Chapter 11 Would Be Easier to Talk to When Drunk
When Steven walked into the club, Chris shot him a teasing look. "Hey, I've been hearing some wild rumors. Did you really get hitched?"
Steven's expression stayed icy, ignoring the comment.
He settled into a chair and took a sip of his brandy before lazily asking, "Who's spreading that nonsense?"
"Seems like your brother's been talking."
"Andrew York?"
"Yeah," Chris replied, grinning and swirling his drink. "So, you tied the knot but didn't bring the missus around for us to meet?"
"We're getting a divorce," Steven said flatly.
"Seriously? You just got married!" Chris's eyes sparkled with amusement. "What's the deal? Didn't fall for her, or are you just trying to keep her safe?"
Everyone knew Andrew and his stepmother had a ruthless streak.
Steven's gaze darkened. "Didn't fall for her."
He had no patience for gold diggers.
These past few days at home, he thought maybe he'd misjudged her. But no, she really did love money!
He had overheard Nora talking to her father, Wayne Adams, on a video call.
Wayne had been furious when he found out about Nora's quick marriage and demanded that Nora ask Steven for $50,000 to buy a house for her brother, Tanner Adams, back home. He said that since Tanner couldn't afford a house, Nora, as his sister, should help.
When Steven heard Wayne say that, he knew this family had twisted values.
Tonight, he heard Olivia talking about the house issue again.
This family was always trying to exploit others without working for it.
He was disgusted by such parasitic behavior.
The more Steven thought about it, the more annoyed he became. He downed his drink in one gulp.
Chris shouted, "Whoa, man! That's brandy! You can't just chug it like that! It's strong stuff!"
After seeing Olivia off, Nora headed to the shower.
Her phone kept buzzing when she was done.
She picked it up and saw it was a video call from Wayne. She glanced at it and didn't want to answer.
But Wayne kept calling, so Nora reluctantly picked up, her face expressionless. "What do you want?"
Her voice was cold; she didn't want to deal with Wayne.
Actually, Tanner and her mom weren't bad people. They had never asked Nora to give them money to buy a house.
It was all Wayne's shameless idea.
"Nora, did you talk to Steven about what I mentioned earlier?" Wayne asked, drinking on the other side of the video call.
"No," Nora refused bluntly. "If Tanner can afford a house, he'll buy one. If not, he can rent."
"That's not the point, Nora. Think about your niece, Lily Adams. She's turning five this year and will start elementary school next year. Where will she go if there's no house?" Wayne knew Nora cared about Lily.
Nora often helped Tanner take care of Lily when she lived at home and had deep feelings for her.
Nora was silent for a moment and then said, "I can't solve that problem."
Even though she cared about Lily, she couldn't bring herself to ask Steven for money to buy a house for Tanner.
"Then what about Lily? South City is a big city with expensive private school tuition. We can't afford it. Without a house in the city, where will she go to school? Public schools in the city have better education, and I want her to stay in the city for her own good," Wayne said, playing the pity card.
Nora pressed her lips together and repeated, "Tanner and his wife had the child. They need to figure it out themselves."
With that, she hung up the call.
Wayne cursed on the other end, "Damn it, neither of my daughters is reliable!"
One worked hard with her husband to start a company, but got pushed out!
The other married a well-off corporate manager but refused to help the family at all!
Nora had secretly given her mother a lot of money.
Wayne was a gambling addict and didn't care about the family. Tanner worked in IT, his wife didn't work, and with rent and child expenses, they barely made ends meet.
Last year, Olivia suggested Tanner start a business, but Tanner tried and said he wasn't cut out for it, so he gave up.
Olivia had given the family a lot of money, all her savings, but it was all gambled away by Wayne.
Now that Olivia couldn't give any more money, Wayne was dissatisfied and often called to curse at her.
Nora learned from Olivia's experience and gave money directly to her mother every month, as both a retirement fund and a subsidy for Tanner's family.
When it came to Lily's schooling, Nora had an idea.
Since she wasn't pregnant yet, she could temporarily rent Steven's house to Lily's family for the school registration, then move back after the paperwork was done.
But she needed to discuss it with Steven first, since it was his house.
As she was thinking, she heard the sound of the door code being entered.
Nora looked over.
Steven pushed the door open and walked in, his handsome face tense. He had drunk a lot but wasn't completely drunk.
Nora immediately went over to get him his slippers. "Did you drink a lot?"
Her voice was pleasant.
Steven glanced at her. "No, I'm not drunk."
His tone was harsh.
Nora was puzzled.
She didn't know what he was angry about.
Steven put on his slippers and walked into the room.
Nora followed him and poured him a glass of water.
At the door of the room, Steven turned and looked down at her, blocking the entrance, "Is there something else?"
Nora handed him the water. "Water."
Steven looked at the glass.
Nora said, "I wanted to talk to you about something. My niece is five years old and will start elementary school next September. Without a rental contract in South City, she might not get into the public school."
As soon as Nora mentioned it, Steven's eyes turned icy, like a thin layer of frost had settled over them.
So that's what this was about!
She thought he'd be easier to talk to if he was drunk?
Trying to ask him for money to buy her brother a house?
Steven sneered, his gaze dark. "What does that have to do with me?"
Nora was stunned.
Steven towered over her, his nearly 6.2-foot frame imposing. "Whether your niece gets into a school in South City has nothing to do with me. She's not my daughter. Do you think I'd help you? Sorry, but your family's issues are none of my business!"
"Nora, if you think I'd give you money for your niece's schooling, let me tell you, it's not happening!" Steven glared at her, his eyes heavy.
Nora's face paled. She just wanted to borrow the rental contract for the house!
She hadn't expected Steven to see her that way.
Nora stood there, stunned, like she'd lost her soul.
Steven sneered and started to close the door.
Nora raised her hand to block it, her clean face hidden under her long curls, making it hard to see her expression.