Cami pretended to wipe away tears and quickly turned to leave. She had finally diverted Den’s attention; staying any longer would only invite trouble. Though she was curious about how Den would exin this to his precious daughter, she knew better than to linger.


    “Maybe I should eavesdrop for a bit?” she thought. The two inside were too preupied to notice her. Cami bent down and pressed her ear to the door, but before she could hear anything, someone tapped her on the shoulder.


    “Miss Cahan, what are you doing?”


    “Ah!” The sudden voice startled her. She looked up to see Brody, Mr. Gilliam’s trusted aide. She couldn’t let him catch her eavesdropping, so she forced a smile to cover her embarrassment.


    “I… I was looking for my earring. Yes, it must have fallen near the door.”


    She nced around the floor but saw nothing. Sighing, she said, “It must have fallen somewhere else. I’ll look along the way.”


    “That earring was a gift from the master; it’s very expensive.”


    Her amateurish acting didn’t fool Brody, but he chose not to expose her lie. Instead, he smiled politely.


    “Would you like me to help you find it?”


    Cami waved her hand dismissively. “No need, Brody. You must have important matters at the hospital. Finding an earring is a small thing; I can manage on my own.”


    “You go ahead; I’ll be on my way.”


    “Very well, Miss Cahan. Take care.”


    Brody watched her retreating figure until she disappeared into the elevator. Meanwhile, the voices from the room grew louder-they were arguing.


    Smart as he was, Brody could guess what was happening inside. Soon, the door opened and Mr. Gilliam emerged, his face clouded with anger and disappointment.


    Before leaving, he spoke earnestly to Miss Pearl: “No matter what, you are still my daughter. In this world, no one loves you more than I do.”


    Hearing this, Pearl felt a lump in her throat and tears streamed down her face. “You want to marry me off for your own gain. Your love is too cheap for me to care about! You never cared about me before; it’s toote now! Get out!”


    “Sigh.” Den had never truly lived with her and didn’t know how other fathers behaved. How was he supposed to handle his daughter’s tantrums? It was a headache… Reasoning didn’t work; he couldn’t bear to scold her either-she was his own flesh and blood. If anyone else dared tell him to “get out,” their head would have rolled by now.


    Seeing this, Brody stepped forward as a mediator, speaking gently: “Miss Pearl, please don’t be like this. The master truly cares about you. The arranged marriage has its reasons; please bear with it for now. We will find a wayter.”


    Pearl, still furious, wouldn’t listen. Her mind was filled with the nightmare and the reality of marrying someone she didn’t love.


    “Reasons? What reasons could he have? Isn’t he the head of the Gilliam family? Who in Zheemond would dare challenge him? I hit Lord Parker in self-defense; even in court, I’d be justified. If necessary, I’ll apologize myself…”


    Her naivety was evident; she thought things were simpler than they were. Den saw no need to exin further-the engagement was already set in stone.


    “Sigh, Miss Pearl, you don’t understand yet. When you truly know the master, you’ll realize everything he does is for you,” Brody said sincerely.


    He had been with Den since his twenties and had seen both his lowest and highest points. No matter what, Den always mentioned Miss Pearl’s name. Sending her away was to protect her; agreeing to the Crete family marriage was ast resort due to the Gilliam family’s dire situation.


    “Brody, there’s no need to exin. Pearl just woke up and needs rest. Let’s leave her alone for a while.”


    “If she understands, great; if not… let her hate me.”


    Den didn’t mind. She had every right to hate him-he hadn’t fulfilled his duties as a father. With that, Den left.


    Brody lingered a moment longer and secretly slipped a note into Miss Pearl’s hand before leaving.


    “Uncle Brody, what is this?” she asked, puzzled.


    “Read it and you’ll understand. I have other matters to attend to; I’ll visit you another day.”


    “Alright.”


    Pearl watched him leave before turning her attention to the note in her hand. She hesitated-her intuition told her that reading it would bring more trouble.


    Night fell over the bustling streets filled with people of all kinds. The noisy music from bars was unsettling.


    A woman hugged herself tightly as she hurried through the crowd, asionally ncing back to see if anyone suspicious was following her. Her behavior seemed odd to onlookers because of what she was carrying-a bundle of cash wrapped in a skirt she had exchanged at a second-hand market for $4, 000. To Ruth, this was a fortune.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    She had to be cautious not to get robbed.


    “I’ve gathered $4, 000 out of $6, 000; I’ll have to find a way to get the remaining $2, 000 tomorrow,” she thought.


    With fewer sses now, Ruth nned to find work at a Western restaurant to gather the money in the limited time she had left.


    When she got home, the rare sight of a litmp greeted her. An old kerosenemp cast light through its dirty ss shade. Nearby, her mother Louisa used a triangr iron stand to support a small ck pot filled with potato chunks and green vegetables-no meat or even oil in sight.


    Knowing that the pot of potato and vegetable stew might not be enough for their family of four, Louisa added a bowl of water and an extra spoonful of salt to stretch it further for dinner.