Her Love For Money
Leilani awoke the following day, startled to find herself on her bed. She could vividly remember sleeping on the hard floor and couldn’t believe someone had carried her to her bedding.
A mix of emotions swirled in her mind as she tried to make sense of the situation. She was fighting with herself, reasoning that Nelson would never have gone to such lengths for her. But then she heard the sound of his footsteps and quickly pretended to still be asleep.
Nelson, already dressed for work, glanced at her before heading out of the room. He couldn’t help but notice her odd sleeping position and realized she was just pretending to be asleep to avoid him. Shaking his head with a slight smile, he left the room.
As he walked out, he nearly bumped into Susan. But before she could inquire about Leilani, Nelson grabbed her hand and pulled her along.
“Why isn’t Leilani up yet? Is everything okay?” Susan asked, her concern evident.
“She’s still sleeping, Mom. Let’s go,” Nelson replied, not wanting to delve into the details.
“Is she unwell? Did she not sleep at all? It’s unusual for her to be in bed at this time. She’s usually helping out in the kitchen,” Susan wondered aloud before suddenly stopping and studying Nelson’s face.
“What’s wrong?” Nelson asked, raising an eyebrow.
“What did you do to that girl, Nelson? What did you say to her?” Susan demanded.
Nelson’s face flushed with guilt as he remembered the events of the previous night. He avoided his mother’s gaze and replied firmly, “I did nothing, Mom.”
With that, he hurried off to work, leaving his mother wondering. “You’re going to the office without breakfast? And why do you look so ashamed, Nelson?” Susan called after him, but he didn’t respond.
As Susan increased the volume of her voice, Nelson quickened his pace down the stairs, abandoning the living room in a hurry.
“Surely, there’s something going on between those two,” Susan pondered, her gaze shifting between the closed door of Nelson’s room and his barely visible figure as he disappeared.
She briefly entertained the thought of going into the room to check on Leilani, but ultimately decided against it.
A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she finally understood why Leilani was still asleep and why Nelson had seemed so embarrassed earlier.
Meanwhile, inside the room, Leilani wept as she clutched her phone tightly.
It was her brother Ethan on the line, with her mutual friend Hannah as the caller. Despite his insistence that he was fine, Leilani could sense that something was troubling him.
Her heart ached as she realized that Ethan had something to say, but didn’t know how to express it. Instead, he simply kept telling her how much he missed her.
Leilani couldn’t help but cry, holding her phone close to her chest. “Please forgive me, Ethan,” she whispered through her tears.
At the same time, Nelson had finally arrived at his office and took a moment to catch his breath before settling into his seat.
He opened a file and began to read through it, but the memories from last night flooded his mind and he slammed the file shut in frustration.
Letting out a deep sigh, he closed his eyes and then forced them back open, quickly grabbing his laptop from his bag and starting to work.
But despite his best efforts, thoughts of Leilani’s reaction to seeing his manhood and her panicked rush into the bathroom still plagued him. Along with the memory of how he had carefully arranged her bedding and even lifted her onto it.
He was losing his mind.
A knock on the door drew his attention, and Herbert entered the room.
“Mr. Carter, we’re at a loss on who to choose as the host for the day. I’d like to hear your opinion between Mr. Hills or Williams from the HR department.”
Nelson gazed intently at his assistant’s countenance, but before he could reply, something dawned on him.
Cursing inwardly, he frantically reached for his phone and began typing.
He had completely overlooked informing Leilani about the upcoming party.
Meanwhile, Leilani was in a desolate mood, lost in her ruminations until the buzz of her phone startled her from her reverie.
She retrieved her device from the bed and saw a message from Nelson:NôvelDrama.Org content.
*There’s a company party on Friday evening, be ready.*
Fuming and clenching her teeth, Leilani angrily hurled her phone across the room, shattering it into pieces.
“Stop playing with my life! Just get tired of me already! I hate you! I hate you!” She erupted into a fresh wave of tears, her shoulders heaving with hysterical sobs.
She never imagined being trapped and controlled by someone, with no way out for three long months.
Perhaps it would be bearable if it all paid off in the end, but no, he had made it clear that she wouldn’t receive a single penny.
In three months, she would be back to square one, searching for a job again.
Sobbing as if her life was ending, Leilani eventually fell into a fitful slumber.
When she awoke, the evening was setting, the aroma of tomato soup wafting through the air.
Glancing towards the bedside table, she saw a bowl of soup placed there, tears brimming in her eyes as she realized who must have left it while she slept.
Carrying the bowl and spoon, Leilani ate slowly. Suddenly, the door swung open, revealing Nelson.
Feeling irritated, Leilani gritted her teeth and reluctantly moved from the bed to sit on a nearby couch.
Nelson observed her for a moment, his tongue held in check as he surveyed her figure before fully entering the room. He noticed a shattered phone lying on the floor as he headed to the dressing room.
His eyes shifted from the broken device to Leilani, who was leisurely enjoying her soup.
“Is this yours?” Nelson asked.
“Yes,” she replied nonchalantly, still not meeting his gaze.
A frown crept across Nelson’s forehead. “You broke it?”
“It was an accident,” she responded curtly.
Nelson straightened up and faced her squarely. “Did you receive my message?”
Leilani finally looked at him and inquired, “What message?”
Surprised, disbelief flooded Nelson’s eyes. “You mean your phone has been broken since morning and you didn’t receive my message?”
“Yes,” Leilani confirmed, taking small bites of beef.
For some reason, Nelson didn’t believe her but had no choice but to repeat his message.
“There’s a party at my workplace on Friday and you have to attend,” he stated bluntly, preparing to head into the dressing room. But Leilani’s next words stopped him in his tracks.
“Why do I have to go?” she grumbled.
“Because you’re my wife,” Nelson fired back with equal frustration.
“Well, I can’t attend a party without a phone,” Leilani said, standing up and making her way to the cabinet for a glass of water.
“Don’t be ridiculous, you won’t need a phone there,” Nelson huffed.
“But what if I do?” Leilani challenged, their eyes locking in a heated gaze.
“Fine,” Nelson yielded, exasperated. “I’ll buy you a new phone tomorrow.”
“No, just give me the money. I’ll buy it myself,” Leilani insisted.
“I insist, I’ll get it myself,” Nelson interjected.
“No, I insist. I’ll buy it myself. Just give me the money,” they continued to argue until Nelson finally agreed to transfer the funds to her account for the phone.
Leilani exuded an air of contentment, though she cleverly masked it. Her intention was to acquire another phone identical to her current one, with enough funds left over for her brother’s needs.
As soon as Nelson mentioned transferring money to her, he noticed a subtle shift in Leilani’s expression, leading him to conclude that she may have deliberately damaged her phone.
But what did she plan to do with the money? The amount he previously transferred should have been sufficient for a new phone and more.
Well, he would have the answers tomorrow. He intended to uncover the truth about Leilani’s love for money.
Nelson affirmed his thoughts before proceeding to his room to change and take a bath.