Chapter 35 The Old Man Who Kept Her
"He's got a safe? How come I didn't know?" Jennifer was all puzzled.
"It’s got the most valuable stuff from The Jones Group. Didn't he ever tell you about it when he was alive? That jerk Robert! What's that?" she yelled.
Charles replied, "Robert kept it in a hidden spot in his office. There's a family photo of him and Elizabeth on top. Nothing to do with you and Patricia."
Jennifer was fuming on the other end, "That jerk Robert! Why didn't he kick the bucket sooner? I took care of him for years for nothing. He never gave a damn about us."
"Let's cut to the chase. Do you know the code?" Charles asked.
Jennifer shot back, "So what if I do?"
He explained, "If you know the code, I'll crack the safe. We can split whatever's inside."
"How much are we talking?" Jennifer asked.
Charles spat, "Five hundred million dollars."
There was a gasp on Jennifer's line. "That jerk Robert left something so valuable to Elizabeth. I wish I could dig him up from his grave."
Charles was getting impatient, "Spill the code."
"I don't know the code either. But you can try Robert's birthday," Jennifer said.
"I've tried. I tried all three of your birthdays. None of them worked," Charles shook his head.
"Try a combo of Nancy and Elizabeth's birthdays," Jennifer suggested, giving Charles a string of numbers.
The lock clicked open.
Charles was over the moon.
He trembled as he opened the safe door, ignoring Jennifer's furious ranting on the other end. "That jerk Robert. He still thought about those two. What about me? This is too much."
Charles found her too noisy and hung up the phone.
He reached into the safe with trembling hands.
It was empty.
He couldn't believe it and felt around the inside of the safe again.
He was sure. The contents had already been taken.
He guessed it was Elizabeth, but he had no proof.
And Elizabeth denied it.
The weekend, the Sunset Heights.
Elizabeth was chilling on the bed in her room.
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Susan walked in carrying a box. "Mrs. Thomas, Mr. Thomas asked you to try on these clothes and shoes."
Elizabeth walked over and looked at the fancy dress in the box, in disbelief. Why did Michael send her a gift?
He must have some ulterior motive.
Susan urged her, "Mrs. Thomas, this dress looks so beautiful. You should try it on."
Elizabeth picked up the dress and walked into the fitting room.
She came out after changing into the dress and shoes.
Susan looked at her in amazement, "Mrs. Thomas, you look stunning in this dress."
At that moment, Elizabeth's phone rang.
She looked down.
It was a call from Michael.
Elizabeth reluctantly answered, "What do you want?"
"Did you get the clothes and shoes? At 5 PM, a driver will pick you up to go to Serenity Pines Estate. Change into the clothes and shoes beforehand," he said briefly.
"Michael, why should I listen to you..." Before Elizabeth could finish, the call was already disconnected.
She angrily stared at the phone.
Susan quickly walked over.
She asked, "Mrs. Thomas, is Mr. Thomas inviting you to a dinner party tonight? This looks like an evening gown."
Elizabeth answered airily, "Yeah, he said to go to Serenity Pines Estate."
In the evening, Serenity Pines Estate.
The driver dropped off Elizabeth and took off.
Elizabeth strutted into the banquet hall solo.
She flashed her invite and tucked it back in her purse.
The dress hugged her curves just right, showing off her figure.
The hem was decked out with tiny diamonds, sparkling under the crystal lights as she walked.
As she stepped into the hall, all eyes were on her.
People started whispering, trying to figure out who she was.
Some guests held their wine glasses, sneaking glances at her.
"That dress she's rocking looks like the latest Chanel. And those shoes, aren't they the newest Jimmy Choo? How can a girl from a bankrupt family afford that?" a woman said.
"Who knows? Maybe she's got a sugar daddy," another one replied.
Elizabeth pretended not to hear a thing.
She sipped her drink, scanning the room for Michael.
Michael had called her here, but he had yet to come.
Not knowing anyone, she felt super awkward.
She thought about ditching her high heels.
But then she decided against it. There was a couch in the corner of the hall. She walked over and plopped down.
Two girls who looked like rich heiresses spotted her.
One of them asked, "Elizabeth? Is that really you? I heard your company went belly up. How did you get into Serenity Pines Estate?"
The other chimed in, "Elizabeth, how did you get in? You don't have an invite, do you? How could the owner of Serenity Pines Estate invite a broke girl to this kind of party?"
Elizabeth didn't even look at them, "Yeah, I snuck in. What are you gonna do about it?"
The two girls pressed on, "Elizabeth, who did you sneak in with? Got a sugar daddy? Otherwise, how could you afford such a fancy dress?"
Elizabeth yawned, bored out of her mind, "I don't know. Anyway, the old man at home bought it for me."
"Old man? What old man?" they asked.
"The one keeping me. An old, ugly dude. He's useless, can't do anything, so he spends money on me," Elizabeth smirked.
There was a collective gasp.
No one expected Elizabeth to be so shameless, talking about this stuff in public, openly admitting she was being kept.
Elizabeth laughed to herself, 'Go ahead, mock me! Michael, let's see how embarrassed you get.'
People were still buzzing.
The butler approached, "Mrs. Jones, please come to the second floor."
Everyone was even more shocked.
Only the top-tier guests of Aurora Bay got invited to the second floor.
Everyone started speculating about who the old man keeping Elizabeth could be.
Elizabeth followed the butler to the second floor and immediately saw Michael's bodyguard.
The bodyguard led her to Michael.
Michael nodded towards the food, "Grab a bite."
He could see her from the second floor?
Did that mean he heard her rude remarks?
She had said it in public to provoke him anyway.
Elizabeth sat down and looked at the table full of delicious food. She picked up the utensils and started chowing down without hesitation.
"So, why'd you call me here?" Elizabeth asked Michael while munching.
"You're smart. You miss your Anthony, don't you? No need to sneak around while I'm on a business trip. You'll see him soon, right in front of me," Michael replied.
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