Chapter 56 Pretense
Joanna nodded, then realized Linda couldn't see her and quickly asked, "Linda, I remember the prize money wasn't this much, right? Did you add your own money again?"
When Joanna was studying with Linda, Linda knew she was struggling and would always bump up the school stipend with some extra money from her own pocket. Sometimes she'd even sell Joanna's work and give her the money, always tossing in a little more than she should.
Joanna had always known about this, which is why she deeply respected and was grateful to Linda.
Linda smiled. "No. After you found out before and insisted on giving back the extra money, I stopped adding anything. Out of the ten million this time, one million is prize money, five million comes from a brand partnership, and the rest is a rental fee from a celebrity who wants to wear your dress to a big fashion event."
After everything was totaled up and taxes paid, it came to ten million.
Joanna breathed a sigh of relief and immediately transferred one million back. "Linda, I can't accept the prize money. I didn't even want to enter the competition at first. You helped me connect with collaborators and have been dealing with the plagiarism issue all along. I haven't even had a chance to thank you properly!"
Linda got anxious. "Come on, don't be so formal with me. I'm giving it to you, so just take it. Your work won fair and square—you deserve the prize money! If you really want to thank me, just keep designing amazing pieces and show everyone in the industry how talented my student is!"
These words warmed Joanna's heart. She smiled and stopped being polite with her teacher. "Alright, then I'll work hard to design even better pieces to make you proud."
Originally, Joanna had been hesitating about whether to continue designing new work, but now there was nothing to hesitate about.
Linda had been so good to her; she couldn't let Linda's efforts go to waste!
She would work hard to make her designs go international, make Linda even more proud, and continue to shine in the design world!
Linda got the answer she wanted and asked a few questions about how she was doing. When she learned that Sandra had woken up, she happily congratulated her.
After chatting for a bit, they hung up.
Joanna went to the hospital, and after a busy day, when it was time to leave work, she headed back to her mother's hospital.
When Sandra saw her appear alone, her eyes clearly showed some disappointment.
Joanna explained with a smile, "I got off work early. Chris is still on his way and will be here soon."
She had just checked and confirmed that Chris wouldn't break his promise, which is why she said this.
Only then did Sandra nod with relief and ask if her work was tiring.
The mother and daughter actually had a lot they hadn't had time to talk about. Joanna tried to share only good news and avoid anything that might upset her mother.
Soon, Chris arrived, and he brought some nutritional supplements.
After Joanna took them, she looked them over, estimated their value, and quietly transferred the money to him on her phone.
She didn't want to owe Chris anything.
Chris looked at Sandra and said, "Mom, I've been busy with work and haven't been able to visit often. It's been Joanna taking care of you. I was really happy to hear you woke up. I'm actually planning to have a child with Joanna soon."
Sandra had completely lost consciousness three years ago. Although she had cancer before that and would occasionally fall into deep sleep, she could still wake up from time to time. She had met Chris once back then, and although Chris had coldly said he would take responsibility for Joanna, it had put Sandra's mind at ease. Because her daughter had married someone pretty good—good-looking, from a good family, with a good job, and responsible.
After three years, Sandra actually didn't know how to ask Chris for help. But when she heard Chris mention having a child, she relaxed.
"Seeing that you two have a good relationship puts my mind at ease. You two just focus on your work. When the baby is born, I can help take care of it!" Sandra said cheerfully. "But Chris, Joanna's father was taken in for investigation. I don't really understand these business matters—is it serious?"
Chris spoke gently, "It's not that serious. As long as the money is paid back, it'll be fine."
He planned to see Joanna's attitude today, and if he was satisfied, he'd have the finance transfer the funds. If he helped Joanna solve the Jones family's troubles, she should be pretty grateful to him, right?
Thinking this, Chris straightened his back, glancing at Joanna from the corner of his eye, quite confident. "Good, good, then I'll trouble you with that. Joanna has been sensible and obedient since she was young. You two probably don't argue much, right?"
Chris raised an eyebrow, glanced at Joanna, and said flatly, "She's always been quite well-behaved. She throws a little tantrum now and then, but don't worry."
Only then did Sandra feel reassured, believing that Joanna's mention of divorce yesterday was just a joke.
Joanna didn't want these two to interact much, so she said, "Mom, Chris is pretty busy. Since you've seen each other, I'll take him home now."
Sandra quickly nodded. "Right. Don't delay your important matters. Go ahead."
She had caregivers and doctors at the nursing home, so there wasn't much to worry about. Chris didn't really need to make this trip. But Sandra was worried about their marriage and needed to see them for herself. Now that she'd seen them and knew they were planning to have a child, she felt at ease. When she saw Chris three years ago, he had been cold and impatient. Today, he had more patience and was quite gentle. It seemed the couple's relationship was pretty good.
Joanna didn't know what her mother was thinking. She quickly led Chris out, then breathed a sigh of relief.
Chris laughed mockingly, "You're pretty smart, knowing how to act obedient in front of your mother. Don't worry, as long as you don't make a fuss, I won't divorce you, and your mom will never know about your mistakes."
Joanna didn't want to discuss this and said coldly, "Thanks for cooperating today. When I go to your house, I'll try my best to cooperate with you too."
"Mm." Chris didn't say much. He glanced at the transfer on his phone but didn't accept it and just left.
Judging by Joanna's behavior today, she wasn't in a hurry for money.
So he wasn't in a hurry either. He'd wait until Joanna's attitude softened, then he'd pay!
Because of Chris's assurance, Sandra didn't worry about her husband's situation over the next few days. When Joanna wasn't busy, she would come visit her and bring soup she'd made herself to help her mother recover. The mother and daughter seemed to return to how things were before, caring for and depending on each other.
Although Sandra didn't say it out loud, Joanna could tell she hoped Chad would come visit her. After all, she hadn't seen her son in three years either.
Though it pained her, Joanna still didn't want Henry or Chad to know where her mother was staying. She was afraid that what happened last time would happen again.
When she had time, Joanna went to Jones Corp and used the prize money first to pay the supplier bills and employee salaries, then to fill the holes in the accounts.
Even though she didn't want to help the Jones family anymore, her mother's words made it impossible for her to let go.
Joanna was torn.