Chapter 8
Olivia’s gaze remained fixed on him, her expression void of any emotions, as she contemplated how he had managed to maintain such a calm demeanor despite the circumstances.
“So you have come here to collect the debt, huh?” she asked nervously.
Jack suddenly leaned closer to her, his eyes filled with a strong hint of amusement as he asked, “Well, do you have the money then?”
“Well, I…” She averted her gaze, feeling embarrassed as she had looked at his handsome face so up close. She then hesitated. “No, I do not have any money.”
“You do not have the money.” He chuckled meaningfully, gripping the steering wheel with his slender fingers, then added, “Well, what do you think we should do then? Any suggestions?”
“I am truly sorry. Even though you got sued for helping me, you took out the money without my consent. You know, both of us are at fault in this incident.
“Rest assured. I will find a way to pay you back. Although I have been fired from my job and have not received my salary, so I might not be able to repay the debt for the time being. Also, can you try negotiating with the company and arrange installment payments?”
She cast a wary glance at him, fully aware that he had no obligation to provide her with any assistance, considering they were complete strangers. At the end of the day, if he chose to pressure her for the money, she would be powerless to resist.
In reality, she could simply ignore the situation altogether. After all, it was he who had been sued by the company and embezzled the funds. In other words, she had no involvement in the matter at all.
However, her conscience prevented her from taking that path. After all, he had incurred debt by helping her. Otherwise, he would not owe anyone at all.
Her response somewhat came to him as a surprise, but he could not rule out the possibility of her putting on an act. After all, he knew that any woman who found out his true identity would likely be willing to cooperate with him in such a scheme.
He averted his gaze and spoke in a composed tone. “The money in question rightfully belongs to the company, so it cannot be regarded as a loan. Apart from that, they would not have resorted to suing me if they had agreed to a payment plan.”
She nervously bit her lip, finding it difficult to express herself. “But I genuinely do not have that much money on hand now.”
He persisted in his pursuit, asking, “Well, do you own a home then? You can consider selling it or using it as collateral for a loan.”
She waved her hands repeatedly. “No, no, that will not be possible. The place belongs to my granny, who is not only old but also nearly blind. We will have nowhere to live if we sell it or mortgage it. Apart from that…”
She found it difficult to continue as she said, “My granny has already mortgaged the house to the bank to support my education. We still have to pay over 2,000 dollars in monthly installments.”
He gazed at the woman’s face, and he could tell she was not lying from her eyes.
He rubbed his fingers on the steering wheel, lost in thought.
Under his scrutiny, her head drooped lower and lower. Even though she genuinely wanted to repay the debt, she simply did not have the means to do so. The guilt and helplessness overwhelmed her, making it hard for her to breathe.
Instantly, he laughed and said, “Alright, okay, there is no need to be so nervous. I will sell my house and try to scrape the money by taking a loan from the bank. However, now I will be homeless. In this case, would you be willing to take me in?”
She blinked in surprise, raising her head and asking, “Huh?”
The fleeting sense of relief left her feeling a bit perplexed.
“Now, am I supposed to be your creditor?” he inquired, a smile playing on his lips.
“Um… I am not sure about that,” she replied with hesitation. It was true that he would be her creditor if she did intend to repay the debt. However, he would not be if she had no intention to do so. In other words, it all hinged on whether she would let herself be taken advantage of.
“How about this? If you are willing to take me in, we can split the debt in half. We will both work hard to repay the bank loan. By doing that, we can resolve this matter together. What do you think about this?” he suggested.
“But my home…” She hesitated, realizing she had no spare rooms for him to stay in.
“You know, I am burdened with debt simply because of you. Are you truly going to abandon me so heartlessly?” As he spoke, he raised an eyebrow, gazing at her meaningfully.
What he said made a lot of sense. At the end of the day, she could not just ignore him, allowing him to be ruined financially.
Olivia clenched her teeth and nodded, saying, “Okay then! But I do not have any spare rooms at home, so you might have to sleep in the living room. Also, you must not tell my granny about this. You know, I am afraid that an old lady like her would not be able to take it.”
“Deal.” Jack agreed without any hesitation. It was worth noting that, from start to finish, he had a smiling and cheerful demeanor.
Olivia was not sure if he was just optimistic or joking as she had never seen someone who remained so joyful despite owing someone so much money.
Jack started the car again and followed her instructions to arrive at the residential area where she lived.
It was a very old one, where the buildings were mostly eight or nine stories high, and most of them did not come with elevators. At that moment, he felt like he had gone crazy for coming to a place like this to suffer.
Today, he was driving a Bentley with the hope of keeping a low profile. Nonetheless, he attracted a lot of attention regardless. After all, luxury cars worth over a million were rarely seen in a place like this.
Olivia reacted only after she got out of the car. She looked back at Jack’s car and asked suspiciously, “Aren’t you penniless? Where did you get this car?”
