Chapter 37
Jonas stared at Daisy with his eyes wide open, disbelief clearly written on his face. Next to them, Simon, the shorter boy, trembled and pointed at Daisy, “Wh-when did you get here? How did you hear our conversation?”
“I followed Oliver here. He’s my classmate,” Daisy said with a small devilish grin as she stepped closer to Simon.
Jonas glanced at Daisy and said, “Simon is quite timid. Please don’t scare him.”
Daisy looked up at Jonas and felt a newfound respect for him. He clearly had some leadership qualities and a strong sense of judgment.
“Oh, really? Then I guess I’ll take it easy,” Daisy replied, her tone bored as she glanced around, suddenly recalling the people who had just left. “By the way, Jeremy has taken your money and run. From what I hear, Oliver’s family is pretty wealthy. That card must have a lot of money on it. Maybe a few hundred thousand dollars.”
“A few hundred thousand?” Simon’s eyes widened in disbelief. For a student, that was a huge amount of money, and he couldn’t believe Oliver would just hand it over.
However, Jo**’s expression remained calm. He didn’t seem tempted by the sum. To him, money wasn’t everything-his life mattered more.
After taking a deep breath, he said, “Ms. Wilder, we admit we didn’t act properly, but we didn’t do anything to your sister. The accident with her was just that—an accident. Please spare Simon. If you want to blame someone, just come at me.” Jonas finished speaking and slumped, closing his eyes as if he was ready to face any consequences that might come. “Don’t worry. Laura has nothing to do with me,” Daisy shrugged nonchalantly, her indifference chilling.
Lance, standing nearby, felt a pang of sympathy as he watched her. He walked over and asked, “So, what’s your plan now?” “Would you be willing to be my witnesses?” Daisy looked at both boys. Even though she had already recorded everything, she wanted to hear what they thought. Since Laura was trying to frame her, she needed to gather enough leverage.
Jonas met Daisy’s gaze and, after a long time, slowly nodded. “We messed up, and I don’t want to make it worse. Just tell us what you need.”
Lance raised an eyebrow, surprised. He hadn’t expected someone so young to show such grit, not getting blinded by greed but rather weighing the consequences.
“Great, let’s go find a place to talk,” Daisy said, looking at Jonas.
They followed Jonas, taking a winding path out of the alley. Once outside, Daisy felt a sense of relief. If she and Lance had to navigate their way alone, it would have taken ages.
After leaving the narrow alley, they headed to a bar, where among the loud private rooms, theirs was the quietest one. Everyone turned to Daisy, seemingly waiting for her lead.
Daisy switched on the light and said, “I won’t let those who tried to scheme against me get away with it. Now, tell me everything about why Oliver contacted you and what he asked you to do.” She turned on the recording feature on her phone, placing it beside her as she watched them closely. As seconds ticked by, the pressure mounted, and it wasn’t long before Simon cracked. He detailed everything Oliver had told them.
“Oliver just wanted you to scare Laura?” Daisy asked, thinking, ‘If that were the case, why was she hit by a car?’
Under Daisy’s gaze, Jonas and Simon nodded. A whirlwind of confusion swirled in Daisy’s mind, but Jonas and Simon couldn’t clarify. What exactly had been discussed between Oliver and Yvonne after Lance left?
Daisy glanced at Lance beside her, “What do you think?”
Lance looked at the two men, his gaze softening as he said to Daisy, “What do you want to do? I’ll support you.”
“I’m going to investigate this matter. For now, let’s pretend you haven’t seen me. Just comply with Oliver’s requests, and when I need you, I’ll reach out.” Daisy looked intently at them.
Jonas fell silent for a long while before speaking up, “We can help you whenever you ask us to, but I don’t want to have any more contact with Oliver. I’m sorry.”
Daisy felt strained after J**as’s rejection, but she didn’t want to pressure them-if they didn’t want to get involved, that was their choice.
“I heard your grandma is in the hospital and that you need a lot of money, which is why you’re collecting protection fees and working multiple jobs.” Lance’s low voice pierced through the tense air, and J**as’s eyes widened in terror. This was information he had never shared with anyone, not even Simon. People all thought Jonas was an orphan.
At that moment, Jonas, who had always been calm, lost his composure. He stood up and shouted at Lance, “How do you know about that? What did you do to my grandma? Don’t you dare touch her!”
“Who are you to tell me what I can or can’t do?” Lance replied, his expression nonchalant, clearly showing his arrogance. Jonas lowered his gaze, realizing he couldn’t stop Lance, who was wealthy and powerful. After a while, he collapsed back onto the couch, eyes burning with resentment as he looked at Lance, weakly uttering, “Just tell me what you want.”
For Jonas, his grandma was more important than his own life. He would sacrifice his life to protect her.
“Just listen to Daisy,” Lance said softly, looking at her with a tenderness that contrasted sharply with the authority he had shown moments before in dealing with Jonas. Now, he seemed almost vulnerable.
Yet, even at this moment, Jonas wasn’t Lance’s equal. “Fine, I understand,” he muttered.
Jonas had lost the composure he once had, looking hopeless.
“Jonas, Simon, I need you two to work with Oliver and tell me what he wants you to do,” Daisy said. The task was assigned to Jonas, and under Lance’s authoritative interference, Jonas was forced to comply.
Lance understood the strategy of giving a stick and then a sweet reward. He watched Jonas with a calculating look and said slowly, “Do what Daisy said. I’ll take care of your grandma’s medical expenses. Tomorrow, she’ll be moved to a private ward, and a well-known specialist will see her.”
Jonas was surprised, but he had no choice but to trust Lance. Deep down, he hoped Lance would fulfill his promise.