replied, worried Mr. Lawson might think she was some assassin.
• Seeing her fear, Shawn got more annoyed. However, his guys found a train ticket in her stuff, confirming she was on the same train as the girl he met last night. Combined with the familiar scent, Shawn concluded she was indeed the same person.
• Showing her the jade pendant he took from her, he asked, "Know this?"
• "That's..." Jojo squinted, recognizing her father's keepsake.
• That's Dad's keepsake! How'd Mr. Lawson get it? She first thought to grab it back, but then she fathomed the killer must've taken it. She couldn't risk getting tagged as a killer's accomplice—or worse, getting whacked herself.
• "I have no idea and have never seen it," she quickly denied.
• Shawn frowned, thinking for a second before ordering, "Asher, take her back to the Lawson Estate."
• "Got it!" Asher responded, right on it.
• Jojo felt a jolt at Shawn's words. I told them I didn't do it, so why are they still after me?
• Bitterness seeped into her thoughts. I came to Lison hoping to get treatment for my brain cancer, and now I'm stuck here being accused of helping a killer. Why does my fate have to be so awful?
• After they took her back to the Lawson Estate, Jojo was basically ignored. They kept her in a room and fed her daily.
• Later that evening, the study room's light was switched on.
• Shawn gripped the jade pendant tightly, running his fingers over it. He contemplated, This pendant has a warm glow and looks pretty valuable. It doesn't fit the profile of that poor girl.
• Suddenly, Asher walked in and informed, "Mr. Lawson, I found the info you wanted. This jade pendant belongs to Veronica Grant, the daughter of the Grant Group." He gave Shawn an iPad showing a picture of a delicate, well-cared-for young lady.
• There she was, a sophisticated girl with a familiar jade pendant around her neck.
• Veronica Grant, Shawn quietly muttered.
• Remembering the girl who bravely tended to his wounds despite her fear, Shawn couldn't help but grin. He turned to Asher and ordered, "Get something ready. I'm going to visit the Grant Family myself tomorrow morning."
• Despite ignoring the girl's resistance and taking advantage of her innocence the previous night, Shawn couldn't shake the memory of holding her close. He felt a deep sense of responsibility as a man of honor.
• Early the following day, Jojo seized her chance while everyone slept. She quietly pried open the window, going down from the second floor with a makeshift rope from the bedsheet. Her goal was to head to the Grant Residence.
• I must tell Dad that the brutal Mr. Lawson took my jade pendant. Ugh! I must stop Mr. Lawson from doing something terrible!
• "Jojo?! Why are you alone in Lison? Didn't I tell you to stay with your grandma in the countryside?" Thomas, Jojo's father, was taken aback to see his eldest daughter again after so long.
• Their last meeting was when he went home to pay respects to their family in the countryside. Back then, he and Jojo's mother were still deeply in love. However, her tragic death during childbirth left Jojo marked as a cursed child, overshadowing her life thereafter.
• Thomas remarried afterward, but his new wife refused to raise Jojo and sent her back to the countryside.
• Jojo felt uneasy as she looked at her father and started, "Dad, I have brain cancer. I came to Lison for treatment. Can you help me out with some cash?"
• Veronica descended the stairs gracefully, her hand delicately holding the hem of her skirt. She glanced mockingly at Jojo and remarked sharply, "Who are you calling 'Dad'? I'm the sole daughter of the Grant Family. Who's this beggar? Get out, or I'll call the police!"
• Embarrassed and angry, Jojo stared at Veronica. She pondered, Grandma and I scrape by in the countryside. Despite our struggles, I made it into a top university, only to drop out because of tuition fees. Here's Veronica, decked out in luxury, wearing jewelry worth enough to pay my medical bills if just one piece were sold.
• With a deep breath, Jojo calmly defended herself, "Are you Veronica? I'm your sister, Jojo. I was raised with my grandma, so it's no surprise you don't know me. If I'm down on my luck, what does that make you?"
• Veronica bristled in anger, " Who do you think you are, talking back to me like that! I'll teach you a lesson!"
• Thomas stepped in and signaled for a maid to fetch one thousand. "Jojo, you're eighteen now. I've invested a lot in raising you. Take this money, and let's pretend you're not my daughter anymore."
• "Dad..." Jojo intended to protest, but Thomas interrupted firmly, "Just go."
• Veronica folded her arms, her scornful glare piercing Jojo. "With those hickeys on your neck, are you trying to swindle money to run off with your lover? How disgraceful."
• She then snatched the cash away and retorted, "If you're bold enough, go hawk it. Our money isn't for someone as disgraceful as you!"
• Jojo found herself once more cast out, left to roam the unfamiliar city streets as rain unexpectedly began to fall. Exhausted, she collapsed at the hospital entrance.
• Meanwhile, Shawn's black Rolls-Royce pulled up at the Grant Residence shortly after Jojo left. His bodyguards unloaded a slew of gifts, prompting beams from the Grant Family as they welcomed him into their living room.
• "Mr. Lawson, this is my daughter, Veronica. Veronica, why don't you pour Mr. Lawson some tea?" Thomas suggested eagerly.
• "Yes!" Veronica replied promptly.
• Shawn observed Veronica, noting her shy demeanor and a touch of affectation that seemed different from the previous night. Despite his transgression, he felt obliged to make amends for her.
• Addressing Thomas, Shawn admitted, "I take full responsibility for last night's events. If not for Miss Grant, my rage might have cost me dearly. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."
• He then showed the jade pendant, puzzling Thomas.
• Thomas responded, "This jade belongs to my daughter, but not Veronica..."
• "It's mine!" However, Veronica interrupted before he could finish. Snatching the jade pendant, she continued, "This was a gift from Dad to Mom, and then Mom gave it to me. Mr. Lawson, you said you're willing to grant any request. Is that true?"
• Veronica pieced it together from Shawn's brief explanation. It appears Mr. Lawson had some connection with Jojo, misidentifying my jade pendant for hers and looking for me without knowing it was Jojo.
• Recalling the hickeys on Jojo's body, Veronica couldn't hide her disdain. How is Jojo so lucky to be linked to Mr. Lawson? Here I am, having a brief encounter with him and becoming his rescuer.
• Noticing Veronica's urgency, Shawn felt a bit irritated but acquiesced, nonetheless. "Of course. When I make a promise, I stick to it. Do you prefer cash or something else?"
• In truth, Shawn would've opted for a formal marriage with Veronica if not for his grandpa's insistence on marrying the girl from the countryside and his declining health.
• Veronica pondered, Money?! Could money be more important than becoming Mrs. Lawson?
• She smiled at Shawn and replied warmly, "Mr. Lawson, I came to your aid willingly, and I've always admired you."
• Shawn hesitated at her proposal. "Are you proposing marriage?"
• "I pledge to be a loyal wife, offering you my full commitment," Veronica affirmed.
• Shawn wrestled with conflicting thoughts. After all, I was wrong. I took her innocence without her consent.
• After reflection, Shawn conceded, "Marrying you is the right thing to do. However, I will set the wedding date."