Chapter 274

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“ I … I don’t know . ” Cheryl stammered , her voice trembling as she tried to defend herself . “ You don’t know ? ” Jonathan’s gaze locked onto her , sharp and unrelenting . “ The shop you opened near Teresa’s apartment – where’d you get the money for that ? How much did it cost to take over the place ? ”
“ I … I … ” Cheryl faltered , her words tripping over each other . “ I only helped her sell her house , but I really don’t know where she is now . I can’t reach her . She must’ve changed her number . ”
“ Wait a second . ” Jonathan’s brows furrowed even deeper
Finally , Cheryl caved . She admitted that the current owner of the house was a friend of hers and that Teresa’s house had been sold to this friend . “ So , when I came to Lonisburg last time , you saw me . Why didn’t you say anything then ? ”
“ I … I was scared you’d grill me like this , okay ? ” Cheryl blurted out , her voice rising defensively . “ Jonathan , I swear I really don’t know where Teresa is . If you don’t believe me , check our messages .”
To prove her point , Cheryl pulled up her last few messages with Teresa and handed her phone to Jonathan . His eyes quickly zeroed in on one particular line , [ Teresa , I’ve transferred the 390 thousand from the house sale to you . ]
Jonathan’s mind flashed back to Benson , the current owner , who had told him he bought the house for 510 thousand . Yet Cheryl claimed it was sold for only 390 thousand .
It all clicked in an instant . Jonat
gaze darkened as he watched Cheryl’s darting eyes . “ So , the money for your shop came from the house sale , huh ? You skimmed off Teresa’s money to fund it , didn’t you ? ”
“ I … I didn’t . I got a loan from the bank , ” Cheryl stammered , avoiding Jonathan’s gaze . Jonathan raised an eyebrow , his tone sharp . “ Really ? That’s the best excuse you could come up with ? You’re fresh out of school , barely working – what bank would lend you money ? ”
Realizing she couldn’t keep up the lie , Cheryl hesitated before nodding reluctantly . Teresa said 390 thousand was fine . I mean , she’s loaded anyway . ”
Jonathan frowned deeply . It doesn’t matter how rich she is – her money is hers . You had no right to take it . If you needed money , you should’ve just asked me . ”
Benny chimed in with a casual shrug , “ Jonathan’s right , Cheryl . Teresa’s not even your sister – in – law anymore . Taking her money like that ? That’s just wrong . ”
Cheryl glared at Benny , her cheeks puffing in frustration .
Benny wisely decided to back off , turning to Jonathan instead . “ Your sister’s definitely
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holding a grudge against me . So , Jonathan , what do I do now ? ” Benny said with a teasing smile .
“ No , no , Benny , I wouldn’t dare hold a grudge against you . I know I messed up , ” Cheryl quickly replied , her tone softening as she tried to smooth things over .
Knowing when to back down , Cheryl lowered her head , her voice filled with guilt . ” Jonathan , I’m sorry . I’ll give the money back to Teresa and explain everything . But I can ‘ t reach her right now . ”
Jonathan’s emotions were a mess . Teresa had told him not to bother her .
But now that he knew Cheryl had pocketed the money from Teresa’s house sale , he couldn’t just turn a blind eye . It felt like fate was forcing him to step in , to find her , and to meet her again .
“ Teresa’s out of town right now , taking some time for herself . She doesn’t like being disturbed , ” Jonathan said . “ I’ll talk to her about this when I see her . ”
Cheryl nodded hesitantly . “ So … does that mean I have to give up the shop ? ”
“ You don’t need to close the shop . I’ll cover the money for you and pay Teresa back myself ,” Jonathan replied .
Hearing this , Cheryl felt even more ashamed . She lowered her head further and stammered , “ I’m sorry , I’m really sorry . I know I messed up and caused you so much trouble . Please don’t tell Mom and Dad . They’ll kill me if they find out . ”
Cheryl had been staying in Lonisburg without telling anyone . The whole family thought she was out of town hosting an art exhibition – even Donald believed it .
If Benny hadn’t tipped him off , Jonathan wouldn’t have known that Cheryl had taken Teresa’s money .
“ This is the last time , Cheryl . Don’t let it happen again ,” Jonathan said firmly .
After Jonathan left , Benny figured he might as well head out too . He had hoped to find. some clues about Teresa , but he came up empty – handed and even accidentally got on Cheryl’s bad side .
She was glaring at him like she wanted to set him on fire . “ Hey , Cheryl , stop staring at me like that . I know I’m handsome , and yeah , your eyes are big – so what ? ”
“ Ugh , you’re so annoying . Always meddling in other people’s business . You’re the worst . ”
“ What was that ? What did you just call me ? ” Benny tilted his head , feeling like the phrase sounded oddly familiar .
Cheryl rolled her eyes and gave Benny a light kick . “ You’re the absolute worst . Why did you have to snitch on Jonathan ? Now I look like some kind of bad girl . It’s all your fault , you meddling troublemaker . ”
Benny pressed his lips together , looking utterly innocent . Seeing how red Cheryl’s face
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had gotten from anger , he explained , “ I was just trying to help Jonathan find Teresa quickly . ”
“ Ugh . You’re always like this – sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong . ”
Benny chuckled . “ Come on , Cheryl , how am I meddling in your business ? This was just a one -time thing , purely accidental . Are you really going to hold a grudge against me for this ? That’s a bit much , don’t you think ? ”
“ Hmph . Whatever , you’re still not a good person . ” Cheryl waved him off , urging him to leave . Not only was he meddlesome , but now he was a lazy mule too .
“ Alright , I’m leaving . I was thinking of treating you to a meal to apologize . ”
“ Thanks but no thanks . I’m not sharing a meal with a meddling person . ”
“ Fair enough ,” Benny said with a shrug . “ How about I send you some money instead ? Consider it my way of apologizing for calling Jonathan and exposing your secret . Deal ?
Cheryl puffed out her cheeks , still fuming , and refused .
Benny couldn’t help but glance at Cheryl a few more times . The more he looked , the more he felt something was off about her figure . It was hard to describe , and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it .
“ Add me on WhatsApp . If you ever need help and your brother doesn’t reply , you can
reach out to me . I’m close with him . ”
Cheryl snorted , “ Fine , but if I add you , I’m going to roast you every chance I get .”
Benny laughed . Cheryl’s profile picture was an adorable cartoon bunny . After adding her , Benny sent her a transfer of 600 bucks . “ Take the money . And seriously , cut back on the snacks and take care of yourself . ”
“ You- ” Cheryl angrily accepted the transfer , then promptly changed Benny’s contact name to “ Jerk Benny ” to vent her frustration .
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