Chapter 64 Out of Money
Margaret turned toward the window.
Suppressing her surging emotions, she put the receipt back in the drawer and quickly wiped away the tears welling in her eyes.
This illness would be with her for the rest of her life.
If Jasper really did abandon her, the only things she could cling to would likely be Iris and the house registered under her name.
Margaret sat in silence for a long while, her thoughts tangled and chaotic.
“Mom, are you listening?” Receiving no reply, Iris asked again softly on the other end of the line.
"Yes," Margaret sighed.
Over the years, she had made a mess of her life, wasting time and money at the card table and neglecting Iris. She already owed her daughter so much.
Was she really going to ruin her future and become a burden to her as well?
Never mind.
Margaret tried to sound more cheerful. "Iris, the parents living near you are completely focused on their kids' studies. There aren’t many people in Veronia. I can’t even find anyone to play cards with. I’ll be bored sooner or later! You live on your own, so you need to take good care of yourself."
Without waiting for Iris to respond, Margaret hung up the phone.
She didn't mention a single word about money.
After listening to the busy signal for a while, Iris put down her phone slowly. She stood in the empty, quiet living room for a long time.
Then she suddenly thought of Quinn and tried to call her, thinking she might be able to borrow money from her.
But all she heard was a message saying the service had been suspended.
Her phone had been cut off for nonpayment.
She must have used up all her credit yesterday texting Quinn too long!
If only she had known, she wouldn't have called her mom—she should have called Quinn directly.
Helplessly, Iris walked into the kitchen, boiled a kettle of water, and decided to drink some water to stave off her hunger before thinking of other solutions.
Should she sell the furniture? But she’d need a phone to contact buyers.
Should she sit at the front door like she did when she was a kid, hoping a kind neighbor would spot her and take her out to eat?
But she wasn’t a child anymore.
Should she go straight to school to find Quinn?
But she had no idea what classes Quinn had today.
The school was huge. By the time she dragged herself from classroom to classroom, enduring the pain throughout her body, she’d probably pass out before she got hungry.
It was nearing afternoon.
The hunger in Iris' stomach grew more intense, like a fire burning inside her and bringing on waves of nausea.
She grew restless, searching the unoccupied house over and over again, but naturally, she found nothing.
Finally, she could only drag her exhausted body back to bed. She stared at the ceiling while listening to the growling sounds coming from her empty stomach.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
She still had a meal card!
She’d lost it the day she was abducted, but as long as she got a replacement before the school office closed, she could eat in the cafeteria.
Iris immediately got up, went back to the living room, and dug her student ID out of her suitcase.
Mary had handed her the ID back then with the meal card tucked inside.
Mary had said the money on the card would last until graduation. She had emphasized repeatedly, "Iris, look how good Mr. Sharpe is!"
Iris clutched the ID, her emotions in turmoil.
Donovan, Donovan... What’s so great about him? He just loves taking care of women.
She wiped away her tears that had slipped from the corner of her eyes and stepped out the door with the ID in hand. She walked alone along the busy street.
The road was long, and the pain was deep.
Iris had to stop every few minutes to catch her breath.
What should have been a journey of less than half an hour took her a very long time, as she walked and stopped.
Four hours earlier, Voss Harbor in the Republic of Vibia.
It was 7:00 a.m. local time (there was a five-hour time difference between the two countries).
Donovan handed the signed documents to Sebastian across the long table. Then he stood up with General George Carter and walked toward the office building's floor-to-ceiling windows.
The sun was rising slowly.
Flying above Voss Harbor were the flags of the Republic of Vibia and the Helvetian Free State, a symbol of friendship.
General Carter spoke first, "Mr. Sharpe, it will take at least a year and a half to complete the base. Don’t forget the agreement between us when the time comes.”
“Rest assured. Once the base is completed, the Republic of Vibia’s naval and ground forces are welcome to visit for exchanges and joint training to enhance both sides’ combat capabilities.”
"That’s good to hear!"
General Carter laughed heartily, clasped his hands together, and offered Donovan a sincere greeting in the Trelanian manner.
"I have other business to attend to, so I won't be inviting you to join me for breakfast. Since this is your first visit, you may not be familiar with the situation in the Republic of Vibia yet. Until you’ve established a firm footing here, please be careful when you go out. I don’t want our cooperation to end abruptly before it’s even begun.”
Donovan nodded slightly. “Thank you.”
The meeting concluded, and General Carter turned to leave.
Sebastian handed the documents to the secretary beside him, then followed the general, who was surrounded by a group of bodyguards as he left the office building.
It wasn’t until the jet-black Rolls-Royce had driven out of sight that Wright stepped forward. He had remained silent and standing behind them the entire time.
"Donovan, Sebastian looks something in a suit!"
At the last Tide Island Auto Show, he took the date I’d carefully picked out and ended up spending the whole night in bed with her. My heart still aches.”
Wright gazed out the window with a melancholy expression and let out a long sigh.
Donovan gave him a dismissive glance. “You know him better than anyone, don’t you?”
"Donovan, you're such a killjoy!"
With his act exposed instantly, Wright switched his expression, flashing Donovan a roguish grin.
"I learned that trick from you, didn't I?"
"You've improved quite a bit."
The two shared a smile.
Donovan suddenly remembered something and waved to Harrison, who was standing behind him.
"The blueprints."
Harrison nodded and spread the blueprints out on the table.
“Boss, Voss Harbor’s footprint meets our requirements perfectly. We can plan various training grounds within the base, as well as a gym, an auditorium, an armory, and maintenance hangars for ships and helicopters. If needed, we can also build an armory at each of these two locations.”
“That’s essential.”
Donovan nodded slightly and pointed to the base’s external defenses on the blueprint.
“Unlike the Republic of Vibia and the Helvetian Free State, this base must prioritize defense. Set up two vehicle checkpoints on the perimeter, install sturdy automatic gates, and design a 90-degree turning lane. Deploy multiple fire interdiction points along the route. Establish security fences and defensive positions around the perimeter. Implement a three-tiered defensive structure for the internal buildings.”
“Understood.”
Following Donovan’s instructions, Harrison marked each point on the blueprints with a marker.
When he was finished, Donovan folded the blueprints and slipped them into Wright’s lap.
“Got it?”