Chapter 512 One Dollar Rent
James raced to the rooftop, finding several property management staff and two police officers already there—the same officers who had arrested him at the Garcia family residence.
They glanced at him with mild surprise but didn't stop him, their attention fixed firmly on Hestia.
Hestia sat perched on the railing, softly sobbing, slightly intoxicated with a bottle of Lafite in her hand. Her body leaned precariously forward—one small movement and she would plummet from the building.
The situation was extremely dangerous.
"Ma'am, it's windy out there. You could catch cold. Whatever's bothering you, we can discuss it after you come back," one officer coaxed.
"You're so young," another added. "No problem is too big to overcome. There's always a way through."
The female officer tried a different approach. "Did someone hurt you? Tell me, and I'll arrest them."
"You've had a lot to drink. Are you thirsty? Would you like some water?"
Despite their anxious expressions, they kept their voices gentle and soothing.
"Stay back! All of you, stay back!" Hestia screamed at them. "Come any closer and I'll jump!"
Her voice broke with anger as she continued, "Men are all worthless! I'm beautiful, considerate, understanding—why would he cheat on me? How am I inferior to that woman?"
Tears streamed down her face. "I waited so long for him, but not once did he call to apologize. I gave him another chance—he promised to get back together—then immediately went back to that horrible woman."
"I was so good to him, treated him right, and he kept hurting me. That scumbag!" Her delicate teeth bit her rosy lip. "Life is too painful. I might as well end it all."
As tears spilled from her eyes, Hestia looked like a flower beaten down by rain, inspiring overwhelming sympathy. The female officers couldn't help crying out, "Please don't!"
"Hestia, don't jump! You're so beautiful, so young—it would be such a waste!"
James pushed his way to the front. "Besides," he called out, "if you're going to jump anyway, couldn't you satisfy me one more time first?"
He continued dramatically, "That night we met at Glowing Oasis was better than anything in this world."
His face took on an expression of lustful reminiscence. "I still dream about our night together."
The female officers looked surprised, their sympathetic expressions turning to something more ambiguous.
Hestia had been ready to jump, but at these words, she whipped her head around.
Seeing James, she immediately protested, "James! What are you talking about? Don't make things up—nothing happened between us!"
Her pretty face flushed with anger. "Tell everyone right now that we're innocent!"
"Hestia, you're about to die—what's the point of hiding it anymore?" James stepped forward with an innocent expression.
"You were traveling to Glowing Oasis when street thugs tried to harass you. I saved you, and you offered yourself in gratitude."
"That night, we did it seven times, didn't we? That was amazing."
"Look, I even have a photo of you embracing me on my Facebook," he added, pulling up the Facebook post Hestia had shared from the high-speed train.
His story sounded plausible, especially with the Facebook evidence. The female officers exchanged shocked glances—the seemingly heartbroken, pure Hestia apparently had another side.
Seeing their judgmental looks, Hestia became desperate.
"James! How dare you slander me like this?"
"We never had any sexual relationship or shared a room! That Facebook photo—I asked you to take it just to make Allan jealous!"
"Please don't listen to him! He's making it all up. There was nothing between us!"
Her face contorted with fury. "James, if you keep lying, I'll sue you for defamation!"
As she spoke, she turned toward him, her grip on the railing loosening as if she might rush over to attack James at any moment.
"I'm only stating facts. I'm not afraid of the police," James replied nonchalantly. "Besides, if you're about to die, how could you sue me?"
"Hestia, just come down. Spend a few more days with me before you die, okay?" He let out a hot breath. "I really miss your tenderness that night."
"If you don't agree, or if you jump, I'll publicize our intimate relationship everywhere," James added with an insufferable smirk. "I'll humiliate both you and your mother."
Hestia nearly exploded with rage. "James, you're despicable!"
She wanted to strangle him, but she knew if James was determined to slander her, that Facebook photo would be enough to ruin her reputation.
The thought that her grand gesture of love would be twisted into a story of promiscuity and cheating was unbearable.
James continued his teasing. "Hestia, just give me one more good time."
"James, I'll kill you!" Unable to contain her outrage, Hestia grabbed the wine bottle and prepared to jump down and rush at him.
Just then, a gust of wind swept across the roof, making her shiver and lose her balance. She began falling backward.
"Ah!" The female officers gasped instinctively.
In that moment, James moved with blinding speed, leaving only a blur in his wake—like a special effect from a movie!
As Hestia closed her eyes in panic, awaiting death, a pair of strong hands caught her around the waist, preventing her from plummeting eighteen floors.
It happened so quickly that the officers couldn't see exactly what occurred. They only saw James holding Hestia tightly at the railing.
"Thank you," Hestia whispered, still trembling with fear. Once the suicidal impulse passed, she suddenly valued life more than anyone.
"Live well. Don't think about ending things," James said gently as he pulled her to safety. "Everything I said just now was to save you."
Hestia nodded vigorously, acknowledging James's intentions, then clung to him desperately, refusing to let go.
With no other choice, James carried Hestia from the rooftop to the elevator, accompanying the female officers down to the first floor, worried she might try jumping again if left alone.
While the police contacted Hestia's family, they asked James to accompany her to the station to provide a statement.
"Christopher, remember to lease that shop space," James called out as he left. "I'm just going to the police station to give a statement."
Even in the midst of this drama, he couldn't stop thinking about that storefront and how converting it into a tea experience shop would create a significant impact on the Garcia Group.
Christopher nodded repeatedly. "Understood."
Suddenly, Hestia spoke up. "I'll rent that shop to you for one dollar."
James looked startled. "The shop belongs to you?"
"This entire building belongs to my family—which means it's mine," Hestia explained, her eyes twinkling. "If you want it, I'll rent it to you for one dollar."
"But," she added, "you have to be my boyfriend!"
James almost dropped her, but Hestia tightened her arms around his neck. "You slandered me, so now you have to take responsibility!"
Mary, who had already arrived at the scene, watched this intimate exchange between James and Hestia. Her beautiful face frosted over as she turned and walked away.
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