Chapter 56 "I Want Another Ten Million!"
Nicole's POV
After soothing and making promises repeatedly, I finally managed to placate Hodgson.
Following his request, I sent my bank account details to Eric.
Once that was done, I tidied my clothes and made an excuse about needing to rush out and deliver money to Julie.
"I'll have Eric drive you."
Hodgson leaned back on the sofa and silently lit a cigarette, the smoke obscuring the expression on his face.
I immediately refused.
"No need, I can easily catch a cab myself. No need to trouble him."
Are you kidding? I needed to go out and take Mark's call.
I absolutely couldn't let Eric tag along!
Hodgson didn't insist, only nodding.
After leaving the villa, I found a secluded corner and, after confirming no one was around, I took out my phone and called back that unfamiliar number from earlier.
The call was answered almost instantly.
Mark's patience had clearly reached its limit.
"Nicole, you finally dare to answer! You haven't forgotten our agreement, have you? I'm warning you, if you dare play any tricks..."
"Enough, Mark!" I cut off his roar with a low rebuke.
"Stop threatening me with that tone. I've already got the five million."
Hearing my words, the breathing on the other end changed.
Mark's attitude did a complete 180-degree turn.
His voice became excited and greedy.
"Very good. Now bring it to me immediately."
I coldly refused.
"Impossible, Mark. I won't fall for your tricks again. You nearly raped me last time. I won't meet you alone again."
"Then what do you want?" He was getting anxious.
"Find a woman you trust and have her contact me. I'll hand over the money to her in person."
I emphasized again: "I'll only deal with a woman."
Mark thought about it for a while on the other end.
He desperately needed this money now and didn't have much leverage to negotiate with me.
I knew that Mark was a bastard, was also very suspicious.
The only woman by his side now should be Julie, which was why I dared to boldly make this demand.
He had no one else to choose from.
In the end, he would definitely send Julie.
Eventually, Mark compromised.
"Fine, then contact this number."
He gave me a string of digits. I recognized it as Julie's number at a glance.
Everything was going according to my expectations.
Of course, he didn't know that Julie was the eyes I had planted by his side.
After hanging up, I immediately received a text notification from the bank.
A sum of five million had been transferred into my account.
Eric was efficient.
I was about to hail a cab to find Julie when a black sedan pulled up beside me.
The window rolled down, revealing Eric's face with obvious surprise written on it.
"Miss Nicole, you haven't left yet?"
My heart skipped a beat. I hadn't expected Eric to appear at this moment.
It seemed he hadn't heard my phone conversation just now.
I steeled myself and waved my phone, explaining.
"I was just calling Julie back to arrange where to meet. The car I called hasn't arrived yet."
"I'll drive you." Eric said.
To avoid arousing Hodgson's suspicion and completely eliminate his doubts, I didn't hesitate.
I opened the door and got in.
I asked Eric to drive me to a café in the city center, while simultaneously texting Julie, telling her she must get to the café entrance within twenty minutes to wait for me.
The car arrived at the café.
As soon as I got out, I saw Julie standing at the entrance waiting.
"Nicole." Julie came up to me.
I looked back at Eric in the car. He was watching us.
I waved at him, signaling that he could leave.
Seeing that Julie and I had indeed met up, Eric naturally wouldn't linger.
He was probably eager to get back and report this to Hodgson.
He nodded and drove away.
Only when the black sedan disappeared into the traffic did I finally breathe a sigh of relief.
We walked into the café and found a private booth in a corner to sit down.
Only after the waitstaff left did I look carefully at Julie.
From the beginning, I had noticed Julie was trying hard to conceal her body.
Now that there was finally no one else present, Julie relaxed.
I discovered that not only her arms, but even the area near her collarbone had patches of faint purple bruises.
The corner of her lip was also damaged, all carefully covered with makeup.
I was somewhat angry.
"Did Mark do all this?"
Julie instinctively pulled at her sleeves, then nodded.
"Yes, he's been in a lot of gambling debt recently and is in a terrible mood. He hits me sometimes, but I'm used to it. "
Her calm tone was more heart-wrenching than crying and screaming.
I gripped her cold hand and promised her word by word.
"Julie, listen to me. Before long, I'll rescue you and let you completely escape from him."
We didn't chat long in the café.
I took Julie to a nearby bank.
Because it was a large cash withdrawal, it was even reported to the regulatory department.
But we didn't have much time.
I gritted my teeth and asked Hodgson for help again.
I lied, saying Julie's bank card was frozen and could only withdraw cash.
Soon, Hodgson helped me settle the matter.
Finally, I packed the five million in cash into empty suitcases and handed them to Julie.
That evening, I returned to the Gerald family villa.
I had just finished showering when Mark called again.
"I've received the money, Nicole. Your performance this time was good."
His voice sounded satisfied.
"In that case, don't bother me again in the future." I said coldly.
But Mark had no such intention. He laughed on the other end.
"No, Nicole. Five million is just pocket change for you, isn't it? My luck hasn't been great lately. I lost some more. Not much, just ten million."
I instantly clenched my fists.
"What do you mean?"
He dropped the laughter, his tone returning to that cold inflection.
"I'll give you half a month again. Bring me ten million, or else, you know the consequences."
Damn it! What did he take me for?
An ATM?!
My fingers gripping the phone turned white from the force.
I understood. Someone like Mark, addicted to gambling, was a bottomless pit that could never be filled.
Last time he wanted five million, this time he wanted ten million.
What about next time?
As long as he still held leverage over me, he would never let me go.
I couldn't continue being passive like this. I had to find a way to completely eliminate this troublesome pest.
Countless ideas flashed through my mind.
Suddenly, I thought of the expensive watch on Wendy's hand.
I took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the rage in my heart.
"Ten million, right? Half a month is too tight."
"Don't bargain with me!"
"Don't be hasty."
I interrupted him. "In five days, let's meet. I'll tell you about an opportunity to make big money."