“Oh.”
Leo sat back down.
Maisie heard him and got suspicious. “Who are
you with right now?”
I wanted to say, “None of your business.”
But instead, I said, “My new man.”
Once I started, the lies just flowed.
“You asked why I turned down Justin’s
4:22
- ))
proposal? It’s because of him. And tell. Justin to stop calling me. That’s that.”
I hung up.
Leo was so young, I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea.
I explained, “Don’t worry, I’m not some crazy cougar. I just said that to ditch someone.”
“Got it. I’m just a weapon, then.”
For such a young kid, he sure understood a lot.
I grinned and tried to say something, but Leo cut me off. “I bumped into you, and I’m here taking care of you, so that covers the damage,
right? But now you’re messing with my
reputation. Isn’t that going to cost extra?”
17
<
“Huh?”
Leo looked at me. “Pretending I’m your
boyfriend, that’s gotta be, like, a hundred bucks
a pop, right?”
Now I knew exactly how Leo became a
billionaire.
This kid was already calculating!
But what Leo said gave me an idea.
What’s the most reliable connection between
people?
Money!
Feelings are so fragile compared to cold, hard
cash.
Instead of trying to suck up to Leo and hoping
he’d take care of me when he was rich, I could
just give him money to start his business.
That way, I’d be a partner.
So when he finished, I grabbed my bank card
and held it out.
“Here’s 200 grand. It’s all I’ve got. Take it, do
whatever you want with it. I don’t care.”
Leo gave me a strange look.
I didn’t want him to steal it, so I said, “Just so
you know, this isn’t a gift. You have to give me
half when you’re rich, okay?”
Leo stared at me, his eyes full of stuff I couldn’t
understand.
く
Finally, he said, “Keep the card… give it to me
in three months.”
“What?”
Leo looked away. I thought he looked
embarrassed.
He said, “I’ll be 18 in three months.”
