"Since Uncle Zeke can't produce the money and claims his little shop isn't profitable, then just give us the shop to settle the debt! It's not like my mother can do any other kind of work anyway. Running a small shop would at least give her a source of income!" Seraphina Sterling was quite satisfied to see the color instantly drain from the faces of Zeke Jennings and his wife.
"If Aunt Aria can't produce the money, then Mom and I will just move in here. From now on, all our expenses, including my school fees, will be covered by your family. If we're living here, it'll mean poor Zoe will have to board at school with me, and my mom will take over Zoe's room! It's a perfect solution, isn't it?" Seraphina Sterling smiled warmly, but her words made both families' hearts drop.
"No. My little shop may not be very profitable, but I've been running it for many years. I've grown attached to it. Besides, my family depends on that shop to eat!" Zeke Jennings's tone was firm.
"Seraphina Sterling, how can you be so cruel at such a young age? Do you want our family to starve? Mom, you don't want to see little Ray go hungry and cold, do you?" Eleanor Young played the grandma card.
The old madam immediately piped up. "You can't have Zeke's shop! My golden grandson cannot be allowed to suffer!"
Seraphina Sterling's smile didn't waver, and her soft voice was exceptionally resolute. "Grandma, as long as Uncle Zeke pays back the money, I won't ask for his shop!" In other words: no money, no shop.
"Seraphina, I really am..."
Zeke Jennings was just about to plead poverty when Seraphina Sterling cut him off. "Don't you dare say you have no money, Uncle Zeke. I'd wager that in the entire Jennings Family, you and Aunt are the wealthiest. I may be young, but that doesn't mean I don't know a thing or two about quality. Uncle Zeke, that Jade Ring on your finger alone couldn't have been bought for less than ten thousand dollars. And that string of beads on your wrist? That's at least twenty thousand dollars, right?"
Zeke Jennings awkwardly hid his hand behind his back.
"And Aunt Eleanor, that necklace you're wearing is gorgeous. It complements your skin tone so well! That's not something just anyone can afford. Uncle Zeke is so good to you. That must have cost at least three or four thousand dollars, right? If you're as poor as you claim, then there probably aren't any rich families in all of Tollan Town!"
Eleanor Young adjusted her collar. It was a horrible feeling, being exposed like this in front of everyone. Normally, she couldn't wait for people to notice her jewelry, but right now, she wished the necklace wasn't even hers.
"I had no idea Zeke's family was so wealthy. Your eldest uncle and I have been married for so many years, and I still don't have a single decent piece of jewelry! If you have money for jewelry, I imagine paying back your debt won't be a problem." Aria Cheney was one to hold a grudge, and of course, she was also jealous. Just as Zeke Jennings had tried to shift the burden onto her family, she was now throwing it right back at him.
Seraphina Sterling kept the smile on her face. 'This is how you use your enemy's strength against them. Aria Cheney isn't a dean of students for nothing. She's full of jealousy and vanity, so there was no way she would let this slide after learning about Zeke Jennings's true financial situation. Her words are far more potent than my mother's!'
"Fine! We'll pay it back! I'll return every last cent of that sixty thousand dollars to Second Sister!" Forced into a corner, Zeke Jennings made the decision, which felt like cutting off his own flesh and bleeding himself dry. Eleanor Young's face turned an even more ghastly shade of white; the money they had painstakingly saved over the past few years was gone in an instant.
But Eleanor Young was no pushover. 'It's all Aria Cheney's fault,' she fumed. 'Both our families owe money, so why should we be the only ones to pay up!'
"Paying your debts is just how the world works. We will pay back every cent we owe Second Sister. So, Sister-in-law, you can stop hiding things. Don't take us all for fools. You and Eldest Brother both have stable jobs with good salaries. Didn't you just tell me last time that your savings were about to hit one hundred thousand? You have money to keep in the bank, but not enough to pay back Second Sister? And you call yourself a dean of students!"
"If the students' parents found out that you're someone who doesn't pay her debts, I wonder if they'd still let their children attend your school! And if the school administration learned about your character, I wonder if you could keep your position as dean of students!"
Aria Cheney's earlier arrogance vanished in an instant. She glared viciously at Eleanor Young. That one hundred thousand dollars was money she and her husband had scrimped and saved to accumulate. However, losing her position as dean of students over a debt was absolutely unthinkable! To protect her job and save face, Aria Cheney gritted her teeth and forced a smile that looked uglier than a grimace. "Who said we weren't going to pay? Kimberly, you just wait. I'll have your eldest brother withdraw the money this afternoon and give it back to you."
Kimberly Jennings stared at Seraphina Sterling in utter shock. 'Just moments ago, they were absolutely refusing to pay. My daughter only said a few sentences, and she actually got the money back. This is unbelievable! When did Seraphina become so formidable?'
Although she had agreed to pay, Aria Cheney had been forced into it, and her heart was still heavy with resentment. "I was originally thinking that since we're all family, I should do my best to help out. But now, it looks like I won't be able to help with Seraphina's schooling. With her terrible grades, she'd just drag down any class she's in. I can't abuse my position as dean of students and just bring her into the school. If someone with ill intentions found out, I might lose my job over it! Kimberly, you're on your own when it comes to Seraphina's education. I can't help you!"
Seeing the distressed look on Kimberly Jennings's face, the anger in Aria Cheney's heart finally subsided a little. "For the sake of family, I'll point you in the right direction. In the past, students with poor grades could solve their enrollment problem by making a donation to the school. Kimberly, I'll leave it up to you to decide what to do."
Aria Cheney's goal was clear: she wanted that fifty thousand dollars! 'Even if I give you the money, you'll have to cough it right back up—unless you don't want your daughter to get an education!'