Chapter 80 A Gift
Ronald set a pristine card on the table, his tone casual yet deliberate as he said, “I opened this terment with your information. I want you to hold on to it. The password’s your birthday.”
Tracy didn’t reach for it. Her eyes lingered on him<b>, </b>searching for something beyond the surface
Trading stocks wasn’t something an average person could simply wander into.
It demanded expertise, sharp instincts, and often a hand on the pulse of whispers few could ess
Even then, profit was never promised.
Yet Ronald had not only done it–he had made an impressive sum in a fraction of the time most could dream of. Not even Andrew, Cloudville’suded business prodigy, could have pulled that off so quickly.
The kidnappers had mentioned he came from Jezelton.
In a ce teeming with cunning minds and hidden power, a man with his skill would still stand out Though questions pressed at her, Tracy didn’t ask them. She left his <b>secrets </b>untouched.
And she left the card untouched too. It was the money he had earned, and she saw no reason to take it.
When her refusal held firm, Ronald paused. Then, without another word, he linked the card to her number. “Thanks for having faith in me. I’ll make more money with this. <b>If </b>you ever need money, just use what’s there.“.
Tracy stilled, unsettled by how easily he could ce that kind of faith in her. They had not known each other long. There were still truths neither had shared. Yet he spoke as if trust were already absolute.
She hesitated before asking, “If you’ve got this much money, why stay here?”
With his ability, he could have bought a ce far better than this worn apartment. There was no need for him to share <i>it </i>with her.
Ronald’s eyes lit with a teasing glint. “You worked yourself to the bone to save me, and now you want to leave me behind before I can repay you?”
The words caught her off guard.
His tone was sincere. His expression was open, so much so that it was hard to imagine him lying.
But Tracy had lived long enough to know how quickly sincerity could shift.
Even as she felt it, she could not fully trust it.
While she lingered in thought, Ronald suddenly took her wrist. “I bought some furniture, but I haven’t had the time to go get them just yet/Come check them out. We can change up some stuff if the furniture’s <b>not </b>to your liking.”
He gave her no chance to refuse<b>, </b>pulling her toward the home furnishings market.
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The furniture he had chosen wasn’t extravagant. The priciest pieces were two beds, yet he had bought everything a home might need, right down to a dishwasher and an oven.
When the shopkeepers learned the items were headed to an old district, they assumed they were for aging parents and praised them for their devotion.
Tracy and Ronald shared a nce but said nothing.
She wasn’t about to dip into his earnings, and her own savings couldn’t stretch to a better ce.
Besides, this was her first home of her own, and she wasn’t ready to leave it behind.
As for Ronald, the old neighborhood gave him cover.
And since the money was meant to keep him close, he would naturally be wherever Tracy was.
They left the store and stepped toward the curb to hail a cab.
That was when a luxury car hurtled toward them.~.
Tires screeched across the pavement, their piercing cry slicing through the air.
Ronald, a step ahead of Tracy, nearly caught the full force of it.
“Careful!”
Tracy yanked him back just in time. The car skidded to a stop just a few steps away.
Her heart still pounded as she gripped his arm.
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” Ronald replied, smiling as if nothing had happened.
But when he turned <i>to </i>the car, his gaze sharpened to ice.
That driver hadn’t swerved by ident. For a moment there, they had meant to kill him.
<i>Have </i><i>the </i><i>Jezelton </i><i>guys </i><i>found </i><i>me</i><i>? </i><i>That’s </i><i>fast</i>.
The car’s doors opened, and two men stepped out.
Ronald didn’t know them, but Tracy did.
“Liam?” Her voice rose with fury. “What the hell is it this time?”
She shifted to block Ronald from/view, her re fixed on the man in front of her.
Liam was <b>a </b>seasoned rally driver. The way he had just steered straight for Ronald was no mistake.
Seeing her stand protectively in front of another man made Liam’s temper re. “What is it this time? You should be asking yourself that!”
He jabbed a finger toward Ronald. “Who is he? Is he the guy you were talking to on the phone <b>the </b>other2/3
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Chapter 80 A Gift
day? Is he the one keeping you?”
Tracy knew Liam’s temper well. When his emotions boiled over, his words cut deep, and she had long since grown used to it.
But she wouldn’t let him drag Ronald through the mud.
The earnest Ronald should never have been in contact with scum like the Jackmans.
She tried to lead him away, but he stayed rooted in ce.
The smile on his face didn’t waver. He radiated the warmth of <b>a </b>sun. The guy was more like a young <b>man </b>than Liam ever was.
Ronald said, “I have no idea who you are, but you’ve got it all wrong. I’m not the one keeping CeeCee. She’s the one keeping me.”
His grin broadened, bold and shameless. “These days, everything I eat, wear, and use was paid for by her.”
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