Two Reborn, One Throne novel Chapter 88

*Achoo!*

Joanne sneezed the moment she walked into her apartment after parting ways with Lucian.

Wade grabbed a tissue and wiped her nose for her. "Catching feelings? Feeling guilty?"

He was referring to manipulating Lucian into taking the loan.

Joanne rolled her eyes at him. "Are you joking, Wade? Do you think I was born yesterday?"

"Before he obsessed over me, he obsessed over Amber. And look what happened to her? One lost competition and he practically wants to strangle her. I'm just playing with him."

Wade threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"That's my girl. But I can tell that kid is genuinely hooked on you."

Joanne smiled smugly. *Obviously.* With her face, few could resist.

When Grace started pounding on the door, it echoed through the apartment with a deafening crash.

Wade snapped his head up. "Is your dad back?"

Joanne panicked and frantically grabbed her discarded clothes, pulling them on. Then she heard Grace screaming, "Joanne, open the door! Let's see where you can hide this time! I bought paint. If you don't open up, I'm splashing it everywhere! Pay up!"

Joanne felt like she had been struck by lightning.

"Wade, I'll go handle her. Go out the back!"

While she threw the rest of her clothes on, she sprinted out of the bedroom, desperately dialing Lucian's number.

Grace wanted her thirty grand back that badly, huh? Fine. She'd let Lucian send his mother to hell.

Lucian had just walked into his house and was inspecting the wound on his stomach in the bathroom mirror when his phone rang.

He assumed it was his mother calling to say she was going to deposit the cash. Seeing it was Joanne, he broke into a grin. "Joanne..."

"Lucian, please, you have to save me! Grace... your mom bought a bucket of paint! She's destroying my door and demanding money!" Joanne forced a frantic sob, timing it perfectly as Grace kicked the door again.

Grace wasn't buying her innocent act for a second. "Don't act like we're close. I called you a dozen times and sent just as many texts. You ignored all of them. What, did you think having Lucian on your side meant you didn't have to pay me back?"

"Joanne, there is a bottom line to being a decent person. I know you and your father are scum, but you crossed me. You know exactly what happens when you cross me."

"I'm not charging you interest. Just pay back the thirty grand you owe me, and I won't have to waste my time hunting you down. I watched you grow up, Joanne. Your father runs the local loan shark rings. You know exactly what happens to people who don't pay up."

"Give me a straight answer today. Are you paying me or not?!"

*SLAM!*

Grace aggressively slammed the bucket of paint down right in front of Joanne. Her stance was clear: if Joanne didn't pay up right now, she would take whatever she could carry. Whatever she couldn't carry, she would smash to pieces!

She wasn't even afraid of Joanne's loan shark father. Debt collectors all spoke the same language.

Calculating exactly how long it would take Lucian to arrive, Joanne faced Grace's vicious intimidation and suddenly dropped to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Grace, I'm so sorry! I already spent the thirty thousand! Lucian told me it was a gift and that I didn't have to pay it back. He said I didn't need to worry about you. Didn't he just give you fifty thousand dollars? Why are you going back on your word?"