「Two days later.」
Phoebe Faulkner scraped together what she could, finally managing to gather five million. Kitty also came through with over three million, leaving her just one million short of the ten-million goal. But that was it; Phoebe couldn't come up with any more.
When Kitty asked if it was enough, Phoebe, not wanting to worry her, simply said it was.
Carrying a bank card with nine million, Phoebe Faulkner went to find Jace Lennox.
"Boss, a Miss Faulkner is here to see you."
"Let her in."
"Yes, Boss."
Led by a bodyguard as stoic as a special forces soldier, Phoebe Faulkner once again entered the presidential suite where she had stayed for one night. The moment she stepped inside, she saw him—Jace Lennox, sitting at a desk and facing her, seemingly preoccupied with paperwork.
Gazing at the man opposite her, so cold and severe he was hard to look at directly, she stopped in her tracks. She decided to wait for Jace Lennox to finish what he was doing before handing him the bank card.
'As for the missing million…'
In her possession was a wristwatch, the gift her older brother had given her for her eighteenth birthday. The watch had a market value of up to three million. Her only option was to offer it to the man before her as collateral for now. She would buy it back as soon as she had the money.
After dealing with the documents in his hands, Jace Lennox looked up, his gaze sweeping over to Phoebe Faulkner, who stood waiting attentively to one side.
Seeing Jace Lennox look her way, Phoebe Faulkner quickly stepped forward and placed the bank card on the desk before him. "There's nine million in here. I can't come up with the remaining million for now, so I'll use this instead..."
Phoebe Faulkner took the watch from her pocket and placed it on the desk with some reluctance.
"This..."
However, before Phoebe Faulkner could finish, Jace Lennox suddenly shot to his feet. He grabbed her by the wrist, dragged her forcefully into the inner room, and flung her onto the bed.
Phoebe Faulkner had no idea what was happening. Just as she tried to get up, Jace Lennox pinned her down on the bed again. A sharp CLICK sounded at her wrist; it was the sound of the watch's clasp snapping shut.
"If you value your life, you'll wear this watch. Don't ever take it off!"
Phoebe Faulkner stared at the volatile man before her, the chill in his profound gaze making her heart tremble. 'What does he mean? Is he refusing to let me use this watch to cover the last million?'
"Sir, could you please let me go?" Phoebe Faulkner asked, mustering all her courage.
Jace Lennox gazed at Phoebe Faulkner's face, at her clear eyes, and the hand gripping her forcefully finally, slowly, loosened. He sat up on the bed, lit a cigarette, and his deep voice was laced with indifference. "You can bring me the last million whenever. But don't you ever let me see you use something your older brother gave you to pay off a debt."
"You know my older brother?" Hearing Jace Lennox's words, Phoebe Faulkner scrambled clumsily off the bed.
Her older brother's job was a mystery, and he was away all year long. But every year for her birthday, no matter where he was, he would mail a gift back to her—until this year, when she heard from others that he'd had an accident. Whether he was alive or dead was unknown.
Jace Lennox snuffed out his cigarette without answering. He simply stood up and said with cold eyes, "You can get out now."
"If you don't know my older brother, how could you know he's the one who gave me this watch?!"