Two Reborn, One Throne novel Chapter 37

At a buffet near Riverport High.

After class, Lucian held Joanne's hand right in front of Amber and announced he was taking her to a buffet.

Since he wasn't a billionaire yet and his mother controlled his bank cards, he couldn't afford a romantic French restaurant worthy of his precious Joanne, but he still wanted to treat her.

He wanted to give her the best he possibly could.

But Joanne seemed completely out of it. Handing her a glass of juice, Lucian asked, "Joanne, do you not like this place?"

He didn't really like it either, but it was all he could manage. Plus, he firmly believed Joanne wasn't a gold digger like Amber.

Joanne was actually just annoyed to death by Grace's relentless text messages.

If Lucian wasn't still useful, she would have blocked his mother's number hours ago.

"No, Lucian, you know that as long as I'm with you, I'd be happy eating at a street stall. It's just..." Joanne bit her lip, rapidly calculating how she could manipulate him into giving her the fifty thousand dollars from the Olympiad.

"Just what?" Lucian thought she was worried about the refund money and smiled affectionately. "Silly girl, didn't I tell you? Don't worry about that thirty thousand dollars. You're just too kind-hearted."

If Amber had been there, she would have thrown up.

Joanne herself was covered in goosebumps, but she suddenly looked up at him with teary, adoring eyes, acting as if he was her savior. "Lucian, you're so good to me. But I can't keep dragging you down."

Tears actually started brimming in her eyes.

Lucian couldn't stand seeing her cry. He grabbed her hand and gently tilted her chin up. "Joanne, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

He suddenly remembered the suicide note she had left him in his past life and tensed up. "Is your dad forcing you to do things again?"

Joanne gasped softly. She had found the perfect angle to squeeze the money out of him.

"Lucian, don't say that. No, my dad... my dad is fine." Her acting was spectacular; she looked absolutely terrified while fat tears rolled down her cheeks, splashing onto his hand.

If he couldn't get fifty thousand dollars to pay her dad's debt by next Wednesday, Joanne would lose her innocence, be forced into prostitution by her own father, and her future would be utterly destroyed.

Lucian gripped her hand so tightly that she let out a whimper. "Lucian, you're hurting me. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you any of this. It's all my fault. I never should have spent that thirty thousand... if I hadn't..." Her eyes filled with fresh tears. "Maybe you could have lent it to me."

"Lucian, I know having a dad like mine is a curse. But I couldn't choose where I was born. I wanted to be like you and Amber, studying hard, going to college. But do you know what my dad tells me the most? He says, 'Eat more, get fatter, get prettier. You'll sell for a better price.'"

"Sometimes I don't even blame your mom for hating me. I hate myself too. But with a dad like that, what can I do? Lucian, is he going to beat me to death?"

Joanne wept, looking fragile and utterly broken.

Lucian pulled her into his arms. "No, Joanne, I won't let anything happen to you. Don't worry, I'll figure out a way to get the fifty thousand dollars."

Hearing this, Joanne feigned shock. "How? You want to... No, you can't! Your mom will kill you! You were going to use the Olympiad money to calm her down about the thirty thousand, you can't just... Lucian..."

"Even when my mom beats me, she doesn't push me into a fire pit like your dad does. Don't worry, even if I give you the fifty thousand, I still have my three-hundred-thousand-dollar valedictorian scholarship coming. Rest assured, if a problem can be solved with money, it's not a problem."