I Stopped Waiting and Started Loving novel Chapter 23

Bonnie froze for a second.

She looked at the sleek, high-end phones surrounding her, then down at the one in her hand, feeling completely unbothered.

She smiled, her tone entirely casual.

"I'm just sentimental. Plus, my work involves a lot of herbal prep. I'm constantly dealing with dirt and plants, so expensive phones are way too fragile for me. This one is perfect. I've had it for three years, and it still worked after I dropped it in a puddle."

Hearing words like "herbal prep" and "dirt," the expressions around her grew even more peculiar.

Someone couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter.

"Bonnie, you don't have to save face for him. We're all family here. We all know the truth."

A young man in a tailored suit walked over, sighing with an air of condescending pity.

"When Quentin was exiled abroad by his family, we all knew how rough he had it. If Grandfather hadn't secretly sent him money, he wouldn't have even been able to pay his tuition."

"Now that he's back, the family tried to arrange a marriage so he could secure a piece of the inheritance. Instead, he acted tough and turned it down."

The man shook his head, looking at Bonnie with patronizing sympathy.

"If you guys are really struggling with money, you need to ask us for help. Don't play pretend. Wearing haute couture when you can't even afford a new phone—if word gets out, it's embarrassing for the entire Vance family."

Bonnie listened in absolute bewilderment.

Exiled?

No one cared for him?

So broke he couldn't afford tuition?

Her mind flashed to the multi-million-dollar penthouse in Riverstone Heights and the black card sitting in her purse with a five-million-dollar limit.

This was... struggling financially?

She was just figuring out how to respond when she looked up and spotted a tall, imposing figure walking out of the main house.

Quentin stood with one hand tucked into his suit pocket, watching them with a cold expression.

Bonnie immediately let out a breath of relief. She hurried over to him, seamlessly linking her arm through his, and tilted her head up with a sweet smile.

"Honey, did you finish talking with Grandfather?"

Quentin looked down, giving her a faint glance.

Bonnie maintained her upward gaze.

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