"A gift?" Hasen paused and asked.
"It is only polite to bring a gift. One can never go empty-handed when asking others for a favor. Am I right? Besides, the An family is a powerful family. They are sure to be accustomed to these kind of things. We have to make sure that the gift will be lavish. If we bring something, Mr. Terence might acknowledge our request. If that happens, he might consider helping us. We must bring an expensive gift just to be sure!"
Carla said with a smile. Then she added, "Uncle, selecting a University is one of the most important thing a person will do in her life. She is your precious daughter. It is only right that you spare no expense to provide her with the best. I am not entirely sure whether I can help or not. However, you can call me whenever you need me. I promise that I will try me best to help you," said Carla.
Hasen hesitated when he heard about the gift. Moreover, there was a chance that this may not succeed.
His wife was sitting next to him and she was getting impatient. She snatched the phone from his hand and said, "Carla, aren't you together with Terence now? From what I've heard, you and him are now dating. Based on your relationship, is a gift really necessary?"
Carla withdrew the phone slightly away from her ear because her aunt was speaking loudly. She then glanced at Sean who was listening carefully in the conversation. She returned the phone to her ear and replied, "My dear aunt, there is an old saying that seeing is believing. Have you seen us together in person?"
"I heard that Terence was engaged with another woman. But a lot of people are saying that it was over and that you two are together now. Can you give him some pillow talk? Persuade him to help us? Maybe he will agree to help us if you talk to him very sweetly. What do you say, Carla?" her aunt pleaded.
Carla sneered and said, "Aunt, it is easy for you to say that. When I was in college I heard that even the daughter of our mayor failed to enter the JA College. And only by one point at that. Your daughter failed by ten points. Do you really think it is possible to get her in?
Now without contributing a single cent, you and my uncle want me to ask the Ans for help. Tell me how to do that?"
Struck dumb by her sharp words, her aunt thought for a little while and said, "How about this? You cover the cost of the gift for us first then we will pay you back after. We can even give you more money if you managed to help us!"
"I'm so sorry, Aunt. I do not think that I can do that. I am just a young woman in my twenties. I also need to pay for my brother's education. How can I possibly buy an expensive gift for you?"
said Carla. She can't help but feel offended with her aunt's words.
"So Carla, are you saying that you are not willing to help us? Is that what you are implying? " said her aunt in a sharp voice.
"How could you say that? I already told you that I will try to talk to them. But I can't promise you that I will succeed. I cannot give you my word, considering the difficulty of your request,"
said Carla.
"Carla, how about this? I will go to JA City tomorrow with your uncle. Can you introduce us to Mr. Terence? We will ask him for his help in person. If things fail, there is no need to blame anyone. What do you say?"
said her aunt. She was truly a shrewd woman. She immediately thought of a second option for Carla in such a short notice.
Carla was about to speak but she noticed a tall shadow on the ground in front of her.
She glanced behind her and found Terence standing by the wine cabinet behind the sofa.
He stared and smiled at her with his arms crossed.
"Carla? Carla? Are you listening to me? Why are you not speaking?"
said her aunt at the other side of the phone.
Carla recovered herself and said, "Aunt, Mr. Terence is a very busy person. I am not his boss. I cannot see him or make an appointment with him just because I want to."
After hearing that, Terence looked away. He was trying to keep himself from laughing.
"It's okay. I know that he is a busy man. I decided that we will stay in JA City for a while. Please take your time. There is no need to hurry." said her aunt. She did not intend to stop until she reached her goal.
Finally, their conversation ended.
Carla threw her phone on the table.
Sean spoke first and asked her, "Carla, what does uncle and aunt want?"
He didn't understand what the conversation was about.
Terence walked over to them. When Sean saw him, he ran up to Terence and gave him a big hug.
"Terence! I am glad that you're finally back!"
While still holding Sean's shoulder, Terence sat beside Carla and said, "What kind of gift do you plan to give me? Please tell me more about it.
If it will satisfy me, I might consider your request."
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