Chapter 37: Gifting Her a Villa

After Alaric Vane helped apply medicine to Seren Thorne’s forehead, Seren originally wanted to ask Evangeline Frost to stay for dinner.

However, before the words could leave her mouth, Alaric beat her to it, addressing Evangeline: "Miss Frost, you've been here for a while. Your grandmother is likely waiting for you; you should head back now."

Evangeline had been enjoying her chat with Seren and felt a bit reluctant to end the conversation. But seeing Alaric’s expression—looking as if he were deathly afraid she would steal his wife away—she eventually stood up and left to avoid causing any friction between the couple.

Seren had wanted Alaric to talk more with the heroine. Seeing him dismiss her so directly, she couldn't help but feel a sense of exasperation at his lack of effort.

{This dog man is such a typical 'straight man.' The heroine sat here for so long and he didn't even think to offer her a meal. He has zero emotional intelligence.}

"Alaric Vane, being such a 'straight man' is how you end up with no wife!"

Alaric glanced at her indifferently. "Aren't you my wife?"

Seren shook her head and sighed deeply, clasping her hands behind her back like a wise master. "This 'wife' is not that 'wife.' You wouldn't understand."

Alaric: "..."

He reached out and pinched Seren’s cheek, saying, "Stop acting so mysterious. If you’re not sick, get discharged."

Seren slapped his hand away and glared at him. "Why do you keep pinching? It’s not like you don't have meat on your own face."

Despite being slapped, Alaric didn't get angry. He picked up her bag and walked toward the exit. "Let’s go home."

Seren originally wanted to show some backbone and not follow him, but since her bank card containing the five million yuan fortune was still in that bag, she had to keep up.

Once in the car, as Seren buckled her seatbelt, she couldn't help but ask Alaric: "Let’s talk seriously—how did you feel talking to Evangeline Frost today? Any racing heartbeats?"

Alaric’s face remained cold as he replied, "No."

Seren curled her lip.

{Heh, men.}

{So stubborn.}

However, since the two had already started exchanging glances today, she figured it wouldn't be long before Alaric truly fell for Evangeline. But the dog man was stingy; he might try to make her leave with nothing during the divorce. She needed to take advantage of her current position in the upper-class circle to find ways to make more money.

Alaric listened to Seren’s inner thoughts all the way home—every single one was either about divorce or making money to support "younger men." It made the veins in his temples throb; he had a sudden urge to wrap up Seren’s brain so she couldn't make a sound.

After dinner at home, Alaric went upstairs to his study, while Seren sought out Arthur Vane. She wanted him to introduce her to a few more "wealthy marks" so she could turn another profit.

Arthur had been in business for many years and knew thousands of wealthy people. Several of them were long-time rivals whom he had disliked for years, only maintaining a polite facade for the sake of appearances. Now that Seren wanted "marks" and he had rivals he wanted to deal with, it was the perfect opportunity to use his granddaughter-in-law's skills to teach those old fogies a lesson.

"I have several suitable targets for extort—cough, I mean, several suitable clients. I'll take you to visit them tomorrow."

"Thank you, Grandpa!" At the thought of more money coming in, Seren couldn't suppress her grin. "Grandpa, if it’s convenient, please introduce me to more clients in the future. We'll split the income fifty-fifty."

She didn't have the heart to charge ordinary people high prices, but for those capitalists who had done plenty of shady deeds, she had no such kindness. By extorting a few more sums during this period, she might be able to afford her own yacht and a grand villa after the divorce.

At this thought, Seren rubbed her small hands expectantly.

Arthur said, "No need for fifty-fifty. A ninety-ten split is fine—ten for me, ninety for you."

Arthur was only acting as a middleman and felt embarrassed taking so much of Seren's money.

"Fifty-fifty is a must. After all, without you, I wouldn't even have the other fifty."

Seeing Seren’s persistence, Arthur declined a few more times before finally agreeing to the original split. The duo agreed to meet at 8:00 AM the next morning to see the first client. Worried she wouldn't be able to wake up, Seren refrained from staying up late and went to bed early.

When she woke up the next day, Alaric saw her humming a little tune even while washing up. He asked casually, "What happened to make you so happy?"

Seren was in a good mood today and rarely refrained from snapping back at him. "Grandpa introduced me to some clients. I’m going to make money by fortune-telling."

Alaric asked, "How much do you charge for a reading?"

"Two million." Mentioning the number made Seren’s eyes sparkle.

In her previous life, let alone two million, it was a struggle to even find twenty yuan in her pocket. Now that she could earn this much in one go, how could she not be happy?

Looking at her crescent-shaped eyes full of smiles, Alaric’s mood inexplicably lightened a bit, though his face remained indifferent. "You’re this happy over two million? I have hundreds of billions in assets, yet I don’t see you looking this happy about it."

Seren flattened her lips. "You said yourself those assets are yours. Why should I be happy about that?"

Alaric said, "We are husband and wife. What’s mine is yours."

Seren held out her hand to him. "Then give me a hundred million to spend first?"

"No."

Seren rolled her eyes, giving him a "just as I thought" expression.

However, in the next moment, Alaric added: "Not in cash, but I can give you a property worth over a hundred million."

If it weren't for the fact that Seren wanted to use his money to support other men, he wouldn't have restricted her spending. He certainly couldn't give her a hundred million in liquid funds, but real estate was fine. Even if Seren wanted to sell the house for cash, he had plenty of ways to stop her.

Hearing Alaric's words, Seren didn't look excited but rather suspicious: "Really? You’re not trying to trick me again, are you?"

She still remembered how the dog man said he’d give her five million one second, only to take the card back the next. With that precedent, it was hard to believe Alaric would be good to her. And such a sudden act of kindness, too. When things are too good to be true, there’s usually a catch; the dog man must be plotting something.

"It’s just a property; I have no reason to lie to you." Alaric’s expression was calm. "You’ve helped the Vane family a lot lately; this is what you deserve. When you return this afternoon, I’ll take you to transfer the title."

Seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, Seren started to believe him a little, but she still said uneasily, "Swear it. If you lie, you’re a puppy."

Alaric chuckled. "Fine, I swear. If I lie, I’m a puppy."

"Wait." Seren pulled out her phone. "I’m recording this. Say it again."

Helplessly, Alaric repeated his words once Seren started the recording. Only after confirming there were no issues did Seren finally start to celebrate.

{A grand villa! A villa worth a hundred million! I’m finally going to be filthy rich! Occasionally, this dog man is actually quite decent.}

Looking at the woman's almond eyes curved into crescents, Alaric couldn't help but let a smile touch his own eyes. He reached out and ruffled her head. "Once you’re done, hurry up and wash up. It’s time to go downstairs for breakfast."

"I know! Don't touch my head, you're messing up my hair." Seren’s mood was fantastic, so her complaints carried much less bite than usual. She quickly finished getting ready and went downstairs with Alaric.

After breakfast, Alaric left for work, while Seren and Arthur Vane got into another car, setting off to meet Seren's first client of the day.