“Lily, you lied to me, and you still have the nerve to come see me?” She glared at me darkly.
I thought for a moment and realized she was talking about that bet. I promised to speak kindly of her in front of the whole research institute if she won, but instead I leaked the surveillance video from the barbecue shop.
“Yeah, I did lie to you about that,” I admitted honestly.
She gritted her teeth, her voice trembling with rage. “You ruined me! I can’t stay at the research institute anymore –not even for another day. Everyone looks at me like I’m disgusting. And as if that wasn’t enough, why did you have to tell Mr. Spencer to take back the money he gave me for my mom’s treatment?”
I froze.
“Aiden gave you money? I thought what you had was just platonic. What does money have to do with that?”
“It was just emergency money for medical treatment! Don’t make me sound like some gold–digging
-homewrecker. I’m not that low.”
I raised an eyebrow. “How much did he ask you to pay back”
She let out a cold laugh. “Oh, drop the act. Aren’t you the one who told him to take back the full 200 grand, down to the last cent?”
200 thousand dollars.
I let out a slow breath, leaning back into my chair.
1/2
Chapter 18
Suddenly, I found it funny.
During those years, I worked myself to exhaustion, scrimping and saving, and yet Aiden handed over 200 thousand dollars just like that.
But that was all it was–funny.
Compared to how furious I was before, nothing about Aiden could stir up much emotion in me anymore.
I tilted my head, looking at Skyla. “You don’t have 200 grand?”
She snapped, furious, “I told you, it was for my mom’s medical bills! I already spent it!”
I was silent for a few seconds. “If you really don’t want to pay it back, there is a way out.”
+25 BONUS
A month later, Mrs. Holmes suddenly called me. “Lily, are you okay?”
I was puzzled. “Yeah, I’m fine. What’s up?”
She told me something absolutely shocking–Aiden got beaten up at work by Skyla’s parents.
“They stormed into the office and slapped Mr. Spencer across the face twice! Skyla was crying next to them. “Her dad was shouting that Mr. Spencer got his ‘innocent‘ daughter pregnant and wanted to just throw money at the problem to make her get rid of it. He swore Aiden had to take responsibility, or they’d never let him go!”
