Ivy laughed. “Oh? Are you really planning to be my sugar daddy?”
Micah ignored her biting sarcasm. He kept his voice low, almost gentle. “If you need money, just tell me. Whatever you need, I’ll give it to you.”
Ivy thought to herself, Wow, this jerk is suddenly feeling generous.
But then he continued, “But don’t go doing those kinds of things–after all, you’re still Miss Windsor. If someone recognizes you, it’s humiliating, for both of us. People would laugh behind our backs. And with your… illness, you could infect someone. If word gets out and someone calls the police, that’s a crime-”
Ivy nearly exploded with rage.
If Micah had been standing in front of her, she’d have slapped the words right out of his mouth.
She was so furious her mind went blank, a thousand comebacks vying for attention but all jammed up at once.
But her rational side kicked in just in time. She took a deep breath, told herself not to stoop to his level, and forced herself to calm down. She even managed a smile.
“Sure,” she said sweetly, “then why don’t you send me a million dollars first?” She named a ridiculous number on purpose.
“Alright… How do I send it to you?” To her shock, Micah agreed without hesitation.
Ivy was caught off guard. “This number is linked to my messenger account. Add me, and I’ll send you my bank details.”
“Okay. But promise me you’ll behave and stop putting yourself through this.”
“Of course, I’ll do as you say.” Ivy replied with sugary obedience, lips curved in a well–practiced smile, and hung up.
She was so angry she was grinding her molars. Another deep breath. But for the sake of the money, she told herself to let it go.
She turned to head back inside. Her phone chimed.
Sure enough, it was Micah’s friend request.
Ivy accepted it immediately.
The realtor saw her return and rushed over, plastering on a smile. “Miss Windsor, Mr. Ludwig is in a hurry. Could you please transfer the payment for the house right away?”
“Of course,” Ivy replied. She opened her banking app, copied her account number, and sent it to Micah.
Micah replied with a single word: “Okay.”
14:58
Chapter 48
Ivy ignored this and began to process the payment for the house.
But after entering her password, an alert popped up: Insufficient limit.
“Oh, come on!” she muttered, smacking her forehead. She turned to the realtor. “Hold on, my card has a one million cap. I’ll have to request a temporary increase.”
Jamison had been watching Ivy the entire time, noting her long, laughter–filled phone call with her nephew. Clearly, they were having a good time. When he heard her mention a payment limit,
he sneered.
“Is it really a card limit, or are you just stalling for time, waiting for someone else to wire you money?”
Ivy looked at him, puzzled.
He went on, “Let me guess–this house? You’re just forcing Micah to buy it for you, aren’t you?”
“What?” Ivy stared at him, then realized what he was implying.
She didn’t bother to explain. The first thought that popped into her mind was: Like uncle, like nephew–what a pair of judgmental jerks.
“Mr. Ludwig, you’re so clever. Why, do you object? Because your nephew doesn’t seem to mind-” Even as she spoke, her phone chimed again: a bank notification.
Micah had really wired her a million dollars.
With a triumphant arch of her brow, Ivy held her phone up and waved it at Jamison. “See? Your nephew sent it over himself.”
Right in front of Jamison, she opened her messenger app, her voice bright and syrupy as she texted Micah: “Thank you, Micah. In this world, you’re the only one who’s ever been this good to me. I could die happy.”