I Stopped Waiting and Started Loving novel Chapter 5

As soon as she asked, Quentin's gaze fell on her face again.

It was faint and chilling, carrying the scrutiny typical of someone in power.

Bonnie's face heated up, but she ignored the embarrassment.

She needed the money too desperately. Her mother was in the hospital waiting for a life-saving treatment; she had no room for pride.

Jasper glanced at his boss, and seeing that Quentin had no intention of speaking, he replied professionally, "Regarding the compensation, an initial payment will be made after the marriage certificate is issued, and the final payment will be settled upon the peaceful divorce at the end of the three-year contract."

As he spoke, he raised one hand, spreading his five fingers wide.

He meant five million dollars.

This money covered the contract marriage itself, as well as all the obligations she would have to fulfill over the next three years.

But Bonnie had never seen that much money in her entire life.

Her eyes lit up, and she blurted out, "Five hundred thousand?"

Jasper's hand froze in midair.

Quentin's hand paused as he held his coffee cup.

He lifted his gaze, looking at the girl across from him with utter disbelief.

Seeing both of them fall silent, Bonnie's chest tightened.

Crap! Did she ask for too much?

She hastily explained, "I know five hundred thousand dollars is a lot, but I'll be fake-married to Mr. Vance for three years. I'll have to be on call 24/7, play the part, and take care of him."

"In three years, I'll legally be a divorced woman. Between the blow to my reputation, the emotional toll, and the labor, five hundred thousand really isn't that much."

Jasper's mouth twitched, desperately trying to suppress a laugh.

He instinctively glanced at his boss.

Quentin slowly set down his coffee cup, his tone unreadable. "You think three years of your life is only worth five hundred thousand?"

Bonnie froze. Did she guess too low?

She swallowed hard and hesitantly aimed higher. "Is it... five million?"

Saying it out loud, she immediately shook her head in her mind.

How could that be possible?

Five million dollars for a fake marriage? Was he out of his mind, or did he just have too much money to burn?

But if it wasn't five million, surely it couldn't be just fifty thousand?

If it was fifty thousand, she'd be better off hauling bricks at a construction site.

Afraid he might back out, she gritted her teeth and said firmly, "Five hundred thousand, and not a penny less. Mr. Vance, I really need the money urgently. As long as we can get the certificate today and the money hits my account immediately, I'll comply with any condition you want."

Jasper couldn't hold it back any longer.

He lowered his voice and hinted, "Ms. Hayes, what Mr. Vance actually meant was—"

"Jasper." Quentin cut him off coldly, his voice devoid of emotion. "Fine, five hundred thousand it is."

Bonnie let out a massive sigh of relief.

Terrified he would change his mind, she immediately grabbed a pen and signed her name at the end of the agreement.

"No regrets."

Regret was a luxury. She didn't even have time to cry, so what right did she have to regret anything?

Ding.

Her phone buzzed with a bank notification.

[Your account has received a transfer of: $250,000.00.]

Staring at all those zeros, Bonnie's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Her mother was saved.

She sniffled, forcing her tears back, and gave the two men a deep bow.

"Mr. Vance, Jasper, I have an emergency to take care of, so I'll be leaving first."

"Contact me anytime you need me. I'm on call 24/7!"

With that, she turned and sprinted toward the street, grabbed a rental bike, and pedaled away furiously.

...

Inside the sedan.

Quentin sat in the spacious backseat, staring down at the marriage certificate in his hands.

The girl in the photo had her eyes curved in a smile, though it looked incredibly forced.

Yet those eyes remained strikingly pure, like the first snowfall in the mountains, utterly untainted.