Fake Mate Beta Rises to Alpha Heiress (Natalie and Landon) novel Chapter 337

Chapter 337 Poverty Brings Warmth

Samuel’s POV:

I tried to persuade her to wait until morning, but she was too worried and wouldn’t listen. Left with no choice, I practically dragged Lily into my car, promising to take her myself. I expected her to resist and be wary like before. After all, in her eyes, I was something to be avoided at all costs. To my surprise, she got in and even muttered, “Thank you.” And then… nothing.

After she called Harry, she didn’t speak to me for the entire drive.

At first, I was secretly pleased. It seemed like she might be letting her guard down a little around me. But as I kept driving, an idea hit me. Why should I care so much about what she thought of me? I never did anything without something in it for me. What exactly was I getting out of this late-night chauffeur service?

“Mr. Scott, why did you hit me? You scared me,” Lily said, frowning and shooting me an annoyed glance.

“I didn’t hit you. I was trying to get your attention,” I sneered, then switched to a more teasing tone. “Look, Lily, I’ve been driving you around for almost two hours. My back hurts. Don’t I get some kind of compensation?”

“Compensation?” She raised an eyebrow, her expression odd. Then she pulled out her phone and played an audio clip.

My own voice came through the speakers. “I’ll take you.”

She then said, “No, Mr. Scott, I’ll just get a cab…”

I retorted, “It’s not safe for you to go alone this late. Don’t worry, I’m not trying anything. No charge, no robbery, no hassling Natalie.”

My jaw twitched. Sometimes, things were so ridiculous I couldn’t even laugh. I thought she was starting to trust me a tiny bit. But in those few seconds of us talking outside, she had calmly recorded me? It was both laughable and… left a strange, sour taste in my mouth.

Lily put her phone away. Seeing my expression darken, she looked out at the pitch-black night and fell silent for a moment. Her tone softened. “Alright then. What kind of compensation do you want?”

“I’m getting tired. We still have half an hour to go. Keep me company. Talk to me,” I sighed, making a request that even I thought sounded weak.

“That’s it?” she asked, disbelief in her voice.

“That’s it,” I said firmly.

She paused, gathering her thoughts. “What’s it like having siblings? It means no matter what happens, you know you’re not alone. You have someone to share the good times with. And when you’re hurt or sad, just thinking of them gives you a little strength inside. Don’t let the ‘little brother’ thing fool you. If someone bullied me and he found out, he’d go after them, even if he was scared himself. When our dad used to hit me, he’d stand in front of me.”

She spoke plainly, like she was just fulfilling my request for conversation. But in the quiet car, with only the hum of the engine, the words she said carried a strange warmth. They seeped into

my usual cold way of thinking. It was something completely different from the scheming, transactional “family” dynamics I knew. Unity? Support? Being willing to go all out for each other?

I was quiet for a while. Finally, I let out a derisive snort, using my usual sarcasm to mask the odd feeling in my chest. “Sounds nice. Is that what they call ‘poor kids stick together?” I was used to measuring everything by status and resources.

Lily knew I was mocking her, but she didn’t seem bothered. She even played along. “Yeah, exactly. Poverty brings warmth.”

Her retort left me speechless and my face paled slightly. The topic made me uncomfortable— my condescending taunt had no effect on her.

A brief silence fell in the car. After a moment, I abruptly asked another question, one I hadn’t even planned, “Is your mother good to you?”

“Yeah,” she said, glancing at me. Her eyes brightened. “My mom is great to me. She’s the best mom in the world.”