Chapter 90 – The Black Card Password Is My Birthday
Caroline froze, her hand suspended in mid-air.
Fine. She wouldn’t wipe her lips.
“Are you satisfied now?” she asked, her voice steady but laced with frustration. “Can you fulfill your promise?”
David smirked slightly. “I never expected your weakness to be money.”
Caroline bit back a retort, but before she could respond, David casually pushed his blazer back and pulled a sleek black card from his inner pocket.
“Here. Take it.”
He tossed the card onto her lap, its surface gleaming, the numbers embossed in gold.
“It’s a supplementary card. The password’s my birthday,” David said, starting the car with a flick of his wrist. His eyes were fixed on the road, his tone indifferent. “There’s no spending limit. How much you can actually use depends on how much I allow.”
As he spoke, his mind drifted. Watching her lower herself to kiss him just for a bonus had amused him. He thought the black card would make her more obedient, more docile in front of him. Spending a little money for peace of mind seemed like a perfectly worthwhile deal. After all, he wasn’t short on money. He had more than enough, and she just happened to need it. He offered, she accepted.
But David had completely underestimated Caroline.
She stared at the card on her leg, its smooth surface a painful reminder of something else, something she’d rather forget. The sleek black card, a symbol of his wealth, made her feel humiliated.
What an utterly humiliating gesture. It’s like he’s buying me.
The thought made her stomach twist. She remembered that night she never wanted to think about. Had Nash handed money to her family in the same way? How much had they sold her for? To this day, she didn’t even know her “price.”
Caroline’s fingers curled around the card, but then she quickly pushed it back toward him, her movements decisive. “Thanks, but I don’t need it.”
David’s brow furrowed, clearly caught off guard. “Why?”
“I want a bonus because it’s something I’ve earned,” she said, her voice calm but firm. “It’s compensation for my hard work and expertise. But what you’re giving me feels like a tip. David, I may be short on money, but I want clean, hard-earned money.”
“You’re saying my money isn’t clean?” His voice was edged with annoyance.
“At least the way you’re giving it to me feels like money I don’t want.”
Caroline’s words hung in the air, and David let out a cold laugh, his eyes flashing with a mix of surprise and irritation. “Ungrateful.”
That black card had never been handed to anyone before. And she rejected it?
“Then consider me ungrateful,” Caroline replied without missing a beat. “I’ll only take what I deserve.”
Her voice was resolute, unyielding. Caroline had her principles, and she wouldn’t compromise them, no matter how much David might try to bend her will.
David, now visibly frustrated, reached into his pocket with one hand, pulling the card back out. Without hesitation, he threw it out the partially open window.
Caroline gasped. “What are you doing?”
“Once I give something away, I never take it back,” he said, his tone sharp. “If you don’t want it, then fine. I’ll throw it away.”
“You…” Caroline’s voice faltered, but she gave up. Let him do what he wants, she thought. He has the money to burn.
The atmosphere in the car turned heavy, the tension palpable. The once heated passion between them now felt distant, almost foreign. They sat in silence, the car’s interior as cold and distant as the road ahead.
Minutes ago, they had been lost in each other’s arms, their kiss heated and urgent. Now, they were two strangers locked in a fragile truce.
David could never understand how Caroline had the ability to make him feel both relaxed and amused, yet also push him to the edge of rage. It frustrated him to no end. What made it worse was that when they got back to the Ellison residence, Caroline immediately flopped onto the sofa, exhausted, and fell asleep.
Caroline had no trouble falling asleep after a long day, but David… he stayed awake. His mind churned, thoughts racing. It was already difficult for him to sleep, but after the frustration he felt with Caroline, his restlessness only worsened.
When morning came, and the alarm went off, Caroline stretched, yawned, and greeted David casually, “Morning.”
David walked past her without a word, completely ignoring her.
Caroline watched him, confused. Weren’t men supposed to be the ones who could sleep peacefully after a fight, while women tossed and turned? Why, with David, was it the other way around?
She shook her head, rolling over to try and sleep again, but she couldn’t quite shake the tension that still hung between them.
