Chapter 106
‘I know Lucas well enough,’ Emily thought to herself. ‘After slapping him and saying those harsh words, there’s no way he’d dare pull any sneaky tricks behind my back again.
Emily decided to sort through the job listings she’d recently seen and resume her job hunt.
Upon hearing her plan, Austin had a different idea. “Emily, instead of wasting your energy on those backbreaking, low-paying jobs, why not just stay home and work on your illustrations?”
Austin picked up Emily’s phone and deftly opened TikTok. “Look, Emily. You’ve already got a solid following, and someone just sent you a commission request with a pretty good offer. Think you can take it?”
Emily was genuinely surprised. Austin had always managed her TikTok account for her, and she never expected it to gain such significant traction in such a short time.
Austin had even worked out all the details with the client who sent the commission request, and all that was left was for Emily to give her approval.
The offer came with a fair rate and reasonable requirements. For Emily, in her current situation, there was truly no reason to refuse.
So, she stopped job hunting. Those days, aside from her regular visits to the Bennett family or checking on her grandfather at the hospital, she spent her time holed up in her rental apartment, drawing.
The rental apartment had a small balcony, about 120 square feet, right next to the neighborhood’s greenbelt, previously unkempt and overgrown with weeds.
But lately, Austin had tidied up the entire place until it was spotless, and had even turned the balcony into Emily’s own little art studio, complete with a compact cabinet for her painting supplies.
He’d also bought quite a bit of new furniture, even replacing the old, worn-out dining table with a new one.
Emily was astonished. “Where did you get the money for all this?” she asked.
She remembered that when she had rescued Austin, the only thing of value he had was the clothes on his back, which had to be thrown away because they were bloodstained and torn.
Even the money she’d occasionally given him wouldn’t have been nearly enough to buy these decent-quality furnishings.
Austin leaned on the brand-new dining table, chin propped in hand, his cheeks dimpling with a sweet smile. “Everyone says I can not only cook and do housework, but also make money. Now, do you believe me, Emily?”
Emily asked, puzzled, “How did you make this money?”
Austin didn’t hide anything. “I borrowed some money to invest in stocks. After paying back what I owed, I still had over fifty thousand dollars left, all of it’s in this account.”
He pulled out a brand-new bank card and handed it to Emily. “I opened this account using your info. You keep it, Emily. The PIN is your birthday.”
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Chapter 106
Emily didn’t reach out for the card. Instead, she fixed Austin with a scrutinizing gaze.
Emily thought, ‘Stock trading isn’t something just anyone can dabble in. One needs real expertise and probably some insider info too. Even then, there’s no guarantee he’ll make money.
‘But Austin not only pulled it off, but also made a fortune in no time. Even Andrew, the so-called business genius of Cloudridge, couldn’t do that.
‘From what those kidnappers said, he’s from Beloris. With skills like his, even in Beloris, a place where talents abound, he must be no ordinary person.’
Though Emily harbored suspicions, she chose not to pry into Austin’s secrets, nor did she accept the bank card. After all, this was money Austin had earned himself, and she had no right to take it.
Seeing her firm stance, Austin hesitated briefly before relenting. Instead, he linked the bank card to her phone. “Since you trust me this much, Emily, I’ll keep growing this money for you. If you’re ever short on cash, just use the card.”
Emily froze for a moment, puzzled. They barely knew each other and were still keeping secrets. She thought, ‘Why was he able to trust her so much and be so open with me?’
Emily hesitated, then asked, “Now that you’re making money, why are you still living here with me?”
C
