Tamma Jones's background elicited deep sympathy from Jennie Laura, who genuinely cared for Tamma Jones's well-being.
"I must invest, even though I have only a small amount of money. It may not be of great help, but it's the least I can do," Tamma Jones insisted, fearing that Jennie Laura might not agree. She quickly added, "Jennie, if you don't let me invest, I'll have to leave, and you won't see me again."
Tamma Jones's acting skills were truly remarkable, and seeing her pitiable appearance, Jennie Laura was swayed to some extent.
Jennie Laura, born into a prominent family, had very few genuine friends since childhood. Most approached her with ulterior motives or were lecherous, and she truly did not want Tamma Jones to leave her.
"Alright, but you can't invest too much..." Jennie Laura's words were cut off by Tamma Jones before she could even say "too much." Tamma interrupted, "Jennie, trust me. I'll only invest twenty million, which will account for a very small fraction of shares and won't hinder you in any way."
Excitedly, Tamma Jones spoke, her eyes flashing with cunning. The emotional manipulation had worked like a charm.
"Twenty million?" Upon hearing her words, not only Jennie Laura, but even Bidegla was taken aback. He knew Tamma Jones came from a wealthy family, but investing twenty million right off the bat - could it be that she had so much money to spare?
"Isn't that too much?" Jennie Laura was somewhat hesitant.
"No, after my parents passed away, I sold the company they left behind for nearly thirty million. I also have savings, so you don't need to worry about me, Jennie," Tamma Jones lied without batting an eye.
"Alright, I'll draft the contract later and allocate the shares," Jennie Laura finally agreed, seeing that Tamma Jones was not lying.
With over two hundred million in startup capital, having or not having these twenty million didn't matter much. She would not utilize Tamma Jones's twenty million; she would simply allocate her shares.
As her own sister, she would not be stingy. Whether it was a lot or a little money, she didn't care.
In this aspect, she was somewhat similar to Bidegla, both willing to take a loss themselves rather than let their friends suffer.
"Jennie, you're really too kind to me," Tamma Jones exclaimed in excitement after Jennie Laura agreed to her request. She joyfully embraced Jennie Laura's neck and planted a firm kiss on her cheek.
Damn, that was my kiss! Seeing Tamma Jones kiss Jennie Laura, Bidegla felt envious and particularly irked. It was as if Tamma Jones had usurped her territory.
"Alright, alright, let's focus on the task at hand," Jennie Laura said, patting Tamma Jones's shoulder, a smile appearing on her face.
"You go ahead and work; I'll use the restroom," Tamma Jones said as she hurried into the back room of the jewelry store.
Out of sight of Bidegla and the others, Tamma Jones pulled out her phone. She only had five million with her on this trip, and it was definitely impossible to produce twenty million. Finding the number she needed to dial, she made the call directly.
The call was quickly answered by the voice of a middle-aged man, tinged with concern.
"Tamma, where on earth have you run off to? Hurry back, your mother and I are beside ourselves with worry," came the concerned voice over the phone, eliciting a look of displeasure on Tamma Jones's face.
"Dad, if you insist on forcing me into an arranged marriage, then you can forget about ever seeing me again. Right now, I need money. Transfer twenty million to me, or I'll end my life right before your eyes," Tamma Jones threatened, her tone resolute.
"Child, why must you be so difficult?" a voice of resignation came through the phone, followed by, "Tamma, rest assured, we won't pressure you into arranged marriages anymore. From now on, we won't stand in the way of whatever you choose to do. But for now, please come back home."
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"Dad, enough. I have someone I care for now. I'll ask you one question: will you give me the money or not?" Tamma Jones stared defiantly.
"Why do you need the money?" a voice of perplexity came from the other end of the phone.
Twenty million is no small sum to anyone, and Tamma Jones's father needed to clarify.
"Don't worry about that. I need twenty million, and I'll give you five minutes. If I don't receive the money, then prepare to collect my body," Tamma Jones said, then disregarded her father, hanging up the phone.
This was her steadfast reason for staying by Bidegla's side. She had to get her hands on twenty million.
"Ah, this child," sighed a middle-aged man in a villa in Qiongyao city, slowly putting down the phone.
Their daughter's running away was partly their fault. If they hadn't pressured her into arranged marriages, would she have left?
They had no idea where Tamma Jones was now, and they were naturally very worried. They had called her dozens of times, but each time she hung up, leaving them feeling helpless.
Surely their daughter must hate them now? The middle-aged man smiled bitterly.
"Was that Tamma on the phone?" The door opened, and a middle-aged beauty entered, looking anxious.
This woman was Tamma Jones's mother. She hadn't slept in many days, looking exhausted. They had searched almost all of Qiongyao city, including Tamma Jones's favorite places, but they hadn't found a trace of her.
"Yes," the middle-aged man said, standing up slowly as he looked at his wife.
"Our daughter said she urgently needs twenty million. If we don't give it to her within five minutes, she'll end her life before our eyes," the middle-aged man said with a bitter smile, feeling at a loss with his daughter.
For Tamma Jones to threaten her own parents, it was hard to believe, but they truly fell for it.
They only had one daughter, Tamma Jones, and they had pampered her from a young age.
Twenty million was a large sum, but compared to their daughter's life, they would give not only twenty million, but even fifty million.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry and make the transfer. Do you want our daughter to die?" The beautiful woman rushed forward after hearing the middle-aged man's words.
"It's all your fault. If you hadn't mentioned the arranged marriage, our daughter wouldn't have run away," Tamma Jones's mother was filled with resentment toward her husband.
"Don't be angry. I'm about to make the transfer," the middle-aged man said as he opened his computer to transfer twenty million to Tamma Jones.
After transferring the money, he rubbed his temples, sitting on the chair. Losing twenty million didn't bother him, but he was worried about his daughter's current situation.
"Has our daughter said anything else?" The middle-aged beauty calmed down slowly after the money had been transferred, and asked.
"She said that we shouldn't force her into arranged marriages, otherwise she would never come back. It's all my fault," the middle-aged man spoke apologetically.
Watching his daughter grow up, he was anxious in his heart, even though he didn't express it. That's why he arranged some young talents for her, but who would have thought that just as he mentioned arranged marriage, Tamma Jones would run away from home. Is she planning to remain unmarried for the rest of her life?
"How dare you say that. If our daughter doesn't come back, get ready to divorce me. I won't serve you anymore," the beautiful woman shouted upon hearing the middle-aged man's words, causing the doors to tremble.
"Don't worry, our daughter asked for money, so it shouldn't be anything serious. She mentioned before that she already likes someone, but I've never heard of this person before," the husband replied.
"Tamma has someone she likes?" the beautiful woman widened her eyes in disbelief upon hearing her husband's words. No wonder she was so resistant to the idea of arranged marriage, she had already found someone she liked.
After graduating, Tamma rarely went out, and they had never heard her talk about this person before. Could it be that she met this person during her time away?
"No, we still need to intensify our search for Tamma. I'm afraid she might have been deceived by someone," the middle-aged woman looked worried.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it. This child really doesn't make it easy for us to relax," the husband reassured her.
A message appeared on Tamma Jones's phone indicating that two million had been deposited into her account, and a faint smile appeared on her face. It looks like her parents do care about her after all.
With the money in hand, she walked out with a smile on her face.
Outside, Bidegla and Ned Duda had already begun nominating for the jewelry company. Since Ned Duda worked in the government department, most of the work involved signing documents, so his handwriting looked much better than Bidegla's, who was struggling to write neatly, sweating profusely, and fully dedicating himself to the task, despite his poor handwriting. Even though he was writing slowly, it seemed like he was in a hurry, unlike Ned Duda, who was writing effortlessly and swiftly.
After writing just five words, Ned Duda had already finished in just a minute, while Bidegla took five minutes and wrote slowly, looking as if he was an elderly person who hadn't eaten, making Jennie Laura anxious.
Why was he so exhausted from writing a few words?
After writing the last word, Bidegla let out a long breath, feeling exceptionally tired, as if it was more exhausting than carrying a hundred pounds and running a hundred miles.
He didn't know why he felt this way, but he felt dizzy and drowsy, as if he could fall asleep at any moment.
"Brother, it's just a few words. Why are you like this?" Ned Duda couldn't help but laugh when he saw Bidegla put down his pen, but his smile froze as he looked at the words Bidegla had written, unable to believe what he was seeing.