Love's Redemption

Redmption 307

I reminded Brandon, "We're in an airport boarding hall, and there's a crowd here, including kids."

Brandon hummed in response. "I know."

I blushed. "And you still want to-"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation.

Upon hearing his unwavering response, I could only assume he had seen Chris across the hall and chalk his

stubbornness up as an act of jealousy. Perhaps he insisted on kissing me so he could tell Chris to back off.

At the thought of this, I closed my eyes, my blood pulsing in my ears as I waited for Brandon to kiss me in this crowded boarding hall.

However, I did not get the kiss I was expecting and instead ended up with a weight in my hands. I opened my eyes and looked down to see a small pouch in my hand.

"What is this?" I asked, blinking in surprise.

Brandon jerked his chin at the pouch, silently prompting me to open it.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

I opened the pouch slowly and saw two bank cards lying within, along with a red card and a certificate of sorts. I realized the certificate was Brandon's Certificate of Honorable Discharge from the military, while the red card was his blood donor card.

I couldn't wrap my head around his gesture. "Why are you giving me these?"

Brandon took out the certificate and explained, "This is proof that I have been tried, tested, and forged in steel, a testimony that far exceeds anything promised by an insurance policy.

"As for this donor card, it's proof that my blood runs red and my heart beats true. The two bank cards contain all my savings."

I had only ever read about such gestures in novels where the male lead proved his loyalty to his love. interest by handing over

his entire fortune. I couldn't believe Brandon was pulling the same stunt, though he not only handed me his fortune but his belief system, too.

I stared at the donor card and felt my nose prickle. "Brandon, why are you giving me these?"

"To prove to you that these are worth more than a mere couple's insurance," he elaborated. For some reason, the way he said this made me feel like h

However, that didn't matter. What mattered was that he was willing to give me everything he had.

"I'll keep these two," I said, referring to the donor card and the certificate. “You can keep the bank cards.”

was no money-grubber. If money meant that much to me, I would never have broken up with Chris in the first place.

Brandon did not take back the cards. There was color on his cheeks as he confessed, "I don't think there's enough money in there for Ellie's treatment."

I froze, then broke into a small laugh. "Oh, are you asking me for a loan?"

He clasped my hands tightly. "I'm sorry, Mae."

I laughed again, not at all caring that I was being too loud. My

el

amusement left Brandon perplexed, and he demanded, "What are you laughing at? Is my destitution so

endearing that you'd laugh about it?"

I laughed even harder. I didn't think he would crack a joke like that. Nodding, I half-wheezed, "Yes, you're endearing even when you're poor."

"Mae..."

"You know, Brandon," I said through the last bout of laughter. "I thought you might have some kind of plot armor at first."

"Plot armor? What are you talking about?" Brandon gave me a bewildered look.

"You know how there's someone in

the top brass whose last name is also Howell? I thought it was you at first I said, explaining the old conjecture I had about him.

He stared at me. “And you've changed your mind since then?"

I nodded. “Well, yeah. You can't even afford Ellie's surgery, let alone have enough money or power to invest in Xander."

l.ne

Brandon fell silent while I continued "But I do think the director who shares your last name is rather odd.

I thought my work privilege

thanks to him.

all

"But after seeing how Xander treats you, I reckoned he was only rewarding me for my hard work. I probably read too much between the lines."

When Brandon made no reply, I tugged on his arm and asked, "What's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?"

"Mae," he said hoarsely. "You hate people who lie to you with passion, right?"