Chapter 73
I looked at Odile and said to her very seriously, "You need to pay a real price for what you did wrong. Otherwise, you'll never change."
After saying that, I turned around and left the store.
I could hear Odile cursing furiously behind me, but I didn't take it to heart.
Nina followed behind me, watching my expression, and asked softly, "Are you okay, dear?"
I turned back and blinked at her, "Why wouldn't I be okay?"
Nina said worriedly, "I was afraid you might go soft on her because of who she is."
I smiled, touched her cheek, and said, "Her identity only makes me dislike her more."
Luca was her brother.
Luca did those terrible things to me, and the fact that I didn't deliberately go after her because of that was already me being kind.
I still couldn't get past that hurdle in my heart.
I felt that, although Odile was indeed rude to me, even cruel, getting her proper punishment was enough.
The corners of my mouth curved up slightly.
I knew my current thoughts weren't entirely good.
I was indeed using Kane's reputation to get justice for myself.
Seeing that I truly had no burden on my conscience, Nina finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked at me seriously and said slowly, "I used to worry that after you got money, Luca would come back to bleed you dry. After all, you're such an innocent and kind girl. But now I see I was overthinking it."
Only true friends would worry about each other's situation like this.
I looked at Nina, my heart full of gratitude.
I held her hand and stopped, saying softly, "I'm so grateful that you've been by my side supporting me all these years."
Nina smiled and brushed her hair lightly.
That's when I noticed a new ring on her finger.
My eyes widened as I looked at the ring sparkling in the sunlight.
Nina noticed my gaze and blinked a bit shyly, stroking the obviously expensive ring.
Her eyes held a hint of bashfulness. "This is from Bertley."
I remembered Nina mentioning going out to dinner with Bertley before.
I asked with some surprise, "Have you already gone out to eat with him?"
Nina shook her head, "He had someone deliver this."
I looked at the ring, feeling hesitant.
Because I could tell that Nina already had strong feelings for Bertley.
If I bluntly voiced my concerns, it might make Nina unhappy.
In the end, after hesitating for a long time, I sighed and didn't say what was on my mind.
However, Nina picked up on my emotions.
She blinked and looked at me, asking, "You seem like you want to tell me something?"
Looking at her confused and worried eyes, I hesitated for a moment, opened my mouth, then closed it again, shaking my head, "I've heard Bertley doesn't have the best reputation. Either way, I hope you'll be happy."
Hearing me say this, Nina's eyes flickered.
Her eyes reddened slightly as she grabbed my hand.
"Dear Sonya, you're the only one who would say this to me. When I mentioned Bertley to my family, all they wanted was for me to get a firm hold on his heart and get some money from him."
She said to me earnestly, "Don't worry, I'm not stupid. I've been in relationships before. I know who truly cares about me."
Hearing Nina say this, I finally felt relieved.
In some ways, Nina was more like my older sister.
She understood more about how the world works than I did. When dealing with people, she was always more skillful than me.
With Nina's assurance, I had nothing more to worry about.
I held Nina's hand, looked at her, and said gently, "I hope we can both find true happiness."
I walked around with Nina for a while longer, though we didn't buy anything new.
We used to sit together and imagine what we would do if we suddenly had a huge amount of money.
But now that I actually had money, I didn't dare spend it recklessly.
As we were heading back, I saw a little girl selling homemade drinks by the roadside.
Her clothes looked very ordinary, her skin was somewhat dark from years of sun exposure, and her face had lively freckles.
She reminded me of my former self.
She held fresh lemons in her hands, looking hopefully at each person passing by, wishing someone would stop to buy a drink from her.
But how could such a roadside stand compare to those chain drink shops next to the mall?
I felt a wave of sympathy and turned to Nina, saying, "Do you see that little girl over there? We used to set up street stalls too. Maybe we can help her."
Nina looked in the direction I was pointing and nodded in agreement.
I pulled Nina's hand and walked over, standing in front of her stall.
I crouched down to be at eye level with the delighted little girl and asked, "How much are your drinks?"
The little girl introduced her products very seriously.
"Lemonade is one dollar a cup. If you want sparkling water added, it's three dollars. I also have blueberry jam, and I can make a really good blueberry sparkling water, also for three dollars."
Watching the little girl confidently introduce her products, I felt quite moved.
When I first started selling things, Nina did all the talking while I just stood there woodenly.
Only when someone actually bought something would I move, as if I'd received an order and start making it.
Seeing this little girl handle everything by herself, I couldn't help but admire her.
"Then give us two cups, one lemon sparkling water and one blueberry sparkling water."
The little girl nodded with a smile and skillfully began making our drinks.
But just as she finished and was handing them over, a middle-aged woman suddenly appeared beside us.
She wore a hat and sunglasses and snatched the money from my hand.
I frowned at her and said, "Ma'am, are you robbing me in broad daylight?"
But the woman just snorted and said, "This is my daughter. The money from what she sells should go to me."
I looked at the little girl. She was so upset that tears were about to fall.
She said, "Mom, I'm earning money for my school fees. Without this money, I won't be able to go to school."
The woman glared at the little girl, "You're a girl, what do you need school for? Stay home and help out, and when you're old enough, I'll find you a good husband."
The girl absolutely refused to accept this arrangement.
Her tears fell in big drops as she wiped them away, saying sadly, "Then why can my brother go to school? His grades aren't even as good as mine!"
Standing there, I felt sad.
When I lived in the slums, I often saw scenes like this.
Girls who were clearly better students had to give up their education just because they were girls.
I felt I should do something for this girl.