The lingering chill in Edward Cullens presence seemed to seep into the air, dispersing the oppressive heat in an instant and bringing a hint of coolness. Bella Swan looked down, using the light overhead to make out the numbers on the check. Her mouth agape, her hands trembled as she watched the man in the black suit disappear into the backseat of his car, unable to form a single word.
A few moments later, the five cars parked in front of the building pulled away one by one. She slapped her cheeks, regaining her senses after a long while. She instinctively reached for her sore jaw, which had been pinched painfully by the man.
This wasnt a dream; everything that had just happened was real... But she had only needed a million dollars. Why had the mysterious man given her a check for fifty million! And without any conditions— it was too bizarre to comprehend.
She slapped her cheeks again, and the quiet at the intersection confirmed that those cars werent coming back. The thought that her headmistress could be saved filled her with joy, and she rushed into the hospital lobby, holding the hem of her dirty wedding dress.
The next day, she was at the bank bright and early, exchanging the check as soon as they opened. Strangely, the staff who attended to her were exceptionally polite and didnt question the authenticity of the check.
Walking out of the bank, she felt as if in a daze. Fifty million dollars— in cash, it could crush her with its weight. Was the man too generous?
Shaking her head, she skipped breakfast and hurried back to the hospital to pay the fees. Thanks to the money, her headmistress was able to undergo surgery. Fortunately, the procedure was a success, although the cancer had spread, and further surgeries and chemotherapy would be needed.
Bella stood outside the ICU for a long while, confirming that she didnt need to stay with the patient at the moment. With the weight of the medical fees lifted from her shoulders, she felt a sense of relief.
Her wedding dress was now dirty, and her face was smeared with makeup like a patchwork cat. But with the money, she didnt have to worry as much.
Ever since her headmistress fell ill, she had been working tirelessly, attending classes during the week and working evenings as a model with the wedding dress shops owner, who was also her agent, Catherine Morland. The work seemed easy, but the pay wasnt much, with Catherine taking the larger share. Moreover, her face was too frightening, and she always wore a mask, which had been criticized many times.
Sometimes, after an entire nights work, the money she earned wasnt enough to cover a days medication for her headmistress.
The man who had given her such a large sum of money for no reason made her feel uneasy. She felt there must be a catch, yet she couldnt put her finger on it. She vowed to pay back the money she spent, if she ever crossed paths with him again.
Getting off the bus, she found the wedding dress shop not too busy, with her colleagues having lunch together. They greeted her as she changed back into her regular clothes and was about to leave when Catherine called out to her.
"This job pays very well, and they specifically asked for you," Catherine said, her gaze towards Bella no longer impatient but exuding a sickly sweet warmth. "Sixty thousand dollars a day, and since your mom is ill, I didnt help much. I wont take a commission from you this month."
"Catherine, are you serious?" Bella was clearly shocked. "Sixty thousand dollars a day! Who is this person? What exactly do I need to do?"
"Just play the bride, no lines, nothing to worry about. You get paid once the wedding is over. Someone will pick you up at nine oclock next Saturday morning," Catherine enthusiastically helped her fix her hair. "Youve been with me for almost a year now. If you do well this time, you might get a chance to enter the entertainment industry and become a big star."
Bella was ecstatic, giving her a fierce hug. "If such an opportunity really comes, I will never forget you, Catherine."
Catherine patted her shoulder, took her to the car, and personally drove her back to the orphanage.
On the way, Bella was so excited her mind went blank. Back at the orphanage, after bidding farewell to Catherine, she ran upstairs and hugged her sister Claire Randall, spinning in circles with joy.
If she could get into the entertainment industry, the money she owed to that stranger would be repaid quickly! Then she thought about her disfigured face; even if she made it into show business, shed probably only be fit to play a corpse or a zombie, which immediately dampened her spirits.
Catherine must not be telling the whole truth, but that was fine. The important thing was that she wasnt taking a commission from her.
"Did Augustus give you money or did it just fall from the sky that youre so happy?" Claire pushed her away, falling wearily into the hard wooden sofa in the living room. "Im teaching so many tutoring sessions this month I feel like Im going to vomit. I dont know when this will end."
Hearing her mention Augustus, Bellas smile froze, her expression darkening as she returned to her room.
She could never take his money.
After showering, Bella looked at herself in the mirror and exhaled deeply. Who was that man, and why had he given her so much money so suddenly?
Ever since she took the money, she had felt uneasy, always worried that he would Sudden appearance and demand repayment. But a whole night had passed, and he hadnt shown up, as if he had just casually given alms to a beggar.
To give fifty million dollars to a beggar was too extravagant, even for a beggars luck.
Thinking this, she couldnt help but examine her face more closely in the mirror, then looked down at her chest, a self-mocking smile playing on her lips.
Perhaps she was so unattractive to him that he paid her off to be amused.
She remembered Simon, who had given her the check, saying, "No press, no one else, its safe." Could it be that he gave her the money to ensure her silence about having seen him at the hospital?
That seemed like the only plausible explanation for his actions.
Lost in thought, she was interrupted by Claires discontented shouting from outside the bathroom door. "Bella Swan, are you done yet?"
"Done," Bella replied, tidying up the washbasin, holding her dirty clothes, and opening the door. "After you finish washing, bring your clothes to the balcony, and Ill wash them together."
Claire humphed, her expression still unpleasant.
After washing and hanging the clothes to dry, it was already noon. Bella went downstairs to the cafeteria for lunch and then went back upstairs to sleep.
That night, she had another modeling job and, after returning to the orphanage and cleaning up, she lay in bed not wanting to move. Relaxing for a while, she saw Claire across the room, texting on her phone, and couldnt help but feel envious.
Jake Ryan sent her a simple goodnight message every day, just two words without any punctuation or emojis.
But she was still happy every time she received it, able to imagine him sending the message—his thin lips slightly pursed, his deep, starry eyes with a faint smile.
That was his most common expression; sometimes without saying anything, just by approaching her, her heartbeat would become erratic, as if it wanted to leap out of her chest.
"Hasnt Jake Ryan visited you in a long time?" Claire suddenly asked, her tone gleeful. "I heard that hes been getting close to the Missus of the Shaw family lately."