LILY
I stepped away so Arlo wouldn’t hear what I was going to discuss with Violet. “Hello, Violet, how are you and Ethan doing?” I asked on the line.
“I don’t know how to tell you this, Lily. We’re at the hospital right now because Ethan has a high fever, and it still hasn’t gone down. Since last night, he’s been vomiting, and I’m really scared,” Violet said, her voice breaking.
“Which hospital are you at? I’ll go to you right now,” I asked.
“Don’t, Lily. There’s a car following me, and I’m sure it belongs to someone working for Grandpa Williams. My main problem right now, Lily, is that I don’t have any spare money. I had to rush Ethan to a private hospital,” Violet said tearfully.
“Don’t worry about the money, Violet. I’ll send some to your bank account later,” I told her.
“Lily, where are you going to get the money?”
“I’m at a friend’s house right now. Don’t worry, Violet, I can trust them, and I’ll borrow money from them first,” I assured her, and she didn’t argue anymore.
Honestly, I feel guilty towards Violet because she’s getting dragged into my problems. I glanced at Arlo, who was watching me. Earlier, his face was cheerful, but now it looked grim.
I approached him, knowing I needed to gather the courage to ask for the money we agreed on. I sat down again, and his brows furrowed as he stared at me.
“What does that Ethan, your suitor, need? Lily, until our agreement is over, you’re not allowed to talk to other men, especially not anyone courting you.”
“If that’s the case, you also need to change yourself and show some respect for our temporary relationship,” I replied.
His lips parted in disbelief at what I said. He’s lucky if he thinks he’s the only one who can impose rules on me.
“I need a bit of money because my mother is in the hospital,” I lied.
“I’m sorry, you just beat me to it. I was planning to give you money anyway.”
“Cash, please, Arlo,” I said.
“Of course,” he quickly replied.
Moments later, the two of us entered his office. He fulfilled his promise to me, handing me 500K in cash. I wasn’t planning to take all of it, but I had no choice since he said once it’s in your hands, you can’t return it.
As soon as I got hold of the money, I asked his permission to send it immediately.
“I’ll go with you,” he offered.
“No need, I’ll just ask Nikki to come with me,” I answered.
“If you have a bank account, let me know so I can deposit money in it, just in case you need it.”
“Thank you, but I don’t have a bank account. Cash will do, Arlo,” I said.
I hoped he wouldn’t ask for my ID or try to dig into my personal details. As I said goodbye and opened the door, I found a woman standing outside, as if she’d been listening to our conversation. I looked at her.
“Good morning, ma’am,” she greeted me politely.
“I haven’t seen you before,” I said, noticing her eyes were fixed on the brown envelope I was holding.
“I’m Sarah, ma’am. I came from the other mansion because Ma’am Ella sent me with an errand. I need to speak with Arlo.”
“He’s inside,” I said as I turned my back on Sarah.
I entered the room. I wasn’t sure if Sarah overheard my conversation with Arlo. I hurried to change my clothes so I could leave.
Moments later, I went downstairs without saying goodbye to Arlo. As I descended the stairs, I saw Nikki carrying a red bucket.
“Nikki, I’ve been waiting for you,” I called out.
“Ma’am Lily, I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. Ann told me she saw you with Sir Arlo entering his office.”
“That’s fine, Nikki. Can you come with me outside? I need to buy something.”
“Of course, ma’am. Just a minute, let me change my clothes,” she said. I nodded.
While waiting for Nikki, I glanced at Arlo’s office door. I wondered what Sarah needed and why she was taking so long inside.
