Chapter 24: Five Hundred Thousand in Pocket Money

Once she'd heard the whole story, Megan pressed her fingers to her temples, eyes wide, and took a long moment to recover.

She swallowed hard, voice hesitant. "So... you're actually his wife now?"

Joy's mouth twitched, not quite a smile.

"How's your grandfather doing?" Megan asked.

"Good, actually. They're finalizing the surgical plan in the next few days."

"But" Megan grabbed her hand, nails digging in slightly. "How long can you keep this quiet? What happens once you're actually showing?"

Joy gave a bitter half-smile. "I don't know. One day at a time, I guess."

She took a bite of plain rice. "I'll keep working as long as I can, then start maternity leave early. If I'm lucky, I can slide back into my old life after the baby's born."

"And the chairman's fine with you staying on?"

"He's not doing it for me. He only cares about what's in here." She touched her stomach lightly.

Megan's frown deepened as she kept rubbing her temples. "You changed your name, your payroll info"

Joy's fork froze mid-air, color draining from her face. "Oh no. I completely forgot about that."

If anyone connects Joy Bennett to Miss Bennett, Nathaniel will tear the whole thing apart.

"It's fine." Megan's hand dropped, eyes going hard and steady. "I already swapped your name and account number quietly when I processed payroll."

"No." Joy shook her head immediately. "I can't drag you into this."

"What exactly are you worried about?" Megan waved a hand, unbothered.

"Tens of thousands of employees, thousands of transactions running through finance daily nobody's got time to double-check every line item. Trust me. Nobody's finding this."

Joy started to push back from the table. "It's too risky. I should just resign."

"Sit."

Megan pushed her back down. "If it gets found out, we go down together. A résumé line that says 'executive office, Cross Enterprises' isn't exactly going to hurt either of our job prospects."

"No you don't have to"

"We're done arguing. It's decided."

Megan cut her off, eyes bright.

"Also, good news you got a raise. Base is thirty-seven thousand now, and with overtime and allowances, you're clearing almost forty after tax."

Joy went quiet at the number for a beat.

That morning, five hundred thousand had shown up in her account pocket money, courtesy of the chairman.

Not even enough for a decent designer bag.

A number, and a message. A reminder not to ask for more than she was worth.

Joy looked at Megan, serious. "Thank you."

"Ugh, don't get sentimental on me." Megan waved it off, grinning mischievously.

"Look at the bright side Nathaniel Cross has the face and the body of a walking miracle. Even a year on his marriage license is a good deal."

Her eyes dropped to Joy's stomach, and she clicked her tongue.

"Plus, this baby's the eldest grandchild of the Cross family. Born into money, set for life, no matter what happens."

Joy pressed a hand to her stomach and felt something like strength return to her.

Nothing to feel yet. But there's a life in there.

Grandpa's safe. And this baby's future is secure too.

"Honestly? You've gone up in the world," Megan said, eyes gleaming. "Even for a year, you're Nathaniel Cross's wife. That's serious status."

Joy allowed herself a small smile.

The subway station buzzed with evening rush hour.

Joy wiped off her makeup in a station restroom, then stopped by the supermarket for groceries.

Her channel hadn't been updated in a week her inbox was flooded with followers begging for new content.

Things are what they are now. I need to hold it together, for the baby.

I won't let this kid grow up under the shadow of "gold-digger."

I need money. As much as I can save.

She moved the five hundred thousand from the chairman into a separate account.

The day of the divorce, I'll return every cent the million and a half, the allowance, all of it.

I want this child to grow up in the Cross family without a shadow hanging over it.

Back at Highgate Residences, the house was lit warm and bright.

Lily was setting down the last dish as Joy walked in, greeting her with a smile. "Ma'am, wash up, dinner's ready."

Five dishes and a soup, all generous portions.

Joy slipped her shoes off. "If Mr. Cross isn't coming home, there's no need to cook a full dinner for me. I'm not that hungry."

"That won't do."

Lily pulled off her apron, dead serious.

"Even if he's out, you still need to eat properly. You're expecting now if I let you skip meals, I'll answer for it to the family."

In Lily's world, there's no room for society games or secret contracts. Just: keep the household fed.

Joy shook her head gently, smiling. "You can handle breakfast. I'll cook my own dinner I like doing it."

"Well... alright."

"You should head home."

"I'll wait until you've eaten before I clear the table."

Joy insisted, and Lily eventually gave in, leaving for the night.

Once alone, Joy set up her phone stand, adjusted the angle, and pulled fresh grass carp and pickled cabbage from her shopping bag.

Recording starts.

The knife sliced clean through the fish, each slice sliding into hot oil with a hiss.

She walked the camera through the steps smoothly, tasted a few bites at the end, and cut the footage.

She sat cross-legged on the living room floor with her laptop, editing.

Eleven o'clock came and went. No sound from the entryway.

He's probably not coming home.

She uploaded the video and shut the laptop.

She slept soundly that night.

Across town, at The Scarlet Room.

Heavy bass thundered through the club, bodies moving together on the dance floor, the air thick with liquor and heat.

Nathaniel sat alone in a shadowed corner, drinking by himself.

Ethan shoved aside a cluster of women vying for his attention and dropped into the seat beside him, drink in hand.

"Nate you're exhausting to watch." He leaned in, shouting over the music. "You're the one who wanted this whole thing organized, and now you're hiding in a corner sulking? What's the point?"

Nathaniel wasn't a nightlife person, historically. Even when Ethan begged him to come out, he never had.

The last few days had been strange like the sun rising in the west, this untouchable, humorless man suddenly showing up somewhere this loud on purpose.

Ethan finally clocked that something was actually wrong.

The playful grin dropped. He studied Nathaniel's profile. "Nate. What happened?"

Nathaniel lifted his head, looked at him with zero expression, and said four words.

"I got married."

...!!

Ethan's grip went slack. His whiskey glass hit the floor and shattered.

"WHAT?!"

The shout was loud enough to cut straight through the sound system.

Every table nearby froze. The DJ, thinking something had gone wrong, killed the music.

The whole room went silent.

Dozens of eyes turned toward them.

Ethan's mouth hung open wide enough to swallow an egg whole, eyes bulging.

He turned stiffly, glanced at Nathaniel's blank face, then at the crowd staring them down.

"Uh my bad, everyone carry on, carry on”