He Said I Was NOBODY, But Now He’s Begging For My Love Letter Chapter 06

He Said I Was NOBODY, But Now He’s Begging For My Love Letter Chapter 06

I couldn’t find words.

The three of us just stood there, frozen.

Elara opened her mouth like she wanted to explain. But she didn’t know where to start.

Elias looked down, jaw tight, his face unyielding. He didn’t say anything either.

At this time, hurried footsteps approached.

“Sorry to interrupt,” the manager said, rushing over.

He forced a polite smile, but his eyes flicked to the broken vase.

His expression darkened. He knelt and checked a shard.

“Ma’am,” he said to me, his voice formal. “This is a hand-painted ceramic vase, displayed here for three years…”

My heart sank sharply, my voice turned tight.

“How much do I need to pay?”

The manager hesitated, then said, “seventy-three thousand dollars.”

I thought I’d misheard, my ears ringing.

“How much?”

A bystander gasped. Someone muttered that it was a scam.

The manager ignored them and showed me a document on his phone.

“It has a certification of authenticity. We can file insurance, but if you decline, we request full payment.”

Seventy-three thousand dollars.

I clenched my hands so tight my nails dug into my palms. The pain kept me awake.

I earn eight hundred dollars a month. After paying rent and daily expenses, I can save no more than four hundred dollars at most. To save up seventy-three thousand dollars, I’d have to live frugally for almost fourteen years straight.

Suddenly, being a rejected stand-in didn’t seem so scary.

At least that didn’t cost money.

What bad luck today.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my voice.

“Can I pay in installments?”

The manager looked uneasy. “I’d have to ask the owner.”

Elias suddenly spoke up. “I’ll pay.”

He stood up and pulled out a bank card, handing it to the manager like it was nothing.

Like seventy-three thousand was just seventy-three dollars.

Elara and I both were stunned.

Elias’s expression didn’t shift—calm and unreadable. No one could tell if he was in a good mood or not.

The manager took the card, glanced at all of us, then hurried off.

I snapped out of it and grabbed his sleeve.

“No, it’s too much. I can’t let you pay.”

“I didn’t say I was paying for you,” Elias said, his voice icy.

His eyes were cold, his faint smile empty.

“You ate dinner, watched movies, and went to exhibits with me these past few days.”

He looked down at me, voice sharp and cutting.

“Consider it payment for being a stand-in.”

My fingers froze on his sleeve. I slowly let go and dropped my hand, my chest aching.

My chest ached, tight and sour. I couldn’t speak.

I clenched my hands behind my back.

“At market rate,” he added softly, like a slow knife.

“Pay for pretending to be a girlfriend. It’s enough.”

I still stayed silent.

Elara stood beside me, her face flushed and paled in turns. She opened her mouth, but said nothing.

The manager returned, handed back the card and receipt.

Elias took it without looking and stuffed it in his pocket.

He grabbed his jacket, walked between Elara and me, and didn’t glance at either of us.

He stopped after two steps, still not turning around.

“Lila.”

It was the first time he’d said my real name.

Not Elara. Lila.

“Don’t come tomorrow.”