Chapter 25 Sharing a Room with Steven
They chatted until 11 PM, but Willie still hadn't called to ask Olivia to come back.
Disappointed, Olivia said, "Looks like his family is just set on making things tough for me."
The Reed family was taking advantage of Olivia having no family support, treating her however they wanted.
Nora held her hand and said, "Olivia, stay here tonight. It's not safe for you to go back so late, especially with your big belly."
"Okay." Olivia felt a bit warmer inside, grateful that Nora was willing to take her in.
Nora gave Olivia her own pajamas and some toiletries. Since Olivia was six months pregnant, Nora didn't dare to sleep with her, afraid she might accidentally bump into her belly.
"Olivia, you can sleep in this room tonight," Nora said.
Olivia let down her hair and lay on the bed. "Okay, are you going to sleep in the master bedroom with Steven?"
"Yeah." Nora nodded, a bit embarrassed.
Olivia didn't think much of it. She lay down and started looking at her phone.
Nora figured Olivia was waiting for a message from Willie, so she didn't disturb her and quietly left the room.
She planned to make do on the couch tonight.
Steven had told her not to expect anything from him, so Nora didn't dare to sleep with him.
Nora lay on the couch, using a throw pillow as a pillow and covering herself with a thin blanket. But it was already chilly in mid-October, and the thin blanket wasn't enough.
There were no other blankets in the house.
Nora shivered from the cold.
Steven came out of the master bedroom and saw her shivering on the couch, his brows furrowed. "What are you doing here?"
Nora, still awake, turned to look at him. "Olivia's belly is big now, and I'm afraid of pressing on it if we share a bed. So I gave her the room."
Steven was silent.
Nora picked up her phone. "I'll just make do on the couch for one night. You don't have to worry about me."
Steven didn't worry about her. He went to get some water.
Nora felt a bit disappointed.
This man still didn't trust her.
After drinking his water, Steven put down the glass and headed back to the master bedroom. He took a few steps, then stopped, looking at the woman on the couch.
She was shivering in the dark while looking at her phone.
Steven sighed. "Nora."
"What?" Why was he calling her again? Nora turned her head. "Is there something else?"
"Come sleep in the master bedroom," Steven said and walked back to the room.
Nora blinked, not reacting immediately.
Did he just ask her to sleep in the master bedroom?
Did she hear that right?
Steven went into the master bedroom, and she still hadn't followed. Steven frowned. "Did you hear me? Come into the master bedroom."
His voice carried through the hallway.
Nora heard it, and worried that Olivia might hear too, so she quickly grabbed the thin blanket and walked into the master bedroom.
Steven's computer was on.
He sat back down, focusing on his work.
"So, I'll sleep here then." Seeing he didn't turn around, Nora climbed onto his bed.
Steven's bed was much larger, while her bed was just a single. His bed was indeed spacious enough for two people.
But there was only one pillow and one blanket!
Nora climbed off the bed and went to the living room to get a throw pillow.
Steven asked her, "Where are you going?"
"There's only one pillow on the bed. I'm getting a throw pillow from the living room." She wore a white nightgown and slippers as she walked out.
From behind, her long curly hair fell to her waist; her white skin and slender figure, long legs, and curvy hips made her look incredibly sexy.
Steven's eyes darkened slightly.
Nora came back with a throw pillow and poured Steven a glass of water. "You should drink more water while working late. It'll keep you hydrated."
"Alright." Steven looked up. "Thanks."
The light was soft.
They quietly looked at each other.
The atmosphere felt a bit strange.
Nora's heart raced a little. She rushed to the bed, placed the throw pillow next to his pillow, and covered herself with the blanket.
"Can't you buy more bedding and pillows?" Steven watched her busying around and spoke up.
"Huh?"
"When guests stay over, there aren't enough pillows and blankets," Steven said casually, looking at his computer.
What did he mean by that?
Was it because he saw her sleeping on the couch in the cold and felt bad, but didn't want to share a blanket with her?
Nora felt a bit down. She responded, "Got it, I'll buy some now."
She had spent most of her money today, leaving her with only $200.
She opened an online shopping platform and started browsing for bedding. She planned to buy an extra set of bedding and pillows, so guests would have something to use when they visited in the cold weather.
In the room, one was using the computer, the other was browsing on her phone.
Nora picked out some bedding and pillows, but when she saw the price, it was over $100.
Nora was silent.
Everything was too expensive, and she couldn't afford anything right now.
"Steven," Nora called him, holding her phone. "Can you lend me $1,000?"
Though she had invested in 1210, she didn't know when she'd be able to sell it. She needed to borrow some money to get by.
Steven stopped typing and glanced at her. "Out of living expenses already?"
"No, I bought some stock today." Nora was happy to share her secret with Steven. "I heard there's a capacitor, model 1210, that's going to increase in price. I bought 800 reels today, costing over $90,000, so my savings are gone. But don't worry, I'll pay you back once I sell them."
"1210?" Steven repeated the number.
He had a good memory. At last night's gathering, some CEOs were talking about stockpiling 1210, with investments totaling millions of dollars.
"You know about it too?" Nora was surprised.
Steven nodded slightly. "I heard some people talking about it at a social event."
Those CEOs had even invited him to join, suggesting they would short 1210 and sell it later.
But this scheme had been going on for almost half a month. Initially, a reel was $60, but now it was nearing the end of the event.
Nora asked excitedly, "What did they say? Is model 1210 correct?"
"The model is correct." Steven thought for a moment, then turned to her. "Sell when the price hits $160. Don't wait too long, understand?"
Waiting too long would cause a crash. She wasn't buying at the best price, and getting in late was risky, as it could crash at any time.
Once it crashed, she'd be stuck with high-priced stock, similar to losing money on stocks.
For example, if beef prices rise by $10 per pound and you buy 100 pounds, but the price drops to $9 the next day, that $1 difference is a pure loss.
"That's what I thought too." Nora wasn't greedy. "I'll sell at $150!"
At $150, she could make over $20,000. She thought that was enough. She just wanted to make some money in between, not aiming for a big profit.
She was quite clever.
Steven smiled. "Sell at $160. If someone offers that price, sell."