Who Cares About Him When I'm Married to the Richest Man?-Chapter 36: Lurking in the Prostitution and Infidelity Market
Esther Carter counted her fingers and analyzed with her, "Look, okay, Mr. Fitzwilliam is good-looking, and earns decently. He owns a house paid in full in the city center. Though it’s a bit small, at least it’s enough to live in, right? Later on, when you bring Jasmine over, renting another place would cost more. You might as well maintain this marriage temporarily and discuss it in a couple of years!"
Jasmine is the child Elara Hale is planning to adopt.
Elara felt a bit uneasy and explained, "We’re just taking what we need from each other and agreed to divorce once things are settled. I can’t take advantage of him."
Zara Dalton quickly added, "How is that taking advantage? Even if it is, he’s probably eager for you to take advantage! Think about it, a man with unusual preferences, having a nominal wife to cover for him, would save him a lot of trouble, maybe it’s the freedom he dreams of!"
Elara hadn’t thought of it that way, hesitated a bit and said, "Well, let’s see then, if there’s an opportunity, I’ll give it a shot."
Esther and Zara both breathed a sigh of relief.
No matter what, at such a critical moment with the whole Eye of Agelessness incident, Elara cannot afford to lose the seemingly reliable shield of the Fitzwilliam Family.
As for later... once this sensitive period passes, whether Elara divorces or not is up to her alone, after all, they didn’t promise Grandma Fitzwilliam that Elara would never divorce...
Zara coughed and tentatively asked, "By the way, Elara, how did you escape that day? Did you know something happened at the Eye of Agelessness later?"
Elara froze for a moment, "Something happened at the Eye of Agelessness?"
She really wasn’t aware.
She recounted the process of bumping into Zion Fitzwilliam that night and being taken away by him, somewhat thankfully saying, "I was really lucky. If the Eye of Agelessness hadn’t had an incident, Zion Fitzwilliam might not have been able to take me away so smoothly."
Zara and Esther exchanged a look; was it really good luck?
Perhaps the Eye of Agelessness wasn’t so lucky...
But this issue isn’t crucial; as long as Elara is okay, that’s what matters...
At this moment, Zara’s phone rang, he took a glance, then raised a finger to his lips, looking at his two friends, "Shh, my mom."
Zara’s family’s wealth originated only during his father’s generation, so his parents share all the typical traits of nouveau-riche: snobby.
Especially Mrs. Dalton, who always looked down upon Esther Carter and Elara Hale’s family backgrounds, strictly forbidding Zara from mixing with them.
Zara had barely answered the call when Mrs. Dalton’s accusatory voice came through, "Zara, I asked you to meet Haylie the day before yesterday, did you go or not?"
Zara smacked his forehead, "Mom, I forgot to mention, I had something to take care of the day before yesterday."
Mrs. Dalton huffed, "What could you possibly be busy with! Getting led astray by those random folks all day! It’s all those bad influences dragging you down!"
Zara frowned, "Mom, you’re being too narrow-minded."
Mrs. Dalton seemed irate by his remark, after a pause, she spoke earnestly, "Narrow-minded? Do you know The Sommers Family controls the semiconductor industry in Northgarde? Your dad got this connection through great effort. Haylie is their only daughter; if you marry her, our Dalton Family can climb higher in Northgarde. I’m doing all this for you!"
"Mom, you know I don’t like..."
Before Zara could finish, Mrs. Dalton cut in coldly, "You know the family’s bottom line—you can like men or women, even if they’re peculiar, I don’t care, but when it comes to marriage, you must listen to the family. Haylie’s looks, education, family background, none of these have any flaws, what is there not to be satisfied with?"
Zara was silent for a moment, then offered an excuse, "She’s too short, only five feet tall, not even as long as my data cable."
Mrs. Dalton was infuriated, "Then you go connect data cables!"
With a clack, the call ended.
Zara put away his phone, shrugged at his two friends.
Esther Carter snickered, "Your mom’s words are still as sharp as ever..."
Elara remembered having asked Zara to be her lookout outside the Eye of Agelessness a couple of days before, feeling slightly guilty, "You had a blind date set up that day, why didn’t you tell me?"
She knew Zara stood up his date because of her.
Mrs. Dalton’s portrayed blind date was so outstanding, yet she caused Zara to mess things up.
Zara poured himself a drink, brushing it off, "I didn’t want to go anyway. My parents are willing to sacrifice my life for money. I won’t let them."
Zara’s family situation was a longstanding dilemma, Elara and Esther had no suggestions apart from feeling sympathy.
Esther poked fun, "If it doesn’t work out, tag along with me, with your face, as long as you accept certain rules, what role could you not get?"
Zara was slightly down but perked up hearing this, crossed his arms and retreated, "I’m a good kid, how can you push me to sell myself?"
Pausing briefly, he then countered, "Speaking of which, you’re edging close to thirty, haven’t even had a first love yet. Let me tell you, good men don’t circulate in the marriage market, you gotta act fast."
Esther politely declined, "Indeed they don’t circulate in the dating market, but they frequent the prostitution and infidelity market."
That comment hit home, Elara resonated deeply and raised her glass in agreement from afar.
Her leg was still injured, so her glass contained milk, Zara said that was the true show of solidarity.
After not seeing each other for a while, the three chatted away, losing track of time until Elara’s phone rang, she casually picked it up, "Hello?"
Zion Fitzwilliam’s magnetic voice echoed, "Not coming back tonight?"
Elara was surprised, "Huh? I’m coming back, isn’t it still early, what time is it?"
Zion seemed to chuckle softly, "It’s not early, it’s eleven o’clock."
Pausing, he then asked, "Where are you?"
Elara instinctively reported the name of the place, "The Tangerine Club."
"Alright," Zion’s voice was deep, "Give me twenty minutes."
Elara blinked, curiously asking, "Why wait for you?"
She spoke too fast for Esther and Zara to cover her mouth.
The man on the other end seemed taken aback by the question, paused before saying, "Too late, taking a taxi wouldn’t be safe. As your roommate, I’d help where I can."
His demeanor was so assuredly righteous, as if this were the natural thing to do. Elara felt a little convinced, apologizing slightly, "Thank you then."
"No biggie."
The other end hung up first.
Elara put down her phone, noticing her two friends staring at her intently, she asked in confusion, "What’s up with you?"
"Nothing," Zara looked heavenward, "The moonlight is nice tonight."
Esther glanced at the table, "This tea is good."
Elara: "???"
The moonlight was nice, yet above was the ceiling.
Besides, hadn’t they ordered beer and milk, when did tea come into play?
"Are you two suddenly brain-atrophied?" Elara laughed teasingly, "Zion’s coming to pick me up, perfect time to introduce him to you."
Zara cautiously asked, "Zion? Isn’t calling him that too close? He’s a guy after all..."
Elara didn’t catch her friend’s drift, responded with a laugh, "Don’t think of him as a guy, he’s like you, you’d understand him best."
Zara: No, I think I really don’t understand.
Esther sneakily leaned in, "Even if he’s gay, you shouldn’t completely let your guard down around him..."
Elara frowned slightly, instinctively defending Zion Fitzwilliam, "Don’t forget, he helped me with the Jacobs Family lawsuit, lent me ten grand for emergencies, not to mention the many other ways he’s helped me. He’s a great friend, I can’t be ungrateful."
Pausing, she laughed, "You haven’t met him yet, which is why you worry. But really, he’s a nice person, you’ll see when you get to know him better."
Her words were so upright and serious, leaving Zara and Esther unsure how to respond.
Initially worried about Elara inadvertently falling in love, but now it seemed far less likely.
Twenty minutes later, Zion Fitzwilliam called.
"I’m here, at the entrance."
