Chapter 27: The Value Of Money

"What?! Not you?" Daisy stood up from her chair, a bit dramatic as she always was. Then she realised the eyes around the restaurant had started to glance her way. She quickly bowed slightly and mouthed, "Sorry," before sinking back into her seat. Aurora shook her head, "Maybe... Theo Kingsley?" She guessed, tilting her head. "You know, since it would be a win-win situation for him. He needs you to be by his side as soon as possible, and you need help making sure your father gets the care he’s supposed to get, right?" Daisy nodded unconsciously, lost in thought, then quietly sipped her iced vanilla blended. "Oh my gosh!" "What? What?" Aurora leaned forward, starting to worry. "This restaurant makes the best one!" Daisy pointed to her drink with wide eyes, completely shifting gears. "Oh God, Daisy." Aurora sighed, though a smile tugged at her lips. "I almost thought you forgot something serious or got into trouble again." Daisy only grinned, hugging the cup like it was the highlight of her entire day. Aurora shook her head. "You and your vanilla obsession. One day, you’re going to marry a guy just because he smells like vanilla." "No, I married a guy who smells like power and deadlines," Daisy muttered into her straw, eyes rolling. "I am curious," Aurora leaned forward, her grin teasing, "How does he smell?" Daisy blinked, caught off guard. "What?" "You know... you’ve been close enough, like you know..." Aurora raised both brows. "So...How... Does... He... Smell?" Daisy stared into her drink like it held the answer. "Like..." she hesitated, then frowned. "Like Baccarat... and... maybe rain?" Aurora burst out laughing. "Rain?!" "I don’t know!" Daisy flailed a little. "It’s hard to explain! It’s the kind of scent that makes you forget what you were mad about two seconds ago!" "So basically, he smells like trouble." "Exactly!" Daisy pointed at her. "Like... the kind of trouble you don’t mind getting into. Ugh! What am I talking about?" Aurora smirked, clearly enjoying herself. "Because deep down, you like your husband who smells like money, power, and emotionally unavailable." "Ah, come on..." Daisy frowned, trying to sound annoyed, then, "You are truly my best friend." She clicked her tongue but couldn’t hide the smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Then she took another long sip of her drink. "Well, what I need now is money." Aurora leaned back, grinning. "Exactly my point." "I’m being practical," Daisy insisted, though even she didn’t sound fully convinced. "Love doesn’t pay hospital bills and all the debt my family has currently." Aurora nodded in agreement, raising her glass. "I wish I could stumble into someone like him, who easily gives a black card to his contract wife..." "Jealous?" Daisy scrunched her nose. "Don’t be. Let’s go test the power of that black card." A mischievous smile tugged at her lips. Aurora looked hesitant. "Don’t you think he might be... testing you?" Daisy paused, her playful grin faltering for just a second. "Testing me? For what?" "To see what kind of person you really are," Aurora said, more gently now. "To find out if you’re just here for the money... or if you’ll take it and still play fair." Daisy leaned forward, her eyes narrowing with mock seriousness as her voice dropped to a whisper. "I am here for the money..." she said, then burst out laughing. "And seriously, Aurora, he knew it." Aurora blinked. "Wait... he does?" "Of course!" Daisy leaned back, swirling the last bit of her drink. "He practically spelled it out. In the most hurtful way." She said it casually, like it had never hurt her at all. Aurora pouted, clearly catching the shift in Daisy’s expression. "Never mind!" she said quickly, hopping to her feet and making her way around the table. She grabbed Daisy’s hand and tugged her up. "Let’s use his money all we want today, just to compensate for all the hurtful things he said to you." She gave a firm nod, her lips pressed together in determination. "We’re going to the shopping mall!" One boutique, two shoe stores, and a stop at a macaron stall later... "Huh..." Daisy let out a soft, conflicted sigh. Aurora glanced at her. "Why the sigh? I told you... just use it! Back when you used your dad’s card, didn’t the bank send him a notification every time you made a purchase?" Daisy nodded, lips pursed. "So try it," Aurora pressed. "If Theo calls you right after and yells or cancels the card, we’ll stop. No harm done. Consider it... an experiment." Daisy looked down at the sleek black card resting in her palm. "Shall I?" she murmured, though she didn’t sound convinced. "Still... using someone else’s hard-earned money... I don’t know." She glanced up at Aurora, her tone quieter now. "I realized after actually working for once... making money’s not easy. Spending it always felt like nothing. But now..." Aurora tilted her head, watching her. "Now you feel weird about it because you finally know what it costs." Daisy nodded slowly. "Exactly." There was a pause. "It’s okay, let’s go buy something." Aurora stood up, took the last macaron, and gently shoved it into Daisy’s mouth. "I’ll pay. Come on." Daisy blinked, still chewing. "Wait... did you get your salary already?" She linked arms with Aurora, frowning slightly. "But it’s not even your payday yet, right?" Aurora suddenly paused mid-step, just for a second. But it was enough to make Daisy stumble a little. "What? What happened?" Aurora forced a casual smile. "Nothing! I’m just... budgeting better this month. You know, no more bubble tea every day, and poof... I have money." She waved it off and tugged Daisy toward the boutique window. "Come on, before I change my mind and start adulting again." Daisy squinted at her, clearly not buying it completely, but she let it go. "Fine. But if I find out you’re secretly working as a sugar baby, I want a 10% cut." Aurora laughed too loudly. "Deal!"