Kevin did not believe what she had just said.
"How much?" he asked.
Love or not, since this woman was his fiancée, she could not have an ambiguous relationship with another man.
Loretta looked at him and raised three fingers.
"Three hundred thousand?" Kevin asked.
Loretta blinked. She had meant thirty thousand. Actually, for a week, one could not spend more than five thousand on a guide. The reason she said thirty was because she was hoping to give Mika extra. After all, he had been by her side all these days. She did not expect Kevin to misunderstand.
Are the Goodmans that wealthy? she wondered.
Kevin took out his phone. "Call the account number. I will send the money," Kevin said.
Loretta was shocked. She wanted to say there was no need, but if she still could not tell that the best way to survive around Kevin was obedience, then she had her head for nothing.
Fortunately, she had once paid Mika for being her guard at the waterfall, so she found the account and called it out.
Kevin showed her the receipt.
"You sent four hundred?" she asked in shock.
"Tip," he said, his expression remaining calm.
Loretta swallowed. "Then I will let him know his balance has been sent," Loretta said and sent Mika a message.
(Payment for your service has been sent.)
With Kevin watching her like a hawk, she did not dare add another word.
Kevin smiled and returned to his work.
He knew when she raised her hand, she did not mean three hundred thousand. He was also setting up a resort in SL and had an idea how much a tour guide cost. At most, it would be ten thousand.
Given that the two had been together for close to a week, it still could not be more than thirty thousand.
But he chose to send four hundred thousand. This was his way of paying Mika off. It was also his way of warning him to stay away from Loretta.
Everyone said he was mean, but he always gave people a chance. If Mika was sensible, he would take the money and live his life.
Otherwise...
A cold smile played on Kevin's lips. Loretta saw the expression and shivered.
....
On the other side, Mika looked at the four hundred thousand in a daze.
When Loretta suddenly ended the call in the middle of their conversation, he had been worried.
He was already close to the hotel, so he hurried over, but when he arrived, he heard from the receptionist that she had already checked out.
Mika could not believe that she had left without saying goodbye, so without another thought, he immediately called her.
But Loretta declined the call.
He felt helpless. Just when he was about to be overwhelmed by frustration, his phone beeped. Thinking Loretta had sent him a message, he hurriedly opened it.
But it was a credit alert.
Mika counted and realized it was four hundred thousand. He wondered if it was some kind of scam, but just then his phone beeped again. This time, it was a message from Loretta.
(Payment for your service has been sent.)
He read the message once and then twice. Then he thought about the four hundred thousand he had just received. He ignored the sender written on the alert and felt deeply moved.
He thought about his conversation with Loretta the previous day. He had said he needed at least five hundred thousand to start his fitness center. She had asked how much he already had.
He did not expect she would give him the remaining balance using such an excuse.
Mika felt that this action proved she had also taken a liking to him. Unfortunately, she was already engaged to someone else.
Thinking of Kevin, Mika shivered. A man like that came from a world completely different from his.
He wanted to tell Loretta that if she did not want to marry, they could elope together, but thinking about how little money he had, he immediately discarded the idea.
"Wait for me. I will work hard to give you a way out," Mika swore quietly.
In his heart, as long as they had enough money, they could elope and live the rest of their lives in another country.
....
Kevin and Loretta arrived at the airport half an hour later. The sky was still pale from the early morning light.
The private plane waited quietly on the runway while the cold wind brushed softly against Loretta's skin.
Loretta looked at the private plane. It was her first time experiencing such luxury. On the few occasions she had traveled with the Gladstone family, they always got her economy class tickets while they took first class.
The group boarded the plane in silence. Loretta looked at the staff who greeted Kevin respectfully while he only gave a short nod.
Not long after boarding, someone brought breakfast to Loretta. Warm tea, fresh fruits, and soft bread.
Everything looked simple yet carefully arranged.
Loretta paused slightly.
She remembered leaving the hotel restaurant after taking only a single bite of her breakfast.
Her eyes quietly moved toward Kevin.
He sat by the window reading through documents calmly as though he had not noticed her reaction.
The sunlight from outside fell softly across his face, making his sharp features appear gentler than usual.
He is really handsome, it was the first time she dared to admire him. She quickly shook her head.
The cabin remained quiet except for the soft sound of papers turning and the low hum of the aircraft. Kevin was served a cup of coffee. Usually, he would skip meals because he could not stomach food when he took a plane.
This was why what he ordered for Loretta was light. He was not sure if she could eat.
After hesitating for a moment, Loretta finally picked up the cup of tea. The warmth spread through her cold fingers immediately.
Kevin did not look up, but he could tell she had started eating. So he just picked up his coffee cup and took a small sip.
Loretta stole a glance at Kevin again. Seeing that he was paying her no attention, she lowered her eyes and slowly began to eat.
Outside the window, the clouds stretched endlessly across the bright morning sky.
Inside the cabin, silence filled the space between them.
But strangely, it did not feel uncomfortable.