Clayton’s eyes instantly turned grim, and he was lost in his thoughts.
He made a name for himself early on, thanks to a great mentor and a high–profile case fighting for unpaid wages on behalf of migrant workers.
Back then, he was full of ambition. He was idealistic and determined to speak up for the underdogs.
But over time, he and his mentor started butting heads. He didn’t like being told what to think or how to act. Eventually, he left his mentor’s firm and started his own business.
No one believed he’d make it. His father even warned him that if he didn’t prove himself in a year, he’d have to go along with the family’s plans.
When the firm opened, his mentor showed up to offer congratulations. But rumors started swirling that they had fallen out, and Clayton’s reputation took a hit. His business was nearly dead at that time.
However, the pressure from his father never stopped. That was when Audrey walked into his life. Maybe she was his last stand against the family. She married a girl from a small town, with no connections, no backing.
Even after the wedding, when the firm was still struggling, Audrey never gave him any pressure.
She worked in import–export trading and had a lot of client contacts. Whenever someone needed legal advice, she’d recommend Clayton. And then, almost like magic, after she gave him that bracelet, things began to turn better.
He started by reviewing corporate contracts, and then, companies started. hiring him as legal counsel, and then came lawsuits. Just like that, Clayton was back on the radar and became an up–and–coming star in the legal world.
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Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Clayton’s eyes instantly turned grim, and he was lost in his thoughts.
He made a name for himself early on, thanks to a great mentor and a high–profile case fighting for unpaid wages on behalf of migrant workers.
Back then, he was full of ambition. He was idealistic and determined to
speak up for the underdogs.
But over time, he and his mentor started butting heads. He didn’t like being told what to think or how to act. Eventually, he left his mentor’s firm
and started his own business.
No one believed he’d make it. His father even warned him that if he didn’t prove himself in a year, he’d have to go along with the family’s plans.
When the firm opened, his mentor showed up to offer congratulations. But rumors started swirling that they had fallen out, and Clayton’s reputation took a hit. His business was nearly dead at that time.
However, the pressure from his father never stopped. That was when Audrey walked into his life. Maybe she was his last stand against the family. She married a girl from a small town, with no connections, no
backing.
Even after the wedding, when the firm was still struggling, Audrey never gave him any pressure.
She worked in import–export trading and had a lot of client contacts. Whenever someone needed legal advice, she’d recommend Clayton. And then, almost like magic, after she gave him that bracelet, things began to
turn better.
He started by reviewing corporate contracts, and then, companies started. hiring him as legal counsel, and then came lawsuits. Just like that, Clayton was back on the radar and became an up–and–coming star in the legal world.
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Chapter 19
“Emilia, thanks for pulling a late one yesterday,” Clayton said, snapping back to the present.
He knew what Emilia was getting at. She’d been with the firm since day one. She was his senior from law school and a quiet witness to the firm’s growth.
“I’m just doing my job,” Emilia said before walking out.
She’d said what needed saying. The rest was up to Clayton himself.
Maybe Emilia’s words worked, but guilt crept into Clayton’s mind again. He picked up his phone and transferred 150,000 dollars to Audrey as compensation for wrecking her job.
<-20
“Ma’am, your card doesn’t have enough funds,” the sales assistant said politely while handing Valerie’s card back.
“No way,” Valerie snapped.
She assumed it was some sort of black card when Clayton handed it over. But as soon as she left the law firm, she noticed it was just a regular debit card. So she checked the ATM and it had over 150,000 dollars in it.
It was not as much as she’d hoped for, but it was free money. She figured it’d last her a while. She bought a new outfit, topped up a beauty package, and now she was told it didn’t have enough funds.
Valerie said, “There’s gotta be something wrong with your machine. I just checked–there was over 150,000 dollars.”
Seeing how confident she was, the clerk tried a different machine, but she got the same result.
“No way. That’s not right.” Valerie dropped Luna on a bench and crossed the street to an ATM.
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Chapter 19
The balance flashed on the screen: $800.
She wondered, ‘What’s going on? I clearly saw there was 150,000 dollars.‘
She checked the transaction history and found the 150,000 dollars was transferred to another account just now.
Putting on her best show of panic, she called Clayton. “Clay, I think I’ve been scammed.”
“Scammed?” Clayton set his pen down and leaned back in his chair. “Take your time. What happened?”
She explained, “It’s the card you gave me. I didn’t want to overdraft, so I checked the balance. It had 150,000 dollars in it.”
Her voice trembled, like she was really shaken up. But her eyes were cold and sharp. She continued, “I haven’t shopped in forever. Luna’s got a
parent event next week.
“I just wanted to look decent and get myself a new outfit. When I was about to pay, they said there wasn’t enough money. I checked again, and there’s only 800 bucks left.
“Clayton, I swear I didn’t buy anything crazy. I don’t know where the money went. Should I go to the police? Is there any way to get it back?”
20)
Clayton put down his pen and took a sip of his coffee. He didn’t pay attention when he transferred money to Audrey. The money went straight from the same account he gave Valerie.
Not hearing Clayton’s response, Valerie softened her voice, playing the pitiful card. “I mean, I can totally wear an 800–dollar outfit. I just didn’t want to risk some shady store tampering with your card. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you with this.”
“Relax, it’s not scamming,” Clayton said after swallowing a mouthful of coffee. His throat felt dry and irritated, and he suddenly missed the warm
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Chapter 19
honey water Audrey always prepared for him.
He added, “I transferred the money to Audrey to make up for her job thing.”
-20
Valerie’s grip on her phone tightened. The screen of the ATM reflected her jealous face. She thought with hatred, ‘He gave it to Audrey? Why? For what? That money should’ve been mine.‘
She still replied in a soft tone, “I see. It’s kind of my fault that Audrey lost her job. Even though she kept hurting my hand, I don’t blame her.
“Luna and I probably messed with her life. It’s understandable she’s upset. Please don’t be mad at her because of me.”
Clayton’s brows drew together. He thought, ‘Valerie is always so kind and forgiving. If Audrey had even half that heart, she wouldn’t have gone off the rails like that.
‘If she hadn’t hurt Valerie’s hand, none of this would’ve spiraled. The firm wouldn’t have gotten dragged into the whole mess.
Clayton said, “She’s young and a bit hotheaded. I’ll talk to her and make her see the reason. Don’t worry about the card, okay? Just go get your hand
checked out.”
Valerie didn’t care about the card itself–she wanted the money in it. But she couldn’t say that. So she danced around it a little and threw in a few vague lines. When Clayton didn’t mention putting any more money on the card, she finally hung up.
As soon as the call ended, she muttered under her breath, “Damn Audrey. She already filed for divorce. Why the hell is Clayton still giving her money?”
Luna sat on the bench, surrounded by the stuff Valerie had just bought. Her eyes locked onto a mother and daughter walking past the store.
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The girl had a box of popcorn, which was still half full, but she tossed it right into a trash can.
Seeing them leave, Luna ran out of the store toward the trash can.
Clay stayed at their place last night, so Luna got a proper meal. But since breakfast, she hadn’t eaten anything. Her stomach was growling.
When Valerie got mad at Luna, she wouldn’t feed her. Luna had learned to sneak food from the trash when she couldn’t take the hunger anymore. If Valerie saw that, she might smack Luna on the head a few times but never really stopped her.
So to Luna, food in trash cans was edible. The second the mother and daughter walked off, Luna jumped down and made a beeline for the trash
can.
The trash can was taller than her. No matter how hard she tried, her tiny hands couldn’t reach anything.
A shop assistant spotted her and rushed over, gently picking her up. “Sweetie, you can’t stick your hands in there. It’s dirty.”
Luna turned her head, her eyes still fixed on the trash can. She swallowed hard.
“Oh my, she’s so light,” the clerk said, giving Luna a little bounce in her arms. She turned to the store manager and said, “She’s lighter than my puppy. Here, you try.”
The manager came out from behind the counter and took Luna into her arms. “Oh my, she weighs nothing.”
The clerk grabbed a chocolate pie from the shelf and held it in front of Luna. “Chocolate flavor. Do you like it?”
Luna didn’t answer, but her eyes stayed locked on the picture on the wrapper. She couldn’t help but swallow again,
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The clerk unwrapped it and held it closer to Luna. “Go on, you can have it.” She gently patted Luna’s head.
The manager put Luna back on the bench and walked off to help other
customers.
Luna sat there and held the pie in both hands. Finally, she mustered up the courage to take a bite. But just as her teeth sank in, she got a slap on her hand. The chocolate pie slipped from her hands and fell to the floor.
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