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Novel Catalog
Chapter 71
Jasmine circled Serenity’s new car, her eyes wide with admiration. “Not bad. How much was it?” she asked, clearly impressed. Serenity hesitated for a moment before replying. “About a hundred thousand bucks.” Jasmine raised an eyebrow. “Was it paid in full, or are you taking out a loan?” Serenity smiled a little, her voice a mix of disbelief and amusement. “My man made the full payment.”
Jasmine beamed, patting her best friend’s shoulder. “Wow, Serenity. It didn’t take long for you to bag that man and get him to buy you a car.” She chuckled, adding, “I knew you had it in you, even though you didn’t know each other before the marriage. Mr. York must be blind if he didn’t fall for your charms.”
Serenity shook her head, trying to brush off the compliment. “You’re crazy.” She went to pour herself a glass of water, chugging down half before continuing, “Zachary found out that Shawn drove me home last night. We nearly got into a fight because he thought I was cheating on him. So, he felt like he did me wrong after I cleared the air, and now he’s giving me a car as an apology.”
Jasmine’s eyes widened in shock. She had imagined a romance worthy of a Lifetime movie, but Serenity’s reality seemed far more complicated. “Wait, what?!” Jasmine said, almost choking on her words. “So this car… It’s an apology gift?”
Serenity sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Jasmine, I’ll be honest with you about Zachary and me since we’re close. I haven’t even told my sister. The truth is, Zachary gave me a contract to sign after we met with our families on Saturday.”
Jasmine’s face shifted from confusion to concern. “A contract? What kind of contract?”
Serenity nodded, her tone lowering as she spoke. “The contract was in his favor. He seemed to think I was out to get his money. It was written that if we didn’t develop feelings for each other within six months, we’d have an amicable separation. He’d transfer the ownership of the house and car to me as part of the divorce settlement.”
Jasmine stared at her, speechless for a moment. “Wait… What? He wants to give you the house and car if you two don’t fall in love?”
Serenity shrugged. “I guess that’s the cost of losing my youth.” Her words were tinged with bitterness, but her expression was matter-of-fact. “He’s pretty generous about the matter. The house is fully paid for, and it’s a prenuptial property. I moved in with just my bags. I didn’t want to take what wasn’t mine, but since he drafted those terms in the contract, I just went along with it.”
Jasmine furrowed her brows. “But you’re not planning on keeping it, right? I mean, that sounds like a mess to me.”
Serenity shook her head. “No, I don’t intend to accept anything that’s his. I’ll move out the same way I moved in when the divorce happens. I told him I’d pay him back for the car, but he didn’t seem too pleased about that. He just left after I said it. Well, he can be unhappy all he wants. I’d rather be clear on this before things get ugly during the divorce.”
Jasmine was quiet for a while, processing everything Serenity had just revealed. Then, with a soft poke to Serenity’s forehead, she said, “What’s in that head of yours, Serenity? Mr. York said you’ll divorce if you don’t fall in love within the time frame. Why don’t you give it a go, then? I bet he’s a softie. Men like that are always easier than they seem.”
Serenity remained silent, and Jasmine could tell right away what that silence meant.
“Don’t blame Mr. York for ditching you, okay? Although he bought you the car as an apology, he’s clearly changed his attitude toward you. He could have just said sorry or given you a bunch of worthless flowers. But instead, he bought you a car. Doesn’t that show something?”
Serenity’s mind raced for a moment. “I don’t want to owe him, even though we’re married. It’s not like we have any feelings for each other. But I have to admit, he’s better than my brother-in-law. At least he paid for living expenses and didn’t make me go Dutch.”
Jasmine raised her eyebrows. “So what now? You’re planning to pay him back for the car?”
Serenity nodded. “I’ll wire him the money later. I won’t feel comfortable taking the car otherwise. It feels like a ticking time bomb, threatening to blow up in my face one day.”
Jasmine nodded thoughtfully. “Sounds good. You’re an independent woman. Since Mr. York suspected you had a motive, paying him back would prove that you’re not after his money.”
Serenity exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of the situation lifting slightly. “Yeah, I’ll do that. It’s better to be clear than to let things get complicated.”
Jasmine grinned, her mischievous spirit taking over once again. “Well, Serenity, looks like you’re handling everything perfectly. You’ve got this, girl!”
