Chapter 235 This Is My Token of Gratitude
Veronica remained unwavered as she smiled and started clapping her hands. “Miss Dame is right, but there’s one thing I got to bring up here—I can live without the Kings Family, unlike you. If the Dame Family goes bankrupt, I’m afraid that you can’t even lift your frail fingers to earn money and you will have to rot on the streets.”
“You!” Ruka was left speechless by Veronica’s blunt remarks, but she brushed it off with a smile. “You’re so clever with words that everyone likes you so much. Oh, right! There will be a charity held in the city soon. I hope to see you there, Miss Murphy.”
Then, she checked the time on her wristwatch. “It’s late and my friends are waiting for me. Goodbye, Miss Murphy.”
With a smile, she waved her hand and left. Staring at Ruka’s back, Veronica felt something creeping up her heart. She could sense Ruka’s hostility toward her, and a strong one at that.
Still, Veronica had to admit that Ruka’s tolerance was on another level compared to Tiffany’s. As expected from a lady born with a silver spoon in her mouth—not only did Ruka exude elegance and class, she was reticent.
Veronica wheeled around and left as well. Knowing that she would be drinking, she didn’t drive her car here. She strolled along the streets while clutching tightly onto her sweater, trying to warm herself against the chilling breeze.
Suddenly, her phone rang. It was Matthew. Ever since she left the villa, it had been a month since they last met.
During that period of time, he messaged Veronica twice, but she left them unread and he never sent another text again. On the day she visited Elizabeth at Kings Residence, she didn’t see him either.
Since it was the first call after a month, she deemed that it was an emergency, so she answered the call. “Hello.”
Then, she waited for the man to speak. When she heard nothing but silence, her brow furrowed. “Can you hear me? If you’re not going to say anything, I’ll end the call now.”
“How have you been?” Finally, Matthew responded, and his voice was pleasing to the ears as always.
“What do you mean? Of course I’m doing fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“What about the company?”
Although she was aware that it was an innocuous question, Veronica couldn’t help the heavy feelings that overwhelmed her at the mention of her company, which had become her sore part. “Speaking about that, I should be grateful to you. Thanks to you, we’re doing better than expected.”
“Oh? How are you going to repay me then?” Matthew smiled and teased.
“It’s too late right now. I’ll send you the address and buy you lunch tomorrow. ” Her voice sounded tired as she terminated the call without a second thought, after which she returned home by cab. Lying down on the recliner on the balcony, she gazed at the starry sky, which wasn’t bright enough to lighten her mood.
The next day, Veronica had arrived at Red Dining and booked a private room. After ordering a cup of coffee, she waited patiently for Matthew, who finally appeared after ten minutes.
“Sorry for the long wait.” Beneath the blue coat that fit his frame perfectly was a black shirt.
“It’s alright. I just arrived.” She caught a glimpse of the man, who effortlessly pulled off the simple outfit and made the restaurant his very own runway.
While he seated himself opposite her, a waiter entered and gave them the menu. They ordered some dishes and a bottle of wine.
Once the waiter left the room, Matthew stared at her intensely. “You look thinner than you were one month ago.”
All the while, he had been busy overseas. Aside from company affairs, he specially contacted a few professionals to examine and analyze Veronica’s blood along with the two bowls from the underground chamber. However, the results he received were the same—there was nothing in particular.
Matthew even took a trip to the underground chamber again upon returning to the country. He asked Thomas to conduct another search, but in vain. That anonymous person entered and left the place without leaving a trace behind, as if he could walk through the walls.
Who is that person? Colossal doubts clouded Matthew’s mind.
“I’m on a diet.” She leaned against the chair listlessly and took a sip of her coffee.
Noticing her bad mood, Matthew fished out something from his pocket and proffered it to her. “I have something for you.”
It was an exquisite velvet box in black.
Veronica lifted her dubious gaze to look at the gentle man. “What’s this?”
She picked it up and opened it, only to see a pair of red diamond earrings laced with a golden tint. With the little red tassels, the minimalist accessory glimmered under the illuminating lights.
Tap!
No woman could easily resist from such a pair of beautiful finery, including Veronica. However, she closed the box and pushed it to Matthew regardless. “A reward shouldn’t be received without merit. Thank you, but no thanks.”
Having said that, she took out two documents and a pen from her bag before placing them in front of him. “Didn’t you ask how I was going to repay your kindness? This is my token of gratitude.”
Gazing at the documents, he lifted his brow in confusion before opening one of them and reading the words that read, ‘Share Transfer Agreement’.
“What do you mean by this?” he asked solemnly.
Veronica calmly stirred the coffee. “Within one month, the bridal store’s performance has been growing by leaps and bounds. The augmented profit is credited to you, and I feel guilty hogging the money all by myself. Even so, every employee, including me, has committed ourselves throughout the whole process. That’s why I would like to split the profit in half for you.”
‘Rags-to-riches’.
That was the word she heard the most in that month. To her, it was a humiliation shrouded under the thin cover of facts. Every ounce of effort contributed by her team was shrugged off because of it, and she could feel the burden weighing on her shoulders. No matter how much she thought about it, this was the best solution she could come up with in order to repay Matthew.
On the other hand, the man’s finger tapped on the document a few times before he tossed it on the table without reading further. Anger was evidently flaring in his eyes. “Why must we draw a clear line between us?”
“Why not?” She looked him straight in the eyes. “I’m just Grandma’s god-granddaughter. It’s not like we have anything to do with each other.”
“Oh, really? If so, I can’t sign this contract.” His countenance simmered as he pushed the document to her.
