Compensation

A ninth-degree black belt holder in Taekwondo, Veronica tried to fend Matthew off, but she couldn't hold her own against him at this very moment. 

"Let go of me, you *sshole!" 

"How dare you play hard to get with me right now after drugging me…" 

"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm here… for the money!" 

Veronica struggled against the man, but it wasn't until her fingers touched his skin that she realized how burning hot he was. Did he just say 'drugging'? With the benefit of hindsight, she instantly realized what had happened, but it was too late when she got up and tried to run away. Matthew kept her from moving. In the end, annoyed by her irritating cries, he stuffed his necktie into her mouth right away. 

"Shut up." 

That night, he forced himself on Veronica like mad, getting it on with her until Veronica passed out and came round in tears several times. Veronica cursed Matthew inwardly. Damn it! Is this guy too strong, or is that f*cking drug too overpowering? 

…

It was already noon the next day when Veronica woke up on her own. She shifted a little in bed, only to find herself aching all over as though she had just had the living daylights beaten out of her. Not only that, but her body felt so sticky that she almost had a meltdown. 

She sat up and looked all around the bedroom. Matthew was long gone; there was a set of clean clothes placed on the head of the bed. She got out of bed and took a quick shower in the bathroom. Without bothering to remove her makeup, she walked out of the bedroom, wanting to find Matthew and ask for an explanation. 

However, when she walked out of the bedroom, she found an unfamiliar man sitting on the living room sofa. 

"I'm Thomas Ritter, Young Master Matthew's personal secretary," the man said, introducing himself before Veronica spoke. 

Seething with anger, Veronica swore angrily, "Where's Matthew Kings, that *sshole? Is he gonna deny his responsibility after having his way with me and walking away?" 

*sshole? Thomas was astounded. Those who know nothing fear nothing, huh? Instead of arguing with her, he pointed at the box of pills on the table, saying, "My boss said you must either take the morning-after pill and get out of Bloomstead or die. Make the choice yourself, Miss Murphy." 

He already knows my name! He must have done some background check, thought Veronica. Her heart did a complete somersault. Upon feeling how ruthless and unfeeling Matthew was, she was seized with terror. In an instant, all her cockiness was gone. She pursed her lips, asking, "Uh, I-I'd like to see Matthew. I saved his life, you know? How could he return my kindness with ingratitude?" 

Upon hearing her words, Thomas sneered in contempt. "Even I'm tired of listening to such a bad lie. Do you think my boss is gonna believe it?" 

"I'm telling the truth! That day—" 

"Miss Murphy!" Thomas ran out of patience. "You want it the hard way? Don't blame me for being unpleasant with you, then." 

Ding! 

Just then, the elevator door opened. At first, Veronica thought it was Matthew, but to her surprise, the one stepping out of the elevator was a silver-haired old woman who looked regal and poised from head to toe. Not only that, but she was accompanied by two servants. 

Thomas bowed to the old woman. "Good day, Old Mrs. Kings." 

Elizabeth Hutchinson walked in and shot Thomas a glare. "What are you doing here?" 

"I'm just taking care of some private affairs on Young Master Matthew's behalf, Old Mrs. Kings," Thomas answered honestly. 

Elizabeth pointed at the box of morning-after pills on the table. "By 'private affairs,' do you mean you want to kill the Kings Family's great-grandson?" 

Veronica was stunned. What? Great-grandson? When she followed Elizabeth's gaze and saw the box of pills, she couldn't help wondering if the "great-grandson" Elizabeth referred to was the… Wait, she's referring to what that *sshole left inside me yesterday, right? 

"This is what he wanted." 

"Hmph! Tell that brat to come to me if he has questions." Elizabeth turned around, her severe expression instantly easing into a benign smile as she walked up to Veronica. "You're Veronica?" 

Veronica disliked Matthew, and she felt nothing toward Elizabeth. Still, she asked out of courtesy, "What can I do for you, madam?" 

Elizabeth's smile broadened into a cheerful grin at the word 'madam.' "Your looks are average, but you've got quite a smooth tongue." 

Veronica was born with fair skin, so she made a special effort to black her skin, thicken her eyebrows with makeup, and add a lot of freckles to her face. As a result, she did look quite plain at first glance. 

Elizabeth took Veronica's hand affectionately, saying, "Young lady, I'm old, and I just want to have a great-grandson. I've looked into your background, so I know your parents are being hospitalized. You're a nice kid who works part-time after work to earn money to support your family. As long as you're willing to bear a child for our family, I'll agree to whatever terms you wish." 

Veronica's eyes widened; she shook off Elizabeth's hand as if she had gotten an electric shock. "No, no, no, madam. I know you want to have a great-grandson, but this is a family matter for you guys. I've got absolutely nothing to do with it." 

Are you kidding me? This is a bit too hasty. Don't tell me I'm gonna have to bear a child for the Kings Family just because I have slept with Matthew. What does that make of me, huh? 

Meanwhile, Tiffany arrived at Hilton Restaurant, but it wasn't until half an hour after she arrived that Matthew turned up. 

"Sorry for keeping you waiting." 

Matthew walked in, dressed in a black shirt paired with a silvery-gray and white striped suit. With his matchless good-looking features, he oozed seductive charm with only a slight curl of his thin lips, causing Tiffany's heart to go pit-a-pat and her eyes to glaze over slightly. 

Tiffany had seen Matthew on TV before. At this very moment, however, she felt that the broad-shouldered and slender man before her was exuding the regal air of a noble prince through his every pore while giving off a chilly vibe that would keep any strangers away. 

Restraining herself despite her fluttering heart, she stood up and nodded gently out of courtesy. "It's okay, Young Master Matthew. You're punctual; I'm the one who was early." 

Sitting across the table from Tiffany, Matthew shot a glance at her before withdrawing his gaze. "What would you like to eat?" 

Tiffany had little makeup on today and was wearing the latest dress from Dior, paired with Gucci's limited-edition earrings and necklace. She looked very gorgeous, but Matthew, who was already used to seeing all kinds of beautiful women, found such "materialistic" beauty vulgar. 

"Feel free to order whatever you please, Young Master Matthew. I'm fine with anything." 

"Uh-huh." 

Matthew pressed the call button on the table. A waiter immediately entered the private room, upon which Matthew ordered two servings of the restaurant's most expensive lunch set and a bottle of red wine. 

Sitting cross-legged with his back leaning against his chair, he fixed Tiffany with a piercing stare, asking, "Since you're the daughter of the Floch Group's owner, why were you in the suburbs that day?" 

He had done a background check on Tiffany and learned about her family background after returning to his office. 

Tiffany's heart clenched at once. Clenching her fists uneasily with a bitter smile, she replied, "To tell you the truth, I was doing food delivery because my dad wanted me to see the world. He wanted to see whether I can bear hardships to decide whether or not I can take over his company." 

She already had these words down pat long ago. Back when Matthew asked to meet her a week later, she had told her parents about the whole situation. Having expected Matthew to ask such a question, they went out of their way to learn about where the car accident had happened and what Veronica had done by having someone check the surveillance footage of Veronica sending Matthew to the hospital the other day. 

In order to avoid arousing the man's suspicion, Tiffany really did food delivery for a week, not to mention how many grievances she had suffered during that time. 

Matthew quite agreed with Floch Larson's approach. "Your dad's idea is pretty nice. It's a good thing to see the world." 

"Yeah, I think what my dad did is great too." 

"Give me your bank account number. I'll have the finance department wire 100 million to you tomorrow." 

Tiffany didn't understand what Matthew meant by talking about moneyall of a sudden. "What?" 

"You risked your life to save me that day. The money's your compensation.”