âThat amusement park is really fun. My parents took me there to play before!â
âIs it that they donât want to bring you along?â
Definitely, Jasper and her two brothers were playing with another boy who was very handsome. I also really wanted to play with that boy.
âMy mom said that the boy seems to be the young master of a wealthy familyâ¦â
The words and comments from Lawrenceâs classmates only made him feel more embarrassed.
Did Jasper go to the amusement park? So, the boy who went with her is⦠Mr. Barlow?
After coming back home from school, Lawrence asked his father to borrow his phone, saying that he wanted to watch some cartoons. However, once he got hold of the phone, he started searching online for information about the Reed family and the amusement park instead.
Sure enough, after a short while, I saw some gossip news related to it, with accompanying photos.
In the photo, the main focus is on the Reed family. It includes Jasper and her two brothers. I have seen both of her brothers before, and although they donât look much like Jasper, I can easily recognize them.
Apart from her two brothers, there is also a little boy who catches the eye in the photo.
That is⦠Mr. Barlow, William!
In those photos, there are several pictures of Jasper and William playing and eating together. Jasper is smiling happily, while Williamâs gaze is always fixed on her.
That kind of gaze made Lawrence feel a sense of unease that he couldnât quite explain.
At that moment, he didnât yet understand the fear that comes with encountering a strong competitor.
He simply felt that Jasper and William in the photo were like people from two different worlds to him.
That is a world he cannot fit into.
He was staring absentmindedly when suddenly the door to his house was pushed open with force.
Immediately after, he saw his mother had returned.
At this moment, Wilona is in a disheveled state with a bruised and swollen face and messy hair, clearly having been beaten by someone.
Doran and Lawrence, father and son, were immediately surprised when they saw this.
Doran quickly stepped forward to support his wife, who was about to lose her balance. âWhatâs going on? Why are you like this? Did someone hit you? Iâll call the police right away!â
He was about to take out his phone as he spoke, but Wilona quickly stopped him and said, âYou canât call the police. I⦠I gambled with some people and lost money. Theyâre pressuring me to pay it back. If I call the police⦠theyâll kill me!â
âWhat?â Doran exclaimed, âHow much money do you owe someone?â
âItâs about 500,000.â said Wilona.
â500,000?!â
Doran stumbled in disbelief at the sight of his wife. She had gambled away 500,000 yuan, which was more than five times their annual income of just over 100,000 yuan. How could she have racked up such a huge debt?
âHow could you gamble and lose so much money?â he shouted angrily.
âThis is nothing, just 500,000 yuan, which we can earn back soon,â Wilona said nonchalantly.
âEven if the Reed family gives us new jobs now, our annual income is only a little over 200,000 yuan.
Even if we donât eat or drink, it will still take us more than two years to pay off this debt!â Doran said irritably.
âDonât worry, I will pay off this debt myself,â Wilona said. As long as they still had the support of the Reed family, she could pay off this debt.
B