Bella crouched down next to the Rolls-Royce, ignoring whether the car door was hot, and pressed her ear against it.
From inside, she heard James's cold voice:
"It's over between us. Stop clinging to me."
Bella smirked, her expression saying, I knew it.
Just from that one sentence, James was labeled a heartless playboy in her mind.
There was no need to listen furtherâit would inevitably be some clichéd drama about giving her money as a breakup fee.
Bella stood up and motioned to Asa before heading back to the restaurant.
She was determined to talk some sense into Shirley Taylor and convince her not to waste her life chasing after such a scumbag.
Asa finally released Jay Johnson, who had been caught in an embarrassing situation.
Meanwhile, Anna Rivera was still desperately trying to salvage her relationship with James.
"I promise to delete all the other men from my life. I'll keep only you, and we can live happily ever after, okay?"
Anna's voice dripped with false sincerity, laced with an almost nauseating sweetness.
Hearing this, James wanted to strangle her.
He couldn't believe how deluded he had been to think a future with this woman was a good idea.
Even now, she still thought she could manipulate him.
James was furious, but he quickly calmed himself.
He knew getting angry wouldn't solve anything.
Only by fighting fire with fire could he truly settle the score.
"It's too late. You're about to leave me for good," James sighed dramatically.
He had already received updates about Anna Rivera earlier that morning.
Delwen Dowlin, fresh out of jail, had reported her to law enforcement using the incriminating materials he'd obtained.
If everything went smoothly, the authorities were probably already on their way to Anna's home.
If nothing unexpected happened, the next time James would see Anna would likely be three to five years down the road.
By then, his career would have soared, and seeing him again would be a near impossibility for her.
"That won't happen. I'll never leave you. I'll stop fooling around, I swear. I'll even give you a big, healthy baby boy, okay?"
Anna's saccharine voice grated on James's ears.
He wanted to ask her how she planned to do that, given her numerous gynecological issues and infertility.
But he decided against voicing his thoughts.
Pointless insults and mockery wouldn't satisfy him as much as the plan brewing in his mind.
Adjusting his tone to sound emotional, James said, "Manxue, are you serious? Do we still have a chance?"
Hearing the shift in his voice, Anna felt ecstatic.
This spineless fool couldn't resist her after all. With just a little acting, he was back under her thumb.
She figured that as long as they met in person, she could seduce him into handing over his money willingly.
She couldn't help but wonder how much of the $9 million jackpot he had already squandered.
If less than half remained, she definitely wouldn't forgive him.
While scheming, Anna softened her voice and replied sweetly,
"Silly, of course we have a chance. You just have to trust me."
"I don't trust you. You've always lied to me. You've never loved me," James said, his voice trembling as if he were on the verge of tears.
"I never lied to you. All the kindness you've shown me over the years, I've kept in my heart," Anna countered, already thinking of ways to swindle James out of his money.
"I don't believe you. I think you just want to scam me for my money," James accused, his tone turning hysterical, almost unhinged.
Anna, sensing he might finally be catching on, panicked and said,
"No, that's not true! What do I have to do to prove I really care about you?"
"If you truly care about me, then tell me how much money I've given you over the past three or four years," James demanded.
Anna quickly did the math in her head. During the first year or two of college, it wasn't much, but in the past two years, she'd been getting about $3,000 a month.
All in all, it totaled somewhere around $80,000 to $90,000.
Not a huge sum compared to what rich second-generation heirs might blow in a single night at the bar,
but it had been consistentâevery month like clockwork.
If nothing had gone wrong, today would have been payday again; James had mentioned giving her $4,000 this time.
Too bad Delwen Dowlin had ruined everything.
"Counting the necklace you gave me, you've spent almost $100,000 on me. I remember it clearly," Anna said, exaggerating slightly.
"Alright, then give me back the $100,000, and I'll start over with you," James said seriously.
"???"
Anna's internal alarms went off. Was this man trying to scam her for money?
Hesitantly, she asked,
"Did you already blow through the $9 million?"
James sent her a screenshot of his bank balance, showing $6.5 million remaining. He even snapped a picture of himself sitting in his Rolls-Royce.
"After buying the Rolls-Royce and a villa, I only have about $6.5 million left," he said.
Seeing the bank balance and the picture of the Rolls-Royce, Anna's eyes turned red with greed.
The thought of all that money being hers made her blood boil with excitement.
She fully believed it was real. After all, how could James have so many women around him if it weren't?
And then came the devil's whisper through the phone:
"I want the $100,000 to make up for your past mistakes. After that, we can start fresh, as if we'd just met. I'll love you just like before."
"But I've recently met other women, and I have to share some of my money with them. I can only give you at most $2 million."
"You better decide soon. If I meet a few more girls in the next few days, there might not be a place for you anymore."
Hearing James's meticulous plan for the money, Anna began to believe him.
If he were lying, he could've just said he'd give her all the money.
Only someone who truly cared for her would plan things out like this.
And with $6.5 million sitting clearly in his bank account, why would he care about her $100,000?
But when he mentioned meeting other women, Anna panicked.
$2 million was already a small amount; she couldn't let it shrink further.
"Fine! I agree. Let's bury the past and start over," Anna said anxiously.
"Good, good, good! Just make sure to label it as 'refund for gifts' when you transfer the money. I'll be waiting," James said, his voice brimming with excitement.
Ending the call, he unblocked her on WhatsApp and waited for the transfer notification.
Anna, blinded by the thought of turning $100,000 into $2 million, didn't notice James's unusual behavior.
The only problem was she only had $50,000 on hand and needed another $50,000.
Small loans were no longer an option. Where could she get the remaining $50,000?
As she pondered, her eyes landed on the friend she had called over.