Chapter 85
Jasper's place.
The auto shop's rent was about to expire, and Nora, Samuel, and Jasper had been cramming themselves into the shop all this time.
"Jasper, the rent's due. Should we renew it?" Nora asked quietly. "The landlord came by today asking for rent, and said he's raising it."
Obviously, someone had gotten to the landlord, deliberately making things difficult for Nora and Jasper.
Jasper sighed and leaned against the doorway, smoking. "I'll take care of finding a place."
Nora nodded. "Jasper, Samuel got into a fight with a classmate today. He hit Joseph from the Miller family."
Jasper froze, his fingers stiffening around the cigarette. "Is Samuel hurt?"
Nora shook her head. "There's a red bump on his head, nothing serious, but we can't go back to that school. Joseph's mom is Veda, from the Smith family."
Jasper frowned and said in a low voice, "We won't go back. We'll find another kindergarten."
Nora smiled bitterly and nodded. "Jasper, do you think I shouldn't be alive?"
Jasper threw down his cigarette butt and pulled Nora into the yard. "If you die, what happens to Samuel? No father, no mother—how do you expect Samuel to survive?"
"I'm sorry, Jasper." Nora lowered her head, tears falling to the ground.
Jasper took a deep breath and glanced at his phone. "I'm working overtime tonight. I'll handle the money situation. You just take care of Samuel."
"Monday, I want to go to work. I have an interview opportunity." Nora glanced at Jasper.
Jasper nodded. "Okay, then before Monday, we'll sort out Samuel's school situation."
Nora nodded and sat in the yard, lost in thought.
Jasper had been really busy lately. He felt his female boss was stupid, rich, and a bit crazy, always making him jump through hoops.
But she paid well, so he put up with it.
Early the next morning, Nora took Samuel to look for other kindergartens.
Every kindergarten welcomed them warmly, but when it came time to register information, they were mysteriously rejected.
The reason given was that Samuel didn't meet the admission requirements.
Nora actually understood—it didn't matter how many kindergartens they tried, it was useless. Veda was behind this.
Veda already resented her because of Mason, and now she'd finally found an excuse and reason.
"Nora, it doesn't matter how many kindergartens you try, it's useless. I'm waiting for you to come begging to me."
Standing at the entrance of a kindergarten, Nora saw Veda waiting for her in a car parked by the roadside.
She seemed to just want to see Nora's miserable state.
"Mommy, can I not go to kindergarten anymore?" Samuel asked quietly.
Nora shook her head. "We'll find another kindergarten."
Preschool education was important. Nora didn't want Samuel to fall behind at the starting line.
Otherwise, when he started elementary school, it would be really hard for him.
"Nora, I'm curious—how did you convince Michael to help you?" Veda came to see Nora not just to humiliate her, but also to figure out what Michael was up to.
Michael wasn't some kind-hearted person. He had no reason to help Nora.
The Smith Group was full of internal conflicts. Veda and James were full siblings after all, so if they had to choose an outsider, Michael would definitely be that outsider.
Veda wasn't stupid. She was afraid Michael's purpose in helping Nora was to go after James.
After all, James had once loved Nora deeply, and Nora had once been James's fiancée.
Was Michael trying to humiliate James?
Or was he trying to warn and provoke him?
Nora ignored Veda.
"Nora, I'd like to see how long you can stay proud." Veda sneered, got in her car, and slammed the door.
Still annoyed by Nora's pride, Veda called James. "You're still in Silverlight City?"
"Yes."
James didn't know Nora had already returned to Emerald City. He'd deliberately made up an excuse to stay in Silverlight City to look for Nora.
He was unwilling to admit he still couldn't forget Nora.
"Aren't you coming back? If you don't come back soon, Emerald City is going to turn upside down! Do you know that Nora's son attending Holy Shield Kindergarten was arranged by Michael? Now with Michael backing her up, she's incredibly arrogant. Yesterday she actually had her son hit Joseph! I heard she even told off Maya Coleman."
Veda laughed sarcastically.
James froze, his voice urgent. "Who did you say? Nora? She's in Emerald City?"
"Yeah, and now with Michael as her backer, she's unbearably arrogant. I don't know what Michael's really trying to do. Have you offended Michael again recently?" Veda actually wanted family harmony.
Unfortunately, Luna and James were too ambitious.
James's voice instantly turned cold. "Michael, so it is him."
Sure enough, the person who took Nora away was Michael, and having the police take him away at the banquet was also Michael's idea.
Michael was using Nora to go after him? How despicable.
Hanging up the phone, James looked at his assistant with a dark expression. "Drive, as fast as possible—get me back to Emerald City!"
The Williams Villa.
Clea Williams, wearing pajamas, lazily reclined in a massage chair with a face mask on, occasionally sipping coffee.
She glanced at Jasper standing beside her like a robot and rolled her eyes.
A man who didn't understand romance.
Except for that day when he took a knife for her, Jasper wouldn't even look at her the rest of the time.
Clea seriously suspected—was she not beautiful enough, or was her figure not good enough?
If this were in Novaria, those men would have lost control long ago.
But Jasper always kept a straight face.
"You've been standing there all night. Aren't you tired?" Clea was very interested in Jasper. This Jasper seemed to really need money.
He'd taken a knife for her, led her through alleys like a desperate man who didn't care about his life—that aura he gave off really interested Clea.
She'd investigated Jasper. Poor family background, with a burdensome nephew, his auto repair business was deliberately sabotaged, he lost three hundred thousand dollars, borrowed from loan sharks, and now probably owed six hundred thousand dollars.
Jasper remained silent, saying nothing.
Last night Clea had asked him to come into her room, but he refused and stood outside all night.
He, Jasper, might need money, but he was here to be a bodyguard, not a male prostitute.
Clea raised an eyebrow, removed her face mask and tossed it aside. There was no man she couldn't handle.
"Don't you have any requests? I heard you owe loan sharks. I can help you pay it off." Clea smiled seductively.
Jasper frowned, somewhat displeased.
For rich young ladies like Clea, money really wasn't an issue. Six hundred thousand dollars was like six dollars to them.
But he didn't need it.
"Really no sense of romance." Clea clicked her tongue, unhappily. "You can get off work now. Get lost."
She could have just fired Jasper directly, but Clea was a bit reluctant. If she fired Jasper, she wouldn't have such an interesting person around to tease.
During this time, Clea had found a new source of entertainment—she discovered that teasing Jasper every day was quite fun.
Hearing he could get off work, Jasper breathed a sigh of relief.
Entering the changing room, Jasper went to get his clothes and phone.
Just then, Nora called.
"Jasper, Veda has contacted all the kindergartens in Emerald City. It's really hard for Samuel to get into school." Nora's voice was choked with tears.
Jasper's fingers tightened around the phone. These people were really going too far. "Don't cry. I'll handle it."
Hanging up, Jasper raised his hand and tapped his forehead, sitting on the changing room bench for a long time.
What could he do to solve this? Unless he asked Clea for help.