Chapter 60 A Deal
“Riley, who was that girl who suddenly showed up and helped us today? She seemed impressive.
“That guy from earlier must be loaded, right?”
Jonah’s eyes lit up as he chattered on, “Even Blaze seemed scared of the guys who showed up after. Riley, how do you know people like that? Why didn’t you ever mention it?
“Riley? Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Jonah finally noticed something was wrong when his sister didn’t respond after all that talking. He turned to look at her.
“Cut it out, Jonah. My friend and I aren’t the same.”
Her sharp tone made it clear she saw right through him. He rubbed his nose awkwardly. “I just thought maybe they could give us a hand. It’ll make things easier for us.”
He assumed that with Riley’s friend being influential, they might be willing to help out if things got bad. A small favor wouldn’t mean much to someone with that kind of status.
To them, lending a bit of cash wouldn’t even count as a real favor.
With such a thought, a trace of dissatisfaction crept into his words.
Riley knew her brother too well. As they reached the building’s front entrance, she stopped walking. The arm that had been holding him steady suddenly shoved him.
Jonah hit the wall with a grunt. “Ow!”
“Jonah, I’m warning you,” she said firmly. “Don’t, you dare try to use my friend. Did you forget what you promised? Are you trying to wreck our family all over again? Blaze is taken care of, but this is the last time. No more gambling!”
No more gambling? But I can’t help it!
Jonah wanted to argue, but the moment he saw Riley’s cropped wolf–cut hair, he lost his nerve. “I’ll … try my best.”
Before he picked up those bad habits, she used to like wearing dresses and growing her hair long like any normal girl. But after he dragged the family into a mess, he failed as an older brother. She had cut her hair and stepped up to protect the family
Sometimes, he couldn’t stand how weak he was. Late at night, guilt kept him up. But no matter how much he regretted it, he never managed to change.
“Riley, don’t be mad. I’ll get you a small cake tomorrow.”
Watching her brother try so hard to cheer her up, Riley felt her heart ache. She bit back her anger and pulled Jonah up without saying anything.
As they approached the door, she sensed something was off. “Hold on. Why is it so quiet?”
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Chapter 60 A Deal
In a run–down building like theirs, any loud voice could be heard by almost everyone.
Something was wrong.
The lights were still on, so someone had to be home. Riley felt a wave of worry. Her first thought was that Blaze had sent more people to mess with them.
She quickly opened the door and froze. The scene before her caught her off guard.
Why was Sydney sitting in her living room?
Sydney sat awkwardly on a stool, with her bodyguard’s jacket placed beneath her like a cushion.
Riley’s parents stood trembling aside, their faces full of nervous flattery.
The bodyguard stood by the door, clearly there to wait for Riley’s return.
“Why are you here?” Riley eyed Sydney warily. They had no ties at all. Sydney’s sudden appearance could only mean trouble.
Sydney grinned, ignoring Riley’s coldness. “I just realized you also go to Draywick High School. I came because I need a favor.”
“I won’t help. Leave now.” Even if Azalea wasn’t involved, Riley had no fondness for Sydney. She only felt outright disgust.
Draywick High School wasn’t the dream school everyone thought it was.
There were three types of students there–those from wealthy families, those who got in with top scores, and ones like Riley who were admitted through special policies.
Out of the three, people like her were the easiest to pick on. She could still remember her best friend’s cheerful grin when they first walked into Draywick High School together–and her hopeless look right before she jumped off the building.
Riley’s hand clenched into a fist, and her eyes toward Sydney were filled with hostility.
“Riley, show some respect to Ms. Lark. She said if you do her a small favor, she’ll help pay off Jonah’s debts,” her mother, Wendy Romanov, coaxed gently.
Her father, Ronald Romanov, looked uneasy as he scolded, “Apologize to Ms. Lark right now! Please don’t mind her, Ms. Lark. She’s still young.”
To her parents, the decision was clear. If Riley could fix their son’s mess by doing one thing, they’d say yes without a second thought.
They had even made sure that it wasn’t against the law.
Sydney kept her smile, though she felt confused inside. She didn’t know Riley at all, yet Riley looked at her with pure hatred.
She figured Azalea must have said something to turn Riley against her.
Still, it didn’t bother her. She had investigated them before coming. Their son was a gambler, and they
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Chapter 60 A Deal
were struggling with money. People like them were always the easiest to control.
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