“Go outside with your mom. I’ll come out in a bit.”
It was just like when Jasper was young. As far as Charlie was concerned, Jasper would always be a little boy who could not solve adult situations like this.
Jasper shook his head. There was no way he would leave.
“Did you bring the money?” Jasper asked Wendy.
When Jasper asked Wendy to come pick him up at the airport, Jasper had also told her to take some money out.
Wendy nodded and pulled out ten bundles of brand new hundred-dollar bills.
While everyone in the house was still stunned by Wendy’s ethereal beauty, they saw her taking the money out.
Everyone’s eyes shone as they looked at Jasper in disbelief.
Jasper’s family was known for being poor, and while Charlie had done everything he could to buy a house in town, doing so had only made their family’s situation worse.
Now there were bundles of hundred-dollar bills. Where did Jasper get the money?
“This is 20,000. I’m paying the 10,000 I owe your family back two-fold!”
Jasper then took two bundles and handed them to the middle-aged woman with a cold tone. “My family doesn’t owe you anything anymore, so stop using that 10,000 as your bargaining chip.”
Turning around, Jasper then handed four bundles to the village chief. “We owe your family 20,000 for the time my dad went to see the doctor. I’ll pay you back now as well. Here, 40,000, doubled with interest!”
The village chief took the money in shock and asked, “Where did you get the money from, Jasper?”
“Didn’t you see how he got it from that pretty lady’s hands? Who knows, maybe he found himself a rich woman in the city and got himself a pretty lady?”
The son of Jasper’s aunt, Bard, had always been the village’s ruffian. People were afraid of him in the village. The man spoke enviously as his gaze was trained on Wendy.
His words kickstarted the reactions of everyone else there.
“That’s right. I heard that Jasper has been doing horribly lately. There’s no way he could have so much money. Bard is right, he must’ve sold himself to someone.”
“Good Lord. What a shame to the Laine family! How could your family give birth to such an embarrassment, Charlie?”
Jasper’s aunt pointed at Charlie and accused him.
Charlie’s expression turned sour. His gaze when he looked at Jasper was filled with doubt and anger.
If that was the case, then Charlie would never be able to hold his head up high again.
“I earned my own money,” Jasper replied.
“Bullsh*t!”
Bard scoffed. “Don’t think that just because we aren’t that knowledgeable that you can get away with lying to us. I’ve heard since a long time ago that you were the lowest piece of trash in the city. If you have the guts to sell yourself to someone rich, why can’t you have the guts to admit it?”
“You’re the one spewing nonsense!”
Sally stood up. She could not bear to see her son getting accused like this.
“Did you see it for yourself or what? Don’t accuse people of something they didn’t do when you don’t even have evidence!”
Jasper’s aunt scoffed and was about to speak when Charlie suddenly stood up.
“Enough! If Jasper said he didn’t do it, then he didn’t do it. I watched this child grow up. You think I wouldn’t know if he’s lying to me?
“We’ve already paid you the money, so stop using it as leverage.”
With that, Charlie then pulled Jasper to leave.
“Wait, Dad. There’s still more I want to say!”
Jasper motioned for Charlie that it was alright.
Taking two steps to stand in the middle of the courtyard, Jasper swept his gaze over everyone’s faces as he spoke indifferently, “Our family is poor, and I admit that we’ve borrowed money from all of you for various reasons.”
“However, no matter how you had mocked and humiliated my parents when we borrowed money, the truth is that we’ve also paid all of it back now. I’ve done my part, returning the money I’ve borrowed and with interest too!
“So from today onward, be it the plot of land or the contract fields, or anything else, if it doesn’t belong to us, we won’t touch it. But if it belongs to my family, don’t even dream about taking advantage of my family because I won’t let you!
“I don’t care what all of you think. What matters is what you’ll do about it in the future. Move on, and we can all still be a close group of family and friends. But if you bare your fangs first, then I will not be blamed for turning against you as well!”
