Chapter 631
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“ Jonathan , could you lend me 1 million dollars ? ” Donald finally managed to say . “ I’ll pay you back gradually . ”
Jonathan asked Donald what he needed all that money for .
Donald said , “ I want to buy my mom a home in Soronfield . ”
Werner and Cathy had divorced . Cathy insisted on living alone , and though Donald tried to persuade her to move in with him and Jennifer , she firmly refused .
Cathy had once told Donald she loved Soronfield , saying how wonderful it would be to buy a cozy little villa there if she had the money . So he wanted to help Cathy fulfill her wish by buying her a move – in – ready villa with a courtyard .
Donald pleaded , “ Jonathan , my mom just wants a place to recover from the divorce . I want her to live out her golden years in peace , but I simply don’t have the means right now . I don’t have that kind of money . ”
Jonathan understood what Donald was getting at . He lowered his gaze , took a sip of coffee , and said calmly , “ If your mom is living alone , the place doesn’t need to be too big . About 1,000 square feet should be enough .”
Donald’s head snapped up . Jonathan’s expression remained calm . What was a trivial amount to him was a fortune in his eyes .
“ Jonathan , rest assured . This is a loan from you , and I’ll pay you back gradually . I swear I’ll repay every cent within my lifetime . ”
“ Alright . ” Jonathan gazed into Donald’s tear – filled eyes and couldn’t help but chuckle . “ I thought you had some huge problem . It’s just a loan , no big
deal . ”
Jonathan stood up and walked into his study . He wrote out a check for 1 million dollars and handed it to Donald . Seeing Donald so moved he was about to be grounded , Jonathan stopped him just in time .
Donald was so overwhelmed with emotion he could barely speak . “ Jonathan , from now on , I swear you’re my hero and my unwavering faith . If you ever need anything , just tell me . I may not have money , but I can put in the work for you . ”
Jonathan gave Donald’s shoulder a reassuring pat . “ It’s nothing . Don’t worry about it . ”
Donald choked up and said , “ No , Jonathan , this means the world to me . Honestly , I’d work my fingers to the bone for you . Having a cousin as wonderful as you is the greatest blessing Cheryl and I could ever ask for . ”
After all , Donald was in desperate need of money , and few were willing to offer timely help in his hour of need . Yet Jonathan readily came through for him . Donald was deeply moved .
As Donald was leaving , Jonathan said meaningfully , “ I just hope our relationship never ends up like my father and uncle’s . No matter what happens in the future , promise me you’ll never stab me in the back . ”
Donald raised his hand , swearing an oath . He’d never become someone like Werner . He’d never be two – faced or say one thing and do another . Neither would he betray Jonathan nor do something against his conscience .
Donald said , “ Jonathan , you can trust me with your life . ”
Jonathan didn’t say anything more . He just gave Donald’s shoulder another reassuring pat and told him to go home .
At Nareigh General Hospital , Teresa was ready to be discharged , with the doctor confirming she could leave that afternoon .
Miriam called Teresa and said , “ Jonathan just called me out of the blue , frantically asking which hospital you were in . ”
Teresa froze for a second . “ You told Jonathan about me , didn’t you ? ”
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“ I didn’t . I have no idea who told him . It wasn’t Jennifer , was it ? ”
Teresa thought for a moment . The people who knew she was hospitalized , besides Jennifer , there was also Sanford . Yesterday , just before hanging up , Sanford asked her if she was hospitalized .
Teresa said , “ Miriam , don’t tell Jonathan . I’m being discharged today anyway . It’s nothing serious . ”
“ Um … I already told him you’re at Nareigh General Hospital . He should be arriving soon . ”
Teresa didn’t say anything .
Moments later , voices drifted in from the hallway .
To her surprise , Jonathan showed up so soon . Teresa quickly pulled the covers over herself and lay down , pretending to be asleep .
The door swung open . She heard a ringtone she knew all too well , and Jonathan’s deep , familiar voice . Her heart skipped a beat . She’d recognize that voice anywhere .
Jonathan said on the phone , “ I won’t be in the office today . Just push back anything that’s not urgent . That’s all . ”
Teresa’s eyelids fluttered slightly , her long lashes trembling . She felt a cool , calming presence settle beside her , enveloping her .
Jonathan reached out and gently stroked Teresa’s cheek , his hand lingering there .
Teresa couldn’t resist . She cracked her eyes open just a slit , only to see Jonathan standing there , his brows deeply furrowed as he stared intently at her .
Teresa knew she could no longer keep up the pretense and had to put on a calm front . “ What are you doing here ? ”
Jonathan frowned again at the sight of her pale complexion . “ You’re in the hospital and didn’t tell me ? ”
“ It’s nothing serious , just mild gastroenteritis . I’ll be discharged this afternoon . So who told you I was in the hospital ? ”
“ Sanford . He’s changed his name to Gary now . ”
“ Oh . I figured it was him who told you .”
Jonathan let out a frustrated sigh and said , “ Honestly , Teresa , you’re impossible . I don’t even want to talk to you right now . ”
Teresa arched an eyebrow . “ What did I do wrong ? ”
Jonathan complained , “ Why would you tell him about your hospitalization , but not me ? Am I always the last to know when something happens to you ? ”
Teresa pursed her lips and suddenly remembered something . She fell silent for a few seconds . She didn’t tell Sanford she was in the hospital . He figured it out . So technically , she didn’t tell anyone she was in the hospital .
Jonathan sighed in exasperation . “ Let’s drop it . What did you eat that made you sick ? ”
“ Nothing much . ”
“ How could you mess up your health like this ? Don’t I know you too well ? You love spicy food . ”
Teresa said , “ I just had some barbecue . ” She couldn’t resist her craving and had a little spicy food . Not being able to drink alcohol was making her crazy . “ You really expect me to believe it was just a little ? Did you order the extra spicy kind again? Now look , you’ve completely messed up your own body . ”
Teresa had the sudden urge to throw off the covers and hop around , just to show Jonathan she was perfectly fine . But then she realized that she was in a hospital gown and she was pregnant . So she sat still and said nothing .
Jonathan glanced at her with concern . “ Aren’t you hot , all bundled up like that ? ”
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“ No. The AC’s on . ”
“ Don’t set it so low . ” Jonathan adjusted the AC and gave Teresa a resigned look , Just then , his phone rang again . He answered the phone and thes ordered a premium nutrition meal to be delivered within half an hour .
Teresa watched as Jonathan paced back and forth , dialing one number after another . She waited until Jonathan was no longer busy before acking “ So , what exactly did you get for me ? ”
“ Anything you want . ”
AD