Lahat ng Kabanata ng A Life Debt Repaid: Kabanata 401 - Kabanata 410

Cordy and John’s eyes met.There seemed to be unspoken emotions in their gazes, yet at the same time, there seemed to be nothing. Silence ensued between them until Jessica spoke up, "Patrick, my dear cousin—a shame that you beat me to a partnership with Cordy!" "Is that so?" Patrick replied, cordial as ever with Jessica."I've been saying that I’d like to partner with her, but never did have the chance," Jessica said, appearing genuinely disappointed. "On the other hand, you seemed to really hit it off with her! It’s left me really upset for a while.""Now, now—you shouldn't overreach, Jessica. Mr. Levine there leads a lot of people and multiple elite businesses. I'm just a startup, so don't snuff me out so soon now," Patrick said, seemingly jokingly as he insulted Jessica's family for their greed. "Come on. We're family, aren't we? What's mine is yours. You have my best wishes in your partnership with Cordy. Johnny, here. Let's drink to their success," Jessica said.She had

Jessica then added, "Now, before the charity auction, I have prepared a little social session for everyone."She certainly gained everyone's attention upon that announcement. Every pair of eyes were on her as she continued, "We’ll be picking ladies present at random and auctioning her first dance for the night. As with other proceeds, proceeds of this dance auction would be donated to the charity organization under Stuart Holdings."The ballroom grew a little restless—it was the first time they had heard of auctioning a dance!But come to think of it, this was a charity ball. The more the proceeds, the better it was. In comparison, how said proceeds were obtained was certainly secondary in importance. Moreover, those who were taking part weren’t here for the auctioned items—they were just donating for the sake of glorifying themselves and their businesses. "Is there any lady who would like to volunteer?" Jessica asked onstage.The ladies below the stage were whispering amongst

After a brief interaction with the crowd, Jessica returned to the topic at hand. "Let's not waste time—we shall now auction the ladies' first dance, starting with Noel."Noel didn’t say no, and smiled shyly as she moved to stand at the front end of the stage. "Please introduce yourself?" Jessica said, passing Noel the mic.Noel appeared charmingly shy even as she took it. "It's my honor to attend tonight's charity ball. It's my first time here too, so it's my good fortune to make everyone's acquaintance. I'm a little nervous now, since I'm not sure what I should say… Anyway, the purpose of this ball is for charity, and I hope everyone will bid for me and become the first donor of the night. Thank you, everyone." She was certainly smart. Knowing that she didn’t have the advantage with Cordy there with them, she emphasized on the charity part, even using the word 'first' to appeal to the men. She was perfectly aware that those present were all amongst the best in their respective

Jessica was extending an olive branch to John, but he didn’t accept it.His indifferent gaze did not change, and his auction paddle was still in the air.Jessica scowled—she had already lowered herself this far! Was John really not going to spare her any dignity at all?!Even as she was crumbling inside, Cordy suddenly exclaimed loudly and clearly, "Two million."John's bid was left stuck in his throat, while everyone turned towards Cordy, not sure why she would bid for herself.Maybe she thought herself worth that much?! Wasn’t she giving herself too much credit?Nonetheless, Cordy continued loudly and clearly, "I'm bidding two million for my first dance." The crowd was left rowdy, stunned by her sudden charisma.She ignored their stares, however, and asked Jessica, "It's not against the rules to bid for myself, right?"Jessica came to her senses right then, since she was also stunned by Cordy's sudden self-bid. She really never played to anyone's tune, did she?Jessica c

"She might really die if you don't let go, you know."Patrick’s voice could suddenly be heard. He sounded neutral, with a hint of glee at Cordy’s misfortunate. So he was just here to enjoy the show, was he?Nonetheless, John released Cordy just as she thought she would black out.She coughed repeatedly as soon as he let go, and started to inhale deeply.She almost died!"It's cold outside. Come on," Patrick said after watching Cordy compose herself, offering her a hand and ready to take her back inside.Just as he did, John quickly took her hand in his. Patrick was left staring at John, but he didn’t appear the slightest bit upset.Cordy, however, shook John off viciously. John's knuckles clenched, and he reached out to grab her again in the next instant.That was just how much he hated her being with another man.Heaven knew how furious he was to see Patrick sticking to Cordy the entire day, and how much restraint it took him to not lose his mind.When he hugged her