Life at the Top

Chapter 4

Upon hearing Jasper’s words, the disbelief on Calvin’s face instantly morphed into an expression of anger and jealousy.

He gritted his teeth as he stared at Jasper pointedly. “Where did you get all this money from? You said that you didn’t have money a few days ago, but now you have 500,000 dollars to buy a ruby pendant?!” he questioned.

“This is my money. I don’t have to tell you where I got it from. What I do with it is none of your business as well,” Jasper said.

“Hmph!”

Calvin sneered coldly, “You must’ve sold your house, right? Otherwise, where did you get all that money from?” he asked.

“He must have done so. Tsk tsk, what a sinner. How can you sell your house just to buy a ruby pendant? You’ve really gone mad,” Susan commented.

The sales assistant had already packaged the ruby pendant nicely for him. She did not talk to Jasper in an impatient tone anymore. “Sir, your ruby pendant has been wrapped up,” she said in a tone full of respect.

“Wait!”

Penelope shouted out loud.

“Jasper, give me that ruby pendant.

“I don’t care where you got the money from. We’ve been together for such a long time. My brother needs money now but you said you didn’t have money, so just give me this ruby pendant,” she said.

Susan’s eyes lit up with a glint. She nodded in agreement. “That’s right. Give us this ruby pendant and we’ll forgive you,” she said.

“You guys must have gone insane! Are you snatching it from me now?” Jasper asked in a harsh tone. After speaking, he turned away and left.

Penelope was anxious. She reached out to hold onto Jasper’s arm. “Jasper Laine, are you going to be that cruel?!” she shrieked.

“I’m being cruel?

“I may be cruel, but nothing compares to how disgustingly shameless your family is.” Jasper laughed.

After speaking, he flung Penelope aside and walked away with large strides.

Penelope and her family were overcome with shame after Jasper left. The looks on their faces were horrendous.

“Mother, we cannot let this go!”

Filled with jealousy, Calvin’s face darkened.

In their eyes, Jasper was a poor country bumpkin. They had never taken him seriously before.

However, now that he could buy a ruby pendant that cost 500,000 dollars just like that, they yearned for that pendant despite not knowing where he got the money from.

“Poor b*stards like him should remain as lowly trash. What right does he have to buy something that good?! That belongs to me! He must’ve sold his house or gotten money from somewhere. Anyway, I should be the rightful owner of all that money!”

Calvin gritted his teeth in a fit of rage.

“My son, don’t be angry.”

Susan comforted Calvin, saying, “Let’s go back and discuss things. We cannot let him get away after playing with your sister’s feelings for so many years. He must pay for what he did… At least, he must pay us with money!” she exclaimed.

Penelope looked in the direction Jasper left. A spiteful glint flashed through her gaze.

“Mother is right. We cannot let this go. He has money, but he wasn’t willing to give any of it to me even though he told me he loved me. I can’t let him be at ease like that!”

…

Jasper left the jewelry shop and was just about to hail for a cab by the roadside. Apps to call for cabs did not exist yet. Just as he was considering taking the opportunity to design an app to call for cabs, he received a phone call.

Someone from the Commercial Bank was calling him.

“Hello, Mr. Laine. We’ve reported the terms we discussed to the district branch. If you can ensure that your annual savings won’t go below ten million dollars, we’ll give you the best interest rates and VIP treatment as discussed.

“When are you free right now? We’ll bring the contract over for you to sign it.”

Jasper was not surprised by how things turned out. This was a guaranteed minimum cash deposit of ten million dollars. At a time like this, this was a huge deal for any banks out there.

“I’m nearby right now. Also, I have something that I intend to save in your security safe. I’ll come over right now,” Jasper said. He then hung up the call.

He hailed a cab and headed over to Commercial Bank. Jasper bumped into someone right as he entered the bank.

“F*ck, are you blind?!” that person yelled out in anger.

When they both took a good look at each other, Terry Laine was delighted. “Hey, Jasper? Is your salary out today? Are you here to withdraw money?” he asked.

There was a stylish woman dressed in modern clothing by Terry’s side. She walked over and snuggled up to Terry. “Ter, who’s this?” she asked coquettishly.

Terry laughed happily. “He’s my cousin. Their entire family works as farmers. His parents borrowed money for him to buy a house in town back then. They asked for money from me as well,” he said cheerily.

The woman blinked her eyes. “How much did you borrow him, then?” she asked.

“Borrow money my *ss!”

Terry scoffed loudly. “Their family is full of dimwits. Don’t buy a house if you don’t have money. They can’t even afford their meals, yet they want to live in town. Just look at what they’re made of! I pitied them, so I f*cking gave them 50 dollars to buy some supplements to renourish their brains. Hahahaha…”

The woman burst into giggles. She eyed Jasper contemptuously, then turned over to Terry’s side. “You’re such a meanie,” she said.

Jasper gazed at Terry who had a look of superiority on his face. Nevertheless, he remained calm.

Terry Laine was his cousin. His father opened a factory in town some time ago and earned some money doing that. Terry was considered a second-generation millionaire in their hometown.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Terry condemned Jasper and even his parents, who were his seniors, as much as he wished to just because he was rich.

However, Jasper knew very well that the factory was just a facade. Terry would lose almost all the money, triggering a financial crisis which would cause the factory to close down eventually. There were rumors that a woman tricked him of all his money as well. There was no news about him after he left his hometown.

That woman was probably the person before him right now.

“Don’t stop me from doing work,” Jasper said in a chilly tone.

“Doing work?”

Terry laughed out loud with a contemptuous look on his face. “Does your f*cking monthly salary even add up to 1,000 dollars? Does withdrawing 100 or 200 dollars count as work for you? F*ck off, aren’t you embarrassed?” he asked.

Before Terry finished laughing, a middle-aged man dressed in a suit rushed out from the bank in a hurry. That man made his way forward under the guidance of an employee. His eyes shone upon seeing Jasper.

He greeted him respectfully, “You must be Mr. Laine. As expected, you’re young and competent. I’m Mr. Jackson, the president here.”

Seeing John Jackson flattering Jasper, Terry and the woman beside him were shocked.

“Ter, he called Mr. Laine. Is he calling you?”

The woman pulled on Terry’s sleeve.

Terry snapped back into focus. That was right. He was Mr. Laine as well. Mr. Jackson must be calling him. How could he be calling that poor jerk, Jasper Laine?

“President Jackson, I’ve just added 20,000 dollars to my savings and you’re greeting me like this?” Terry asked John.

John furrowed his brows. An employee hurried over at once. “President, our client is on the other side,” the employee said.

John nodded. He smiled at Jasper without looking at Terry. “Mr. Laine, shall we go upstairs?” he asked respectfully.

Jasper nodded nonchalantly. “Let’s go. Besides, I want to apply for a security safe as well. Let’s carry out the procedure at the same time,” he said.

The ruby pendant he owned would be worth 40 million dollars half a year later. He would definitely feel the most secure keeping it at the bank.

Jasper then raised his head, puffed up his chest, and walked forward. Meanwhile, President Jackson and a group of employees followed him by the side. They walked away just like that.

Terry, who was left there, looked at them with disbelief!