Oh no, Elio thought to himself, sneaking a peek at his wife. Yvonne was talking so loud without a care; Evelyn definitely heard her!Just as he feared, Evelyn looked at him like she could see right through him. The smile on her pretty face was gone, replaced by a look so icy it could freeze him solid. She looked like she wanted to kick him right out of the car.He had a beautiful wife at home, and yet he was out causing trouble. This was really bad!"Why are you telling me this?" Elio asked, his voice full of worry."Aren't you coming to check on me? What's keeping you so busy? It's been so hard even to see you," Yvonne complained. It had been days since they last saw each other at the Orchid Harmony Club."We'll talk later when I'm not so busy. I've got to go now," Elio said quickly, afraid she might say something else embarrassing, and hung up the phone."Well, I'm done waiting for you. Hurry up, don't waste any more time. I'll drive you there," Evelyn said with an icy tone."
Evelyn stared at the contract in front of her. The terms were terrific, way better than any deal she had seen before. The job seemed easy, but the pay was huge—it was like winning the lottery.She was over the moon, her face all lit up with surprise. "You guys have thought of everything," she gushed. "We're totally on board with this contract.""That's great! And guess what? Our boss said once we sign the contract, he'll send you $750,000 right away to help with any money troubles.""Is that so? That's amazing; thank you so much to the boss and you for believing in me!" Evelyn's face lit up with a big smile, her happiness too big to hide."It's because you are such a good guy. Here's to working well together!"Sunny watched Evelyn's grin and thought to herself, 'You don't even know the whole story. Good things like this don't just happen. Your husband worked super hard to make this happen, and you didn't even realize you hurt his feelings.'In another room, Elio watched Evelyn's
Elio was waiting by his BMW in the underground parking lot. Evelyn marched over, looking really mad, and Elio thought to himself, "That grumpy old man is always picking on me. If he wasn't Evelyn's grandpa, I'd tell him off.""What's wrong?" Elio asked with a nervous smile."Evelyn snapped, "Get in." Her face twisted with disgust. Whenever this guy was around, trouble followed. Couldn't he just chill out?The BMW zoomed out of the parking lot, heading straight to Jones Real Estate. Inside, it was dead quiet. The man and woman inside did not say a word to each other.At Jones Real Estate, the conference room was packed with family. The old man at the head of the table was fuming, his face dark as a storm cloud. His favorite grandson, Charlie, stood off to the side, his face a mess of bruises. He was a sorry sight."Grandpa," Charlie whined, "Elio didn't pay back what he owes the company, but he bought Evelyn a wedding dress that cost over $120,000 and a fancy BMW for $150,000. They
Elio was family, his son-in-law, and Howard stepped in quickly, "Little bro, take it easy. For our brother's sake, let's not make a big deal out of this."Brandon backed down, but with a stern look on his face, he said, "If I weren't considering your feelings, I would have taken him down already."It was clear that his father-in-law still had a soft spot for him, way more than his mother-in-law did. Elio saw that and made a mental note to always keep his father-in-law happy."Quiet down, everyone." Old Master Jones's roar echoed, silencing the whole room. Nobody dared to make a peep.The old man's glare landed on Elio as he scolded, "Look at the mess you've made, sending someone to attack Charlie. How are we going to fix this?"Evelyn's eyes flicked to her cousin, spotting the bruise on his face. He had been beaten, and she could not help feeling worried. Could Elio be involved? It was tough to tell.Lately, Elio had been acting braver and seemed to be hanging out with the wrong
"You monster, who are you calling trash? I'll rip your mouth off!" Sienna was so angry she could explode, lunging forward like a wild tiger, her nails ready to tear into Elio. Evelyn stepped in, cool as ice, blocking Sienna's way. "Stop right there, or you'll have me to deal with," she warned. Sienna looked up at her tall cousin, her eyes fierce, but a flicker of fear showed through. "Oh, so you're defending him now?" she snapped. "He's my man, and you have no right to insult him. If you want respect, you've got to earn it," Evelyn said, her face set in a hard line. Elio was floored, watching Evelyn's lovely back. He could not believe she was standing up for him. He felt a warm glow inside, knowing she still cared. "He's a nobody, and you're treating him like he's gold. Are you out of your mind?" Sienna spat out."Sienna, you're out of your mind," Evelyn snapped, her patience running thin. "I'm warning you, talk to me like that one more time, and you'll be sorry." Harry an
They were right about one thing: Elio was their son-in-law, and if he couldn't pay up, it was up to Evelyn to shoulder the burden.Evelyn bit her lip, knowing all too well that Grandpa had made up his mind about the money. Talking more would not change a thing. Luckily, Elio had given her $1,000,000 earlier, and today she got another $750,000 from Aerin Group. She could pay part of it back without hurting the company's cash flow.She sighed and said, "Alright, I'll pay back $750,000 now. That's okay, isn't it?"Grandpa huffed, "Fine, but you have one month to pay the rest of the $750,000. No mistakes."The other relatives piped up, "Right, nobody's money just blows in with the wind. She needs to pay it all back and fast.""We've got a big project coming up at Jones Real Estate. We need the money ready. A month's grace is more than fair."Evelyn shook with anger. She saw them for what they were—no family, just cold interest. She promised through clenched teeth, "One month, then. I
The family meeting wrapped up as the evening set in, and everyone went their separate ways.Sienna, in a rush to her next meeting, stormed past Elio in her high heels, shooting him a look that could cut glass.Lana was just as upset, her face stormy with anger.Outside, Evelyn, her face cold as ice, got into the car first. Lana, sitting in the BMW X5, yelled at Elio, "You better find the money, and fast. You have one month to bring back 765,000 dollars, or you're not welcome in this house."Howard, feeling sorry for Elio, spoke up from the back seat, "Let's be reasonable. Let Elio go home, and we'll figure out the money issue in time."Howard was taken aback by his wife's scolding, which was as loud and fierce as a lioness. "Enough of your nonsense, be quiet! It's not your turn to talk," she snapped.Howard fell silent, not daring to utter another word. He stole a glance at Elio, thinking, 'I can't protect you now. If I try, we'll all be in trouble.'Elio replied, "I got it, Mom
"Awesome! I'll head over now. Thanks for the chance, Elio. I'll switch up my style for you. Just send me where to meet," Yvonne bubbled with excitement as if she could hardly wait.Elio's spirits lifted instantly. He texted her the location and waited, thinking how great it was to have a friend like Yvonne. She could always make him smile, which was a welcome change from the gloom of dealing with the Jones family.After over twenty minutes, a bright red Ferrari roared up and came to a sudden stop with a screech. The tires screamed against the pavement, showing off a bit too much.Elio's eyes went wide when Yvonne stepped out of the car. She was dressed in a school uniform, with a white short-sleeved shirt tucked into a navy-blue skirt, knee-high socks, and sneakers. A bit of her white thigh showed, and it was hard not to stare.Her face was softly made up, and her wavy, chestnut hair fell over her shoulders. Dressed like that, she looked years younger, almost like the most popular