Sarah decided to text Holden, [I’m out tonight. I can get breakfast for tomorrow. What do you want?]
With the housekeeper away, she and Holden took turns cooking.
Holden replied shortly after, “Anything.”
Sarah teased, “So, how about durian with stinky tofu?”
“Sure, my dear wife, if you want your next month’s salary cut.”
“Oh, I’m sorry…”
Holden saw Sarah’s crying bunny emoji and couldn’t help but smile. Realizing he was smiling, he suppressed it and sent Sarah a money packet.
Sarah eagerly opened the packet.
Damn.
$0. 01.
She angrily ground her teeth and turned off her phone screen.
They soon arrived at the restaurant, and Sarah got out of the car, joining the others as they went inside.
Nora watched Sarah handle herself effortlessly in such a high-class setting, feeling a pang of discomfort. If she stayed with William, they might never find themselves in places like this, even after ten or twenty years.
Without money, love alone wouldn’t solve their problems.
David smiled and said, “Nora, Sarah’s really great. If you ever need to talk about something that you don’t feel comfortable discussing with me, you can talk to her.”
Nora didn’t believe him for a second. She suspected Sarah was one of those girls who seemed sweet but had hidden motives. She mentally scoffed and continued talking to David, “My cousin said he doesn’t want to go back to school. His family is too poor, and he wants to work and earn money to support them.”
David was surprised that some families were still struggling so much. Nora was so kind; despite her own modest life, she was still thinking about her cousin’s well-being.
David felt a bit guilty, “Then I’ll-”
“I’d like to know, which relative’s son is this cousin of yours?” Sarah interrupted David with a smile, “Miss Nora, you are very kind to your cousin.”
Nora’s expression froze for a moment. “He’s my uncle’s son. My father and his father are brothers. We’re very close in blood relation.”
“Oh, if that’s the case, he should be your paternal cousin, and you should share the same last name.”
Nora hadn’t thought through her lie properly and finally realized the inconsistency. “I mean, he’s my maternal uncle’s son.” She quickly corrected herself, “Where I’m from, we call our maternal uncles ‘uncle’ as well. It’s a small-town thing, different from the big city. Sarah, you don’t look down on me, do you?”
Sarah smiled, “Of course not, every place has its own customs.”
David, in his lovestruck state, thought to himself, “Nora is so kindhearted,” completely missing that his behavior mirrored Ronald’s from before.
Sarah asked again, “Nora, have you ever been in a relationship? Are you single now?”
Nora’s face went pale.
In reality, she was in a relationship with William, and they lived together.
When William first found out that David was pursuing her, he was furious. But seeing the expensive gifts and money David sent, William grudgingly accepted it, allowing Nora to keep this wealthy suitor on a leash.
Although she and William weren’t officially a couple anymore, they still lived together and had sex every night.
Nora still had strong feelings for William. She genuinely loved him.
Every interaction with David made her feel disgusted and pained, but the gifts helped ease that pain.
Nora lowered her head, “I had an online relationship while I was studying, but we never met in person. When I found out he had a girlfriend in real life, I broke it off. After that, I didn’t want to date anymore because of the heartbreak.”
David felt even more sympathy for her. “Nora, those guys were jerks. You’ll find someone better. A girl like you deserves to be treated well.”
Nora blushed and smiled shyly, “My family is very traditional. I just want to find a man I truly love, get married, be a full-time housewife, and take care of his family and parents.”
Sarah, “…”
Nora’s words were like a perfect trap for someone like David, who grew up in an unhappy family.
As expected, David was stunned by her words.
After dinner, Nora offered to pay the bill, saying, “David, you’ve treated me so many times. I just got paid today, let me treat you.”
The meal cost more than Nora’s monthly salary.
David wouldn’t hear of it, not only insisting on paying the bill himself but also taking Nora to a luxury shopping center to buy clothes, letting her pick anything she wanted on his dime.
Sarah was dumbfounded by his foolish behavior, “Boss, will you pay for my shopping on this floor too?”
“Please, no,” David winced at the thought of Sarah’s high spending, “Sarah, your husband is a hundred times richer than me. Use your own card.”
When Nora heard that Sarah was married to a wealthy man, her perception of Sarah improved instantly, as it contradicted her initial assumptions.
Sarah browsed through the store but didn’t find anything she liked until she spotted a dark gray tie. It was simple yet elegant and somehow reminded her of Holden.
On a whim, she bought the tie, considering it a small token for the twenty million Holden had given her.
Then Sarah asked Nora, “Aren’t you going to buy a tie for your dear cousin too?”
Nora hurriedly replied, “That wouldn’t be appropriate, right? Ties are usually something a girlfriend buys for her boyfriend. We’re just cousins.”
Sarah gave Nora a look with a hint of sarcasm. “Oh, so you’re well aware of that, huh?”
Nora suddenly felt a bit guilty. She sneaked a glance at Sarah. Even though Nora knew she had covered her tracks perfectly-her past with William wouldn’t be discovered unless William said something-women’s intuition was often spot on, and Nora feared that Sarah might have sensed something.
With Sarah around, Nora didn’t want to come off as a gold digger, so she only picked out one outfit for herself and didn’t buy anything else.
Feeling guilty, Nora said, “David, you’ve been so good to me. I don’t even know how to repay you… I feel really bad about it.”
David quickly waved his hand. “Don’t, Nora. Don’t think like that. Come on, let’s get you both home.”
David dropped Sarah off at her car, and she drove home.
Nora looked at Sarah’s car, “David, your friend is really wealthy?”
David nodded, “Her husband’s family is very powerful.”
“She doesn’t love you, does she?” Nora frowned, “You two seem very close.”
“Love me?” David felt awkward. “No way.”
Sarah hadn’t fallen for someone as handsome and wealthy as Holden, always thinking about Ronald instead. There was no chance she’d be interested in him. David was aware of his limitations. Besides, he saw Sarah as a sister. If their relationship changed, it would be too awkward.
Nora looked out the window, “Maybe I’m overthinking… but I don’t like other women getting too close to my boyfriend.”
David understood her feelings, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep my distance from other girls. I don’t want to make you jealous.”
Nora nodded, “About my cousin’s job…”