Chapter 40 - 39: Investment

Vicars Hotel. Elliana Lyle had just pushed the door open and was about to greet Lana, who was pouring water, when she saw another man sitting on the sofa. A white hoodie, khaki pants, a campus-style Morgan spiked haircut—a more sunny version of Norman Bennett! "Brat?" Zane Bennett was somewhat surprised. What was Elliana doing here? Living with his brother? He thought: Impossible, unless Elliana has gone mad! "..." Just by his opening, Elliana was sure, it was undoubtedly Zane Bennett. Elliana didn’t know how to respond for a moment. Zane had been calling her a brat since they were little, and she wasn’t polite either, always calling him "Hanging Ghost." Because Zane’s name sounds like "self-hanging" in Chinese. However, after calling him that a while, she felt it wasn’t good, so she simply called him "Big Brain." Seeing Zane’s surprised expression, Elliana rolled her eyes secretly, said nothing, and walked straight in, with Norman Bennett following behind her. Unlike Zane, Norman was mature and steady. His side-parted hair, revealing his forehead, made him appear unapproachable. "What did you just call her?" Norman’s eyes swept coldly over Zane. Realizing his older brother was angry, Zane quickly apologized, "...Brother, I was wrong." He had just called out in surprise. "Apologize to her." Norman walked straight in, still carrying that oppressive aura. In the Bennett family, perhaps Zane was the one at the bottom. Where there is oppression, there is resistance, but one’s arm can’t twist the thigh. "Sister-in-law, I was wrong!" Zane apologized weakly, without a hint of sincerity in his manner. He hadn’t forgotten the last time Norman made him drink for Elliana, and he was the one who paid the bill! He basically had no money... Elliana took the warm water that Lana poured for her, took a sip, and then said with an air, "It’s okay, as a sister-in-law, how can I quarrel with a child like him." Ha! Zane turned his head disdainfully. Wait! What did she just say? Zane slightly furrowed his brows, his sharp eyes staring at Elliana. If he didn’t hear wrong, didn’t this brat just call herself sister-in-law? "Why are you here?" Norman asked, sitting on the sofa as Lana came over with a freshly brewed coffee. This reminded Zane of the matter at hand, nearly making him forget the main issue. "Bro~ I’m out of money, can you invest a little in me?" A grown man acting all cute and pitiful, it was quite disgusting. Norman put down his coffee cup, finally giving this brother a serious look, and asked, "Who was it that said back then..." Before Norman finished, Elliana, ever the spectator, couldn’t miss a good show. She animatedly mimicked, "I, Zane Bennett, will never take a dime from the Bennett family again! Even if I die outside, I won’t let you collect my body!" Hearing Elliana’s mimicry, Zane froze but then blurted out, "How do you know that?" Strange! How did this brat know about his business? Then he instantly figured it out, looking at his brother. However, Norman didn’t seem surprised by this kind of thing. ... This made Elliana awkward, unsure how to explain. After all, in a previous life, Zane himself had told her this when he came to borrow money from her... back when she was already married to Shane Southwell... "I...I heard it from your brother!" Elliana quickly shifted the blame onto Norman and then quietly drank her water. "Ah, brother! How can you be such a blabbermouth, telling her everything! You weren’t like this before!" "Hmm?" Norman didn’t deny it, naturally accepting the blame Elliana threw his way. Zane was about to cause a fuss but suddenly realized he was getting sidetracked! He quickly got back on topic: "Brother, could you invest a little in me? I got scammed, everything’s fallen apart, and I want to start over." "I’m also part of the Bennett family." Norman refused this brother’s request very obviously. "..." Seeing Zane hit a wall, Elliana chuckled lightly to herself. Actually, Zane really has managed to make something of himself. Why not give him a hand, buy some shares, and make money too? She looked at Zane, smiling sweetly, and said, "Jingyi, if you call me sister-in-law, I’ll help plead with your brother, how about it?" "Sister-in-law." Zane immediately said, though reluctantly. But knowing how to adapt to circumstances is wise! He knew, even if Elliana wanted the moon, his brother would help her get it. "Cough, cough!" Elliana almost choked on water, shocked at how easily he could bend and stretch. However, Norman raised an eyebrow slightly, glancing sideways, eager to see how this girl would plead with him. Faced with Norman’s cold gaze, Elliana felt a bit daunted; what if Norman didn’t give her face? "Hehe... Norman, just help him out, will you? This kid has been clever since he was little; investing in him won’t be a loss." Words alone couldn’t persuade Norman, so she walked to the man, ignoring others’ presence, and sat directly in his lap, softly pleading, "Please, Norman." "No manners! Get down!" Norman’s tone sounded... a bit angry. Zane, standing to the side, internally mocked: Did she mess up? Yet, Elliana showed no intention of getting down. Instead, she nestled more comfortably in his arms, turned her head directly to Zane, and said, "Done, go back and wait for the transfer." "???" What was done? Zane hadn’t seen his brother agree. However, Norman did not deny it either. For his little darling, it was worth giving some face. Seeing this, Zane quickly said, "Thanks, brother. But there’s one more thing, brother, I don’t have a place to stay. I just got kicked out by my landlord." Zane spoke very quickly. Sure enough, Elliana saw the suitcase to one side. Thinking quickly, she generously said, "You can stay in the guest room. Tonight, I’ll sleep with your brother." She winked at him to hurry up and go. "Thanks, sister-in-law, thanks, brother!" Zane, naturally understanding Elliana’s meaning, hurriedly dragged his suitcase towards the guest room. Great, tonight she could sleep openly with Norman. "Are you sure you want to sleep with me?" Norman gazed at the girl in his arms, and the words seemed to grind out from between his teeth. Sometimes he really wanted to just devour her. But Elliana didn’t sense anything strange. Sleeping together was great; she wouldn’t have to fear nightmares and could sleep soundly. "What’s the matter? Can’t I?" Seeing the little lady’s towering manner, he felt somewhat helpless, didn’t say more, and just said, "Alright, I have a meeting later, and I’ll come back late." "Okay, I’ll wait for you." After Norman left, Zane quietly sneaked out from the room, clapping for Elliana, wagging his head and saying, "Brat, you really wrapped my brother around your finger." Then Zane asked, "Don’t you like Shane Southwell anymore?" Lana was stunned upon hearing this; how dare this second young master speak this way, luckily the eldest wasn’t around. "..." Elliana threatened fiercely, "Big Brain, listen up. If you ever mention him again, the investment is off!" On hearing he might lose the investment, he quickly changed his tune, "Fine, I won’t say it, but I must also tell you, my brother is truly devoted to you. If you let him down again, we’re done." "I would never." Speaking of which, Elliana felt a bit guilty; she really had mistreated Norman in the past. Seeing Elliana’s downcast eyes and poor expression, looking almost about to cry, Zane panicked, "Hey! Don’t cry, I was just joking! I didn’t bully you!" "It’s you who’s crying!" Elliana retorted at once. Then she thought of something, and a gleam flashed in her eyes. She said, "Big Brain, how about I propose a deal to you?" Zane’s face stiffened, looking at Elliana with wary eyes, staring at her curiously and asking, "What?!"