Page 157 of My Ruthless Neighbor

“Enough is enough, Summer. KIM Advertising isn’t the only source of my income. I have numerous investments in every sector you could imagine. Stocks, hedge funds, real estate.” He takes a breath, Then, “I am not bragging. The reason I’m telling you this is to make you understand that I have immense wealth. I am only allowing you to pay me back because I see that you’re uncomfortable with it. I don’t need your money but I’ll accept it if it ends your inner struggle. But I sure as fuck am not going to charge you any interest. And you are going to agree.”

He cups my face. “I am bending for you, baby. Can’t you do the same for me?”

How could I refuse him anything if he expressed how much my safety affects him?

“All right, Mr. Kim. You’ve got a deal.” I go on my tiptoes and kiss his lips.

Chapter Thirty-Two

With hands pushed in the pockets of my trousers, I watch her.

Her pale skin glows in a blue dress that hugs her body. The front section of her hair is secured with a roller.

Her mismatched eyes glimmer under the vanity mirror lights. I feel an unfamiliar emotion seeping in my chest.

A stylist hovers over Summer as she applies finishing touches to her makeup.

Her lips moves as she says something to the stylist and the small group of females surrounding her. They burst into laughter. Summer’s lips curl into a smirk as she sees them laughing.

She cracked one of her silly jokes, didn’t she?

People around Summer always have a smile on their faces. That’s the way she is.

A ray of sunshine who wants to spread her warmth everywhere. But sometimes I can’t help but see her as an illusion. A mere reflection of light from a mirror instead of sunshine.

It feels like under all her quirkiness and beautiful smiles lies a little flower who is in need of the sunlight herself.

It caught me off guard for a second when Felix told me that Summer was on her way to see me.

He also mentioned her reluctance when he offered her the car keys for a test drive.

I had my doubts about her protesting about the car. But I wasn’t aware just how much it affected her.

The flames in her luminescent eyes this morning told me more than her lips could.

I recalled the day when we met in that interview where she lied to get the job. I remembered with crystal clarity how she refused the money I offered.

That day was the first time I noticed it. Her pretty eyes had flared. Like the idea of taking money from someone repulsed her.

Then it happened again when she lost her job because of me and I made a suggestion of supporting her financially. Because I was guilty and wanted to help her.

But she concluded that I saw her as a charity case when it was certainly not the case.

And now the car thing.

My little liar is scared. She is afraid of depending on someone for anything. She doesn’t like to ask for support even when she is suffering.

Why is that?

I think her fear of dependency doesn’t end on financial support. She hates trusting someone emotionally as well.

The way she was reluctant in admitting her attraction to me told me plenty. I saw desperation in her eyes when she urged me to agree that we are still enemies. That facing our feelings for each other doesn’t mean anything.

And although her demand matched my dilemma, it still felt like a dagger stabbing into my chest.

So when I realized she wasn’t going to accept the car, I came up with a tactic she couldn’t refuse.

I told her that she can pay me one grand every month. She wasn’t far off when she said it would take her sixteen years to pay me back.

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