Chapter 13 Charge For Five Minutes

[Ella]
"Sorry, Ella, but since you don't consider me a friend, I have to reveal the truth," Jasper says to me before he starts telling our story.
"That's okay. You can say whatever you want." I step out from behind Mr. Clapton.
Ansel gets two velvet armchairs from somewhere for Mr. Clapton and me.
"You can start now." Mr. Clapton sits down, crosses his legs, and looks like an interviewer.
"Mr. Clapton, you should know Ella is a gold-digger who will do anything to hook rich men. When Celina, my high school girlfriend, and I quarreled with each other, Ella deliberately took advantage of it. She waited outside my house every day, trying to get my attention in any way. When I was out with her, she would badmouth Celina every time and ask me to pay all the bills. You know, my parents have a high status in the town." Jasper points his finger at me like a schoolboy who can't wait to report to his teacher.
So, a gold digger is Jasper's summary of who I really am. It leads me to try recalling the family situations of my three ex-boyfriends while I was a student.
During the summer of 9th grade, I dated my first love Will for two months. Before the summer was over, he broke up with me because he would transfer to another school, and we might not have the chance to see each other in the future. I was told that an Alpha from a large pack in San Francisco invited his parents to join him in a joint venture.
In 10th grade, I broke up with Brett after a week of dating because he found a redhead in the neighboring town had bigger boobs. I had never been to his house or met his parents. It seemed like they were the gammas of the biggest pack in town.
About Jasper's family, I can't really remember what exactly his parents did for work. They seemed to be Betas in the second largest pack in town. Another thing I could remember was Jasper's house only had one more pool than my house.
Anyway, none of my three exes appears to be super-rich men. And, speaking of rich men, I would venture to say that by far the richest man I know is sitting right next to me. And he's my best friend's mate.
"Honey, will your town classify the Betas separately?" Mr. Clapton raises an eyebrow, then turns to me and asks. He acts curious, but his eyes and raised corners of lips suggest he's asking a sarcastic question.
"Of course not. You know the highest rank of us shifters has always been the Alpha, no matter how big the pack is." I reply with a smile.
Noticing Jasper's face turn redder, I sit straight. Yes, I need to show more confidence. Even if my pack is small, I'm still an Alpha's daughter.
"Go on, then! My time is expensive." Mr. Clapton tells Jasper.
Jasper pauses for a few seconds as he hesitates to continue. "Finally, I realized that I misunderstood Celina and made up with her. However, Ella went around the school saying that Celina and I had fooled her. I believe you had good and perfect girlfriends before you met Ella. Can you remember if your relationship with your female friends became precarious after meeting Ella Randall?"
He keeps spinning lies, trying to lead Mr. Clapton to think I'm a stupid relationship wrecker. Maybe he wanted to bet that Mr. Clapton would dump me for his ridiculous words. My focus, however, is that Jasper gets my full name wrong.
"Five minutes and twenty seconds." Mr. Clapton checks his watch and shifts his gaze to Ansel standing in the doorway, "Ansel, can you figure out my hourly wage?"
"Boss, does it include all earnings besides the base salary of the CEO and Alpha?" Ansel immediately took out his phone and put on the glasses hanging in his chest pocket.
"Hmm..." Mr. Clapton taps his temple and then eyes Jasper, "I'm not a demon. The base salary is enough."
"Mr. Clapton?" says Jasper, not understanding Mr. Clapton's meaning.
I have already guessed Mr. Clapton's intentions. And, my empathy suggests I may warn Jasper not to remain stupid, as he has stepped into Mr. Clapton's trap. However, he twisted the facts and called me a gold-digger. So, I choose to remain silent.
"Copy that." Ansel's finger taps the screen quickly. A few seconds later, Ansel steps in front of us and reports to Mr. Clapton, "Boss, your total hourly pay for your two jobs is about $25,000."
I am not surprised to hear this figure; after all, Mr. Clapton had no hesitation in writing the check for $50,000 for Ethan's monthly expenses.
"No way! That's so much!" Jasper's reaction looks more exaggerated. His eyes go wide, and his mouth falls open. If you look closely, you can see his lips quivering. His eyes reveal excitement because he has made a super billionaire acquaintance.
"Very good! Then you should charge Mr. Carton for 5 minutes at that rate! The extra 20 seconds will be a discount I offer him." Mr. Clapton nods and then turns his attention back to Jasper.
"Okay, Mr. Carton, the total amount is $2,167, including tax. May I ask if you want to pay by check or credit card? And by the way, we don't accept installment payments for small amounts." Ansel shows the numbers on his phone calculator to Jasper.
"Mr. Clapton, what do you mean?" Jasper still doesn't realize the reality.
"The shitty story you created cannot provide me with any information capable of creating value. You've wasted my valuable time. So, I have every reason to demand you pay accordingly." Mr. Clapton stands up and steps forward, not giving Jasper a smile.
Jasper's cheeks gradually turn pale in color. He takes a step backward in fear because of Mr. Clapton's coming closer. "Wait! This doesn't make sense! You said you were interested in my past with Ella before I decided to tell you the truth. You didn't say it would cost anything."
At seeing such a spineless Jasper, I suspect there was something wrong with my head in high school when I agreed to go out with such a man. However, I have to say his look as he backs in fear gives me a thrill of revenge.
"That's exactly what I said. But you could have chosen not to say anything or say something useful, like my Ella's interesting things in high school. It turns out what you said didn't make any sense." Mr. Clapton straightens his cuffs as he speaks. He moves gracefully and looks as if he is getting ready to go to a party.
"Plus..." his voice goes powerful as he walks towards Jasper, "I don't see a downside of pursuing wealth. On the contrary, if Ella likes money, that's even better. Because money is the last thing the Claptons lack."
I stand up and stop beside Mr. Clapton because I don't want to miss this great drama.
Jasper has backed against the wall, with no place for him to hide. He grits his teeth, and the whites of his eyes turn red. But he doesn't look as intimidating as Mr. Clapton did earlier, "Mr. Clapton, you hurt my wrist. I have the right to sue you for assault."
"Whatever. You can even sue me for extortion. But before that, you'll have to pay me $2,167. If you refuse, you or your parents can prepare to receive the letter from Blue Moon Group's lawyers and the bill for the late payment expenses." Mr. Clapton spreads his hands, not caring about Jasper's threat. Instead, he utters his threatening words in a relaxed tone.
I heard Blue Moon Group has lots of top talents worldwide, which must include the top lawyer team. So, even if Jasper does decide to sue Mr. Clapton, he will definitely lose.
I glance at Mr. Clapton and meet Jasper's eyes again. He rushes to me, bypassing Mr. Clapton as if he saw a savior, "Ella, Ella, I'm sorry, just made up those jokes to scare you. I don't want you to end our friendship."
"Jasper Lyon Carton, I told you earlier we no longer have any relationship. You should focus on your job. But you insist on approaching Eth. It's his decision, and I have no right to interfere."
"Okay, let me give you a chance. If you win, you don't need to pay me, and I will pay you an extra $10,000." Mr. Clapton grins as he states the opportunity.
"It's simple. Mr. Carton, if you can correctly say my sweetheart's full name, I will immediately have Ansel prepare a check for you for $10,000."