Chapter 4
Harrison fell silent for a moment. He wasn’t sure if he was overthinking human nature, or if she was oversimplifying it. He needed to mull this over.
Seemingly unwilling to accept her unreasoned support, he reminded her again, “Roxanne, ain’t you scared I won’t be able to pay back. this money? What if I can’t earn it back?”-
Roxanne pondered before replying with certainty. “Even if the worst scenario happens, it’s my choice.”
“I chose to marry you, which means I should trust you. If I chose wrong, then I should bear the consequences. Everyone should be responsible for their own choices, right?”
Harrison fell silent once again.
“Mr. Rodriguez, I don’t expect you to become a millionaire, or to start making a fortune again. But I want you to buck up, like the pillar of a family. Roxanne’s words were both encouraging and a warning. “So, starting today, drop the idea that you were once a boss. You need to work your ass off. If you get down and out because of this, I’ll find a way to pick you up.”
“Are you starting to boss me around?” Harrison chuckled.
Roxanne, however, became serious. I’m not bossing you around. I’m prepared for the worst, but I don’t want to lose this 100k for real. So, I’ve gotta keep an eye on you.”
Harrison smiled and continued eating. Suddenly, he found the simple breakfast was not that bad.
After a few bites, he said to Roxanne. “You don’t need to lend me the 100k. I just got a message from a friend. He already delivered the money to my company.”
Roxanne looked up. “Really?”
“Really.” Harrison continued eating.
“Your friend is reliable. You should thank him.”
“But,” she continued, “you should use my 100k. After all, borrowing from a friend means you owe him a favor.”
Harrison finished his meal and set down his utensils. “It’s fine, he’s my old friend. Keep your money safe. You didn’t come by it easy. Roxanne also finished eating and started cleaning up. “If you need it, just let me know”
After cleaning up, they both went their separate ways. Before parting, Roxanne gave Harrison some encouraging and comforting words. As she was about to leave on her e-bike, she stopped to send Harrison two messages.
“I’m afraid you won’t have enough money for daily life, so I transferred 2 thousand dollars to you. Everything will get better, hang in there!”
Upon seeing this message, Harrison frowned. So, she had borrowed his phone earlier to transfer money sneakily.
At that moment, Harrison was sitting in a Rolls-Royce. To him, 2 thousand dollars was just chump change. Maybe even less than that. But for the first time ever, this billionaire felt the weight of 2 thousand dollars.
Harrison stared at the transfer of 2 thousand dollars, lost in deep thought
Roxanne had a busy day at the office.
Before she left work in the afternoon, Oliver reminded her about the company dinner that night.
Oliver walked up to her, saying, “Roxanne, you must bring your husband tonight to meet us all. Otherwise, you’re not treating us as friends.”
Roxanne responded, “Perfect, I was planning to bring my husband.” She took out her phone. “But I need to ask him if he’s free first.” Oliver said agam, “You just got married. If you don’t want to treat us, that’s fine. But if he doesn’t even want to meet your friends, that’s disrespecting you.”
Roxanne didn’t care. She ignored him and went to make a call.
If Harrison could come, she could formally introduce him to everyone. This way, she could avoid further advances and harassment from Oliver. If Harrison couldn’t come, she wouldn’t feel embarrassed.
Unexpectedly, Harrison agreed. At 6:40 p.m., he showed up at the office. He was holding a freshly slaughtered chicken in his left hand and freshly picked vegetables in his right.
Because Vincent had insisted on him picking the vegetables, and was rushing him to see Roxanne, his pants and shoes were smeared with mud. With no time to change, he appeared before Roxanne.
Roxanne looked at him, asking, “Didn’t I say we’re going to a restaurant? Why did you buy so much food?”
Harrison replied, “This chicken was bred by my dad, and these vegetables were grown by him too.” He asked her, “Does your company
have a fridge? If so, I can store these here.”
Oliver looked at Harrison, asking, “Roxanne, is this the man you suddenly married?” He looked at Harrison’s muddy pants, making a sarcastic comment, “Are they farmers? Is he a farmer?”
Roxanne wasn’t sure if Vincent was a farmer. All she knew was that Vincent’s wife had died seven years ago, and he was hit hard. It wasn’t easy for him to live alone.
Seeing the vegetables and chicken Harrison brought, and the mud on his pants, she figured he must have been helping in the fields. Roxanne immediately responded to Oliver, “And what if he is? Don’t you also eat the crops grown by farmers?”
Oliver replied, “I’m not looking down on farmers. I just think their income isn’t high. I’m just worried you’d have a hard life with him.” He continued, “And I heard you guys talking outside yesterday. Your husband’s company went bankrupt, his house and car were seized by the bank, he’s got nothing left, and he borrowed 100k from you. Did I hear wrong or is this true?”
Roxanne asked, “Were you eavesdropping on our conversation yesterday?”
Oliver replied, “I wasn’t eavesdropping, I just happened to be there.”
He continued to play the good guy. “Roxanne, I just don’t want you to be fooled. If he’s borrowing 100k from you on the first day of marriage, that’s too much. He’s not relying on you for your capability, is he?”
As he spoke, Oliver looked at Harrison with a face full of worry. “Roxanne, to put it nicely, you’ve had a shotgun wedding. To put it bluntly, you’ve hooked up with a man who’s a moocher. Why didn’t you discuss such a big decision like marriage with me and Chloe? Just look at how unreliable this man you’ve chosen is.”
Under Oliver’s influence, the crowd started murmuring among themselves.
“So Roxanne picked a guy who relies on women.”
“He looks quite handsome, didn’t see it coming
“What’s so surprising? There are plenty of men these days who want to live off women. Roxanne must have been conned.”
The company’s employees started to gossip about Harrison. Everyone initially thought he was tall and handsome, and Roxanne had married well, but now there was a lot of negative remarks.
Harrison didn’t give a damn. He was at the top of the food chain, and to him, these people were like ants crawling beneath his feet as he took in the view.
If he wanted to squash them, it would be a piece of cake. But he didn’t have the time. He just continued enjoying his view. He was quite interested in Roxanne’s reaction, so his eyes stayed on her
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