Negotiation

Jonathan's sneer froze. He could not believe his ears.

After what felt like an eternity, Jonathan finally spoke.

"What … did you just say? Say that again!"

Blinking, Rose said earnestly, "Let's get married!"

She could pay him for it.

She had already thought things through. To avoid unnecessary trouble, the easiest way was to make it a trade.

There would be no emotional strings attached. She would pay him to marry her, and he would take the money.

Also, due to the special nature of his job, he was the perfect candidate!

Jonathan thought about it for a moment. Then, a look of disdain and disgust appeared in his cold eyes.

He could tell what she was trying to do now.

Scoffing to himself, he assumed that despite not knowing who he was, she knew he was no ordinary man. Therefore, after heading home and thinking about it, she came back to him.

Was she trying to marry a rich man, or was it the money she was after?

Jonathan recalled the red stain on the sheets this morning. The guilt he felt dissipated.

After all, he had taken her last night. He would give her a sum of money to dismiss her.

Jonathan's curt voice was flippant as he said, "I've met many women like you. How much are you asking for?"

Stunned, Rose did not speak.

How much? Was he negotiating the price for marrying her?

Rose never expected him to be so straightforward. But now that she thought about it, she supposed it was to be expected from an experienced man like him.

Taking a step backward, Rose examined the man from head to toe.

She considered the price carefully.

For some reason, Jonathan suddenly felt displeased. She was looking at him as if she was sizing up an item or a product.

And he seemed to be the so-called product in question!

"How much?" Jonathan pressed impatiently.

"Three … million dollars?"

Rose felt uneasy as she stared at him.

He was rather handsome. Was the offer of three million too little?

As expected, Jonathan's well-defined brows creased.

Three million dollars?

He had expected her to take advantage of the situation and demand a fortune. But surprisingly, she only asked for three million dollars.

"Hah …" Jonathan chuckled in disdain.

Rose's heart skipped a beat. She hastily raised the price. "Five … Five million dollars. Five million dollars at most!"

After she graduated, Jamie did not allow her to join Celeste Jewels. She did not use her family's money, either.

Little by little, she saved up five million dollars by accepting design commissions. She usually received commissions from an upperclassman.

It was her entire fortune.

Jonathan looked even more scornful now.

He was convinced that Rose was an ignorant woman.

But it had been her first time, after all. He would not treat her unfairly.

Reminded of the humiliation he felt from that coin, Jonathan decided to give her ten million dollars. He would humiliate her with ten million dollars.

With a sneer on his face, he was about to say something when the woman spoke up first.

"Alright, fine. What about ten million dollars?"

Rose went all out. She looked pleadingly at Jonathan before she said, "Can I give you five million dollars first?

"As for the remaining five million dollars, it might take a month … Or maybe I can pay you in installments?"

Fearing that he would not agree, she continued, "Don't worry, I have the money.

"Give me your bank account number. I'll transfer five million dollars to you right now to prove my sincerity."

Rose took out her phone.

Once again, Jonathan's expression froze. He was shocked.

He wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him.

Did she say that she was going to give him ten million dollars?

"Come on. Give me your account number," Rose urged.

She looked at him in anticipation. It was as if she were a wolf coaxing a rabbit to fall into a trap.

Jonathan studied her intently. She could not tell what he was thinking by the look in his eyes.

A moment later, he gave her his account number.

Within a minute, he received a notification. Five million dollars had been transferred to his account.

Rose let out a long sigh. Even though she was reluctant to part with the huge sum, she had finally found her bridegroom.

The next step would be to register their marriage and become officially married.

Rose did not want to waste even a single second. "Let's go back to our respective homes and get the necessary documents. We'll meet at the county clerk's office an hour from now."

With that, Rose left.

Jonathan looked at the bank transfer notification on his phone. He was in a daze.

He could not believe that she had seriously given him five million dollars.

She had given him money to marry her.

"Hah …" He had never encountered anything like this before.

Jonathan was suddenly intrigued.

As if to see what she was up to, Jonathan made a call. "Uncle Charlie, do you have my identification documents with you? Yes, I have need of them …"

Star Escort Husband

An hour later, Jonathan stood outside the county clerk's office. He stared darkly at the marriage license he was holding.

Meanwhile, Rose excitedly planted a kiss on her copy of the marriage license. She was already looking forward to the Lanes' banquet tomorrow. That was when Nixon's plans would fall apart.

Suddenly, she looked at her "star escort husband" who was beside her.

He had such a wonderful figure and face that Nixon could not compare to him at all.

If he appeared at the Lanes' birthday banquet tomorrow, Nixon would be disgraced!

The more Rose thought about it, the more excited she became.

"Um … Do you have time tomorrow? Can you attend a banquet with me—"

Jonathan was still coming to terms with the fact that he was married. Without even thinking about it, he declined. "I'm busy!"

Rose fell silent. She felt a little disappointed.

But she soon got over it.

Nixon's uncle, Jonathan, would be attending the Lanes' birthday banquet tomorrow. It would probably be an extravagant event, so her husband might get intimidated by its grandeur.

Before they parted ways, Rose said to her new husband, "Since we're already married, you shouldn't go to Nightfall Lounge tonight. It'll be best if you never go there again."

"Where else can I go if I can't go to Nightfall Lounge?"

Jonathan frowned. He had not figured out who had sent the assassin yet, so Nightfall Lounge was the safest place for him right now.

But Rose misunderstood him.

Her gaze on him instantly changed.

She wondered if he was asking her for a house.

Popular escorts like him usually asked their patrons for houses and cars.

Rose despised such behavior. But when she remembered that she had bought this husband at a high price, she instantly forced herself to smile.

After taking out her phone, she tapped on it a few times.

Soon, Jonathan's phone buzzed with another bank transfer notification. This time, it was for 6,600 dollars.

Jonathan stared at Rose in confusion.

"Find a hotel to stay in for the time being. I'll make further arrangements later."

Rose smiled generously, but her heart was aching over the loss of her money.

After paying the five million dollars, she only had 6,650 dollars left in her account. She gave him 6,600 dollars and kept the remaining 50 dollars to pay for her ride home.

On the inside, Rose laughed miserably. It was not the absolute worst situation. At least she did not have to walk home.

Rose felt like she could not stay here any longer. Not even for a moment. She feared she would not be able to keep up her smile.

Before she left, she could barely maintain her smile as she suggested earnestly, "Um … you don't have to pick an expensive hotel. You can choose slightly cheaper hotels. They aren't all that bad …"

Jonathan could see that her smile had vanished completely by the time she turned away from him.

She even staggered a little as she jogged away. She seemed to be clutching her heart.

He wondered if her heart was aching.

"Hah …" He was beginning to suspect that she had misunderstood something.

Staring at the bank transfer notification on his phone, Jonathan suddenly felt curious. He wanted to find out if slightly cheaper hotels had pleasant environments as well.

Just then, he received a call from Zac.

As soon as he answered the call, Zac started teasing him.

"Mrs. Lane Senior told everyone that you will be attending her birthday banquet. The upper-class elites in Aquastead heard about this, and they're all clamoring to attend the event.

"Hmph! They're not going there for the Lanes at all. They're just trying to talk to you, the newly appointed person in charge of the Finch family!

"The Lanes just want to use you to make themselves look good. Tch. How cunning … But if you don't go tomorrow, there will be quite a scene at the Lane residence."

Charlie had told Jonathan about the Lanes' invitation.

The late Mr. Lane Senior used to be friends with the Finches, but the two families had drifted apart a long time ago.

Jonathan did not plan on attending at first, but he abruptly changed his mind. "I'll be attending the banquet."

If he did not want to keep staying in Nightfall Lounge, he had to catch the mastermind as soon as possible.

The Lanes' banquet was the perfect opportunity.

Staring at the marriage license in his hand, Jonathan had a dark look in his eyes. Before Zac could say anything else, Jonathan spoke up.

"Buy a house for me under someone else's name. Also, I need your help to look into someone …"

He recalled the woman's pretty face. She had a warm and radiant smile when they received their marriage license.

He looked at the marriage license and found her name.

"Rose Shaffer!"

She Was the Sugar Mommy

When Rose returned to the villa in Scenic Gardens, she was refused entry.

"How dare she come back again? Chelsea, go and drive her away!"

Jamie's angry shout could be heard through the door.

"Jamie, don't get angry because of her. You should take care of your health …"

"Dad, just let Rose in. She probably wasn't thinking straight when she betrayed Mr. Lane. The men at Nightfall Lounge are all … engaged in that sort of work.

"I'm sure Rose would've paid him so that he wouldn't tell anyone else about something like this …"

Over in the living room, it seemed like Chelsea and Kelly were coming to Rose's defense. But in reality, they were adding fuel to the fire.

In an instant, Jamie's tirade intensified.

"She's a wretched girl! I refuse to acknowledge a shameless woman like her as my daughter! From now on, she is not allowed to enter this house. I don't want her tainting this place.

"Kelly, you're kind and innocent. Don't be like her."

Rose felt like her heart was breaking. She was so upset that it hurt.

She knew Jamie never liked her. Ever since she was a child, Jamie treated her coldly no matter what she did.

It was his first time reacting so strongly to something she did.

Jamie did not like her, but he pampered Kelly a lot. Kelly was his stepdaughter. She joined the family when he remarried.

When Rose thought about Kelly's true identity, she sneered mockingly.

Suddenly, she saw something through the large floor-to-ceiling windows.

Avoiding Jamie's line of sight, Kelly was smiling gleefully at Rose. She seemed to be announcing her victory.

Rose's eyes flashed coldly. But the very next moment, she smiled brightly and waved at Kelly.

Kelly's smile froze. She did not expect Rose to smile at all. She had expected to see Rose crying instead.

Just then, Rose clenched her waving hand into a fist. Then, she lifted her middle finger …

Kelly was dumbstruck.

Her expression instantly soured.

Rose turned around and left. Kelly stared at her retreating figure with hatred-filled eyes.

Furious, she immediately sent a message to Maya. Then, she appealed to Jamie. "Dad, Mrs. Lane Senior's birthday banquet is tomorrow. Let me go with you. I want to gain more exposure to society!"

Kelly swore to humiliate Rose during the Lanes' birthday banquet tomorrow.

…

It was midnight. Rose was wandering the streets.

Her phone was flooded with messages from the high school alumni group she was in.

An hour ago, Maya was so "worried" about Rose that she sent a missing person notice to the alumni group. She was sobbing as she pleaded for Rose to return to her family.

Sensing that there could be gossip, the others asked Maya what happened. Hence, Maya "accidentally" mentioned how Rose had slept with a man last night. She also said that Jamie had driven Rose out of their home.

The group exploded with messages. But at that moment, Rose was more concerned about where she could go tonight.

She had transferred her remaining money to her "star escort husband" this afternoon. Now, she was broke and had nowhere to go.

All of a sudden, she thought of something. Her eyes lit up.

Her husband!

Though their relationship was transactional, she was still his patron. She figured he probably would not mind letting his patron stay over for the night.

Rose took her phone out and made the call. She felt both nervous and excited.

Soon, the call connected.

"Hello?"

When the man's charming voice rang in Rose's ear, she abruptly recalled the heavy panting she had heard last night. Her cheeks turned bright red.

"Hello? Speak up!"

The man's voice rang out again.

Rose snapped back to her senses. Shooing away the indecent scenes in her mind, she said, "Um … Well … I was chased out of my house, so I don't have anywhere to go now. Can I—"

There was a click. Before Rose finished speaking, the call ended.

She stared at her phone. It took her a while to register what happened.

She was stunned.

Did he reject her?

That thought left her feeling incredulous.

"Hah! Fine. Very well …" Rose got angrier by the second.

What was with his attitude? She was his sugar mommy! She wanted a refund!

Meanwhile, Jonathan was in a "slightly cheaper" hotel with a "nice environment".

He looked at the document he was holding. It contained information about Rose and Celeste Jewels. He did not expect his newly wedded wife to be the sole heir of Celeste Jewels.

But he was not surprised that Jamie had kicked Rose out of the house.

Had he not asked Zac to investigate Rose, no one would have known about what Jamie had been doing in secret. Even now, Rose had to still be clueless about it.

Jonathan smiled coldly. He was looking forward to how his wife would respond when she found out about the real situation with Celeste Jewels.

There was a sinister look in Jonathan's eyes as he sent the hotel address to Rose.