Chapter 345 Carrot with Mud
The room went dead silent after James spoke.
"James, don't talk nonsense!" Marigold's expression shifted.
"If you don't want to shake hands, fine, but why say he's sick?" Marigold snapped.
Coralie was also upset, thinking James was jealous and had lost his mind seeing her with Vance.
Bruce tried to calm things down. "James misspoke. He didn't mean it like that."
"Sick? What kind of nonsense are you spewing?" Vance sneered.
"Out of respect for Mr. Howard, I'll give you a chance to apologize. Otherwise, I'll make sure you can't even get a job as a security guard at Glowing Oasis," Vance said arrogantly.
Marigold's face hardened. "James, apologize to Vance. He's not someone you can afford to offend, and neither is the Murphy family."
"If you make Vance angry, don't blame me if you can't make it at Glowing Oasis," Marigold said, looking at James with disdain. "Apologize to Vance now."
Several women in the room looked at James mockingly, thinking he was a country bumpkin trying to make a scene.
"You have gonorrhea. Even though you're taking medication, it's still affecting you," James said coldly, staring at Vance. "Shaking hands with you might get me infected."
Gonorrhea? Infected?
Marigold and the others gasped, and Coralie instinctively stepped back.
"Gonorrhea? How do you know?" Vance blurted out, then quickly tried to cover it up. "Are you cursing me?"
"Stop lying," James pointed to a box on the floor. "Even if you deny it, how do you explain the azithromycin pills you dropped? They're used to treat gonorrhea."
Vance's face turned pale. He instinctively bent down to pick up the box but quickly straightened up.
"That's not mine," he said through gritted teeth. "That's not mine!"
James smiled faintly and said nothing more.
Marigold and the others fell silent. They weren't fools; Vance's reaction said it all.
Coralie took another step back, lowering her head.
Some guests pulled out wet wipes and frantically cleaned their hands.
Marigold's lips twitched as she placed the gift Vance had given her on the table.
Vance was mortified. "Mr. Howard, Mrs. Howard, please believe me, I'm not sick."
"You're slandering me, and you'll pay for this," he shouted at James before storming out of the room.
Marigold called after him but didn't chase him. She turned her anger on James. "Look what you've done! Such a trouble maker!"
"Watch your mouth," Bruce slammed the table. "That guy has gonorrhea, and James exposed him. Why are you mad at James?"
"You should thank James. If it weren't for him, we would have eaten with Vance and risked getting infected," Bruce said, his face turning red with anger.
James looked at Bruce with concern, noticing his blood pressure was high.
Marigold was relentless. "Vance is from a respectable family and a company executive. How could he have gonorrhea? He ran away because James slandered him."
"Anyway, I don't want him staying with us. If you take him in, I'll leave with Coralie," Marigold said, no longer hiding her disdain for James.
Bruce was fuming. "James is my nephew. If I don't look out for him, who will? I'll not only show him around Glowing Oasis, but I'll also get him a job at my company and let him stay at my East Lake Villa."
Bruce was always grateful to James's parents, so he felt obligated to help James.
"Fine. I knew it. James came to Glowing Oasis to take advantage of us," Marigold said, laughing angrily. "Michelle and her husband didn't have the nerve to come themselves, so they sent James to exploit us."
"So what if he did?" Bruce shouted, slamming the table again. "When we had nothing to eat, didn't they share with us? When we came to Glowing Oasis, didn't they give us travel money?"
Bruce couldn't stand Marigold's attitude.
"Bruce, are you out of your mind? You're still holding onto a few thousand dollars from years ago?" Marigold retorted. "And don't think I don't know. Over the years, you've given James' family thousands of thousands of dollars annually. In total, it's been a million dollars. Isn't that enough to repay just a few thousand dollars?"
Marigold was exasperated. "They've taken so much from us already. What more do they want?"
"You've been spying on my bank transfers?" Bruce was livid. "Then why don't you look at the incoming transfers? They've sent every penny back!"
Coralie frowned, feeling a twinge of resentment towards James for causing her parents to argue.
James didn't want to cause more conflict. He stood up to stop Bruce and Marigold from arguing. "Bruce, Marigold, please stop fighting. It's my fault."
"Bruce, I already have plans and a place to stay at Glowing Oasis, so I won't trouble you. If I ever need help, I'll come to you."
"I came here today to see you and check on your health, and to give you a gift," James said, placing that ginseng in front of Bruce.
Then he waved and left the room.
So straightforward?
Coralie was stunned, then realized James was trying to act cool.
"James, James!" Bruce called out, then he turned to Coralie. "Go get James. He's new here."
"Why?" Marigold snapped. "He said he has plans. Why interfere?"
Coralie hesitated but ultimately stayed seated. James was trying to get her attention, and she didn't want to fall into his trap.
Besides, his presence would only cause more trouble for her parents.
Bruce was furious and wanted to chase after James, but seeing the guests, he stopped and sent a text message instead.
Seeing James leave, Marigold calmed down and disdainfully opened the box James had left. "A gift? What could a country bumpkin give as a gift?"
"A carrot?" she mocked as she saw the ginseng.
"This gift is really unique, meaningful, and fresh," Marigold said sarcastically. "Bruce, you treat them so well, and he gives you a carrot, with dirt still on it."
"I'll buy some beef tonight and make a stew so you can taste the hometown flavor," Marigold said, laughing mockingly as she held the ginseng. "What a bumpkin."
The other women laughed too, their faces full of contempt. It was the first time they'd seen someone give a carrot as a gift.
Coralie was also slightly disappointed. 'James, at least bring some eggs or fruit. A carrot?'
Marigold tossed the ginseng into a corner, her disdain evident.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
