Chapter 244: Schemes! It's All Schemes!
The "Break-Up" Clothes
The girl was shy from the compliment, turning in front of the mirror once.
"It's nice, but it's too expensive. One dress is seventy thousand U.S. dollars."
Luke placed his hands on her shoulders and whispered in her ear, "As long as you look beautiful, money is never a problem."
Vanessa took a step forward, asking casually,
"Is your family very rich?"
"It's alright."
Luke gathered the rest of the clothes and placed them on the table. "These clothes are all for you. Consider them a souvenir of last night's pleasant time."
"Miss Vanessa, I hope this is the last time we meet."
With that, Luke turned and left.
Vanessa froze for a few seconds. Suddenly realizing something, she shouted and chased after him.
"Stop! What do you mean? What kind of person do you take me for? I'm not some call girl!"
"I know."
Luke shrugged. "Someone as beautiful and elegant as you, and a top student at Harvard, couldn't possibly be a call girl. I just have some things I need to deal with."
"You don't want to be involved with me, do you?"
Vanessa's face was ashen. She thought that the plotlines in the news were just exceptions, but she never expected it to happen to her.
Luke looked embarrassed and explained in a low voice, "Don't overthink it. I don't mean that. It's just that my identity is a bit complicated, and if word gets out, it will negatively affect your life, so... so..."
"So what!"
Vanessa stared at him coldly, as if she could eat him alive.
She realized that this guy was trying to get away with it after the fact and was shamelessly treating her like a gold-digger often seen in lawsuits, trying to extort wealth from social elites by sleeping with them.
Damn him! How could he treat me like that?
Rage filled Vanessa. Seeing Luke about to leave, she quickly blocked the doorway and opened her phone. Ignoring the dozens of missed calls and unread texts, she went straight to the internet to search for the name Luke Shaw.
She wanted to see what kind of "social elite" this boy claimed to be!
She searched, and the results startled her.
ShowMe! Luke Shaw!
"You... you are that Luke? The founder of ShowMe, the youngest self-made billionaire in history?"
Vanessa was utterly shocked. She never imagined that the boy she'd gotten tangled up with was the pioneer of the social media age.
Luke shrugged, his expression turning serious. "Alright, you know now. How much? I warn you, don't be too greedy."
"Who wants your money? If anyone is giving money, it should be me giving it to you!"
Vanessa picked up a book and threw it hard. She had been worried he would use this matter to blackmail her father, but before she could speak, he had already offered to pay for her silence.
Damn bastard! He's so hateful!
None of these rich people are any good!
The more Vanessa thought about it, the angrier she got, and she couldn't help but curse him out.
"Who do you think you are? Is being a billionaire a big deal? Is ShowMe a big deal? Do you know who I am?"
Now it was Luke's turn to be confused. He asked, feigning curiosity,
"You have another identity?"
Vanessa took a deep breath, raised her index finger, and growled, "Listen up, little brother, my name is Vanessa Nash. My father is the President of the United States, Joel Nash! I am the President's daughter, and if anyone is paying a hush money fee, it's me paying you!"
Even after yelling that, she wasn't satisfied. She opened her wallet. Seeing only four hundred dollars inside, her expression faltered, but she aggressively pulled out three one-hundred-dollar bills and slapped them on the table.
"Here are three hundred dollars for you! Hush money!"
"Remember, you are not to talk about last night. Otherwise, I will have my father deal with you!"
After roaring this, Vanessa felt immensely relieved and comfortable. She shot Luke a fierce glare, turned, and marched away.
Her footsteps gradually faded. The astonishment on Luke's face also disappeared. He picked up the three hundred dollars on the table and gave a small smirk.
"Hush money?"
The Three Hundred Dollar Payoff
Not long after leaving the hotel, her phone rang. Vanessa cautiously checked it. Seeing it was her friend Eve, she breathed a long sigh of relief.
The moment she answered, Eve's excited gibberish poured out.
Vanessa held the phone away until the noise subsided, then said quietly,
"Why are you calling now?"
"Now? My lady, it's two in the afternoon! You guys stayed in bed for eighteen hours! God, you're crazy!"
Vanessa felt her cheeks burning hot. She explained in a low voice,
"I didn't notice. He was the one who wanted to lie in bed. I... I... I..."
The more she tried to explain, the more muddled her explanation became.
"Alright, alright, stop showing off your love life to me. Your mother has called me over a dozen times. You need to contact her immediately. Also, about Luke Shaw..."
She paused deliberately here, saying conspiratorially, "He's not just anyone..."
"I know."
Vanessa interrupted her friend, saying nonchalantly, "The founder of ShowMe, the billionaire."
"How did you know? Did he tell you?"
Vanessa snorted. "That jerk actually tried to pay me hush money. I looked him up online, and then I threw three hundred dollars back at him."
"Three hundred dollars? What do you mean?"
"Hush money, of course!"
Vanessa said triumphantly, "My father is the President. In this kind of situation, of course, I have to pay him the hush money."
Eve on the other end of the phone was stunned for a few seconds, unable to process it. After a while, she said with a strange expression,
"Three hundred dollars seems a little low."
Vanessa's face flushed with embarrassment. "I only had a little over four hundred in my bag. If I gave him everything, I wouldn't have money for a taxi."
Eve was speechless.
You are amazing. You gave a billionaire three hundred dollars to seal his lips. She really wanted to see his face right now; it must be completely baffled.
"Where are you? I'm coming to find you now."
"No need. I'll take a taxi home soon. You absolutely must keep last night a secret. You can't tell my mother. If she finds out, it will be a huge problem."
"Don't worry, I promise to keep your secret safe. I won't tell anyone."
After a few more minutes of insignificant talk, Vanessa hung up her phone and walked toward a nearby taxi. Just then, a silver Ferrari entered her view. The door opened, and Luke waved.
"Get in. I'll drive you back."
Vanessa turned her head to walk away. After only a few steps, the Ferrari blocked her path again. The girl said angrily,
"You just said this was the last time we'd see each other! Why are you looking for me again?"
"I apologize for what happened just now."
The girl scoffed.
"You're a billionaire, a rising star in the business world. You don't need to apologize to me. I'm not worthy."
Luke stopped the car in front of her again, his face full of exasperation.
"Just give me a chance."
Vanessa paused for a moment, then opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat.
"We agreed: you're just taking me home. Nowhere else."
"Aren't you hungry?"
As soon as he spoke, Vanessa's stomach rumbled. The intense activity last night had burned a lot of energy. She hadn't noticed it while she was asleep, but she felt it immediately after waking up.
Luke laughed. "What do you want to eat?"
Vanessa, her face flushed, turned her head away.
"Whatever!"
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