Free Web NovelChapter 93: Chapter 93: My Heart is Beating So Fast, A Bad Premonition
As Cecilia spoke, her eyes were filled with pity and her tone dripped with charity, as if she were showing great mercy by even offering to continue with the purchase of Sonia’s house.
In her eyes, Sonia was a pathetic wretch with no money and no love. If Cecilia didn’t throw her a bone, Sonia’s life would be miserable.
But after hearing her out, Sonia couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
"Cecilia Quincy, you want to buy our house for three million, is that right?"
"Yes." Cecilia craned her neck arrogantly. Though she was about the same height as Sonia, she insisted on looking down her nose at her.
"This house of yours has depreciated too much. Even if I wanted to help you, I have no intention of being a sucker. Three million is my limit. If you’re thinking of making some outrageous demand, then I’m afraid I can’t agree."
"Only shameless people make outrageous demands..." Ramona Lawrence chimed in with a passive-aggressive tone. "Who do you think you are, making outrageous demands at a time like this? Cecilia is already being kind enough to offer a helping hand. Certain people had better not repay kindness with malice and use Cecilia’s good intentions as leverage..."
Cecilia raised an eyebrow, not reprimanding Ramona this time.
"Sonia, what do you think? If you’re willing to take three million, I’ll pay up immediately."
"What’s the meaning of this, young lady? Are you trying to steal our deal?"
Hearing Cecilia say this, the men interested in the stigmatized property were not pleased. One of them stepped forward, pointing at Cecilia and complaining, "We were just negotiating for one-point-eight million, and you waltz in and offer three million right off the bat? What, are you trying to drive up the price and snatch the house?"
"Exactly," another man added, joining him. "Listen, young lady, there’s a first-come, first-served rule for everything. We clearly saw this house first. Even if you want to bid, you have to wait your turn. Besides, what kind of stigmatized property sells for three million? Aren’t you just disrupting the market?"
Ramona retorted, "Who’s disrupting the market? Selling a house is a voluntary transaction. Sonia doesn’t want to accept your price, so of course she can skip you and consider Cecilia first."
"That’s not how it works..."
It took just one disagreement for the group to erupt into a cacophony.
Sonia’s head was throbbing. Gritting her teeth, she acted on impulse and shouted, "Stop arguing! I’m not selling the house anymore! I won’t sell it to any of you, no matter the price. Now get the hell out of here!"
"That’s right, we’re not selling." Mrs. Preston had long since had enough. Sonia’s shout voiced the exact thought in her heart.
"We’re not selling the house. Lawrence, go back to your office right now and take my listing down from the internet!"
"Huh?" Lawrence was shocked. "Mrs. Preston, you’re not selling anymore?"
Mrs. Preston replied, "We’re not selling."
"Why?" Cecilia didn’t understand. "I’ve already offered three million. Why won’t you sell? It’s a stigmatized house where something happened. Are you really going to make an outrageous demand?"
"So what if you offered three million?" With Mrs. Preston’s approval, Sonia was instantly emboldened.
"Cecilia Quincy, who do you think you are? You think I have to sell to you just because you offered three million?"
Cecilia’s brows knitted together, her sweet and delicate face twisted into a hideous expression that clashed with her usual persona. "You won’t even sell for three million? Then how much do you want? Four million? Five million?"
Sonia said, "I wouldn’t sell it to you even for ten million. Didn’t you say this was a stigmatized property? If it is, then why does the supposedly timid Miss Cecilia want it so badly?"
"I..." Cecilia stammered, unable to come up with an immediate answer.
Sonia gave a wicked grin and said tauntingly, "You want it, so I’m specifically not selling it to you. I’m going to make sure you can’t have this house. I’m not selling it anymore. I’ll live in it myself. Even if I don’t get a single penny, I won’t let any of you ruin it."
With that, Sonia gave Cecilia a mocking once-over. "Go find a cool corner to stand in. Our family is going home."
"Sonia!" Cecilia was furious. She clenched her hands into tight fists and lunged two steps after Sonia’s retreating figure.
Felix spun around and glared at her. "What do you think you’re doing?"
Cecilia’s face flushed red. Her already large eyes bulged like brass bells, making her look rather hideous.
With Ethan Lockwood absent, she freely revealed her malicious side.
"Sonia, you’d better keep up this act. Don’t come begging me to buy this house later when you’re desperate for cash!"
"Beg you?" Sonia looked dumbfounded. "If you sleep with a higher pillow tonight, you might just dream of me begging you."
"You—" Cecilia snapped. If Felix hadn’t been there, she really would have lunged forward, grabbed Sonia by the hair, and slapped her hard a couple of times.
Sonia couldn’t be bothered with her. She took Felix’s hand with one hand and linked arms with Mrs. Preston with the other, heading home blissfully.
"Mrs. Preston..." Lawrence chased after them, unwilling to give up, but was driven back by a stone-faced Felix.
"What do we do, Miss Cecilia?" He stood dejectedly in front of Cecilia, his face a mask of misery. "They’re not selling the house anymore. My commission has gone down the drain."
Cecilia glared at him menacingly. "How should I know what you should do? The house was within our grasp and now it’s gone. I didn’t get anything out of this, so don’t tell me I still have to pay you a commission fee!"
"But, if you hadn’t told me to play along, they never would’ve taken the house off the market..." Lawrence was incredibly frustrated but didn’t dare complain too openly. "It’s such a great house. If I had just sold it normally, I’m sure it would’ve been gone long ago."
"A commission of sixty or seventy thousand... my cut would have been over thirty thousand..."
"Like I give a damn!" Cecilia was furious enough as it was; she was in no mood to care whether Lawrence got his money.
"Get lost!" She rolled her eyes at Lawrence, then stomped off angrily in her high heels.
...
When Sonia and Mrs. Preston said they weren’t selling the house, it wasn’t just words spoken in anger; they genuinely no longer planned to sell.
"It’s such a wonderful house. Rather than letting someone else ruin it with a lowball offer, we should keep it and live in it ourselves as a family." Mrs. Preston placed a plate of freshly washed Shine Muscat grapes in front of Sonia and said, still puffed up with indignation, "Sonia, you and Felix should terminate your rental lease at the end of the month. Give it up and move back home."
"If we all live together, lively and happy, we won’t have to be afraid of any ’stigmatized house’."
"Okay." Sonia agreed first, then turned to ask Felix for his opinion. "What do you think?"
Felix raised an eyebrow. "I listen to my wife."
... Those four simple words sent a secret thrill through Sonia. She bit her lip, desperately trying to suppress the smile that was fighting to spread across her face, and gave a cool, collected nod.
"Hm, you’re learning."
"Ahem..." Mrs. Preston cleared her throat, her gaze toward the young couple filled with relief. "Then it’s settled. I don’t have classes tomorrow, so I’ll go over and start helping you pack."
Sonia exclaimed, "Thank you, Mom!"
Hearing Sonia call her "Mom" filled Mrs. Preston’s heart with sweetness. She reached out and patted Sonia’s head, her eyes full of affection. "You’re welcome. From now on, Mom can cook for you every day."
Sonia replied, "Okay!"
...
「The next day was a Monday.」
Sonia had to go to Mina Jennings’s studio to sign a contract, so she couldn’t leave with Felix.
Before they parted, she grabbed Felix’s hand, still worried, and reminded him again and again, "You have to be careful. If you notice anything wrong, call me immediately, understand?"
Felix tapped the small beauty mark on the tip of her nose and said softly, "I know. You go to work and don’t worry. I’ll be sure to protect myself."
Sonia frowned. "I’m still worried."
"You have to be." Felix caressed her face. Seeing how genuinely scared she was, he leaned in and gave her a small, comforting kiss on the lips.
"Trust your husband. Your husband will be fine, hmm?"
... Sonia pouted and said nothing.
The rideshare she’d called arrived. Felix took his unhappy wife by the hand and personally saw her into the car.
The moment the car started moving, Sonia’s heart suddenly began to pound for no reason.
THUMP... THUMP... THUMP...
Each beat was like a war drum, filling Sonia with a sense of dread.
