Chapter 118 : Chapter 118
Chapter 118 : Borrowing Money for One Last Gamble
“Damn it!”
Annabella howled toward the ceiling, making Eve frown and cover her ears. Yet Annabella still righteously complained:
“I’m asking you for money as a sister out of respect! Don’t forget everything we’ve been through—you can’t treat me like this, you know?!”
Eve was getting dizzy from having her shoulders shaken. With a sigh, she finally stopped her. Annabella let go, though her gaze remained burning with intensity.
Straightening the wrinkled collar of her maid uniform, Eve sighed again.
“What do you need the money for?”
“For my great research project, of course!”
“Didn’t the organization already allocate funding to you?”
“I thought about it and realized it’s not nearly enough! Imported constant-temperature incubators are insanely expensive, and those chemical reagents too… What do you think this is, the grocery market where you buy potatoes for grandmas to stuff into stew?”
They stared at each other in silence.
Eve did not understand these things. It was not that she did not want to lend money—it was that Annabella had never paid her back before. At this point, it might as well have been the same as saying, “Just give me two hundred.”
Eve stared at her for a long time, making Annabella feel increasingly guilty.
“Alright… actually I’m going to gamble with it.”
“How much do you need?”
“…Damn,” Annabella muttered, covering her face.
How should she put it?
If someone said they were borrowing money to take one final desperate gamble, Eve would probably lend it without hesitation.
But if they said they needed it to survive day-to-day life or to handle some serious matter…
Then sorry—money would not be lent to cowards.
Especially if it was borrowed for serious matters, since it would probably never be repaid.
So Annabella cautiously asked,
“Would a hundred thousand be okay?”
“I don’t have that much…”
“Come on! How many jobs have you taken already? Your bounty shares alone could buy my life several times over!”
“I donated it all to an orphanage.”
Just one calm sentence.
Annabella was instantly speechless.
She cursed inwardly at Eve for being foolishly generous, yet at the same time felt a strange admiration for the good deed.
Eve reached into the pocket hidden in the hem of her skirt.
She remembered that the money she had won from Miss last time had not been spent at all.
Besides, life in Morninglight Manor required almost no personal expenses. She had no bad habits—she did not smoke, did not touch “that kind of stuff,” and rarely drank alcohol.
Although she did not carry much cash with her, she could still produce tens of thousands.
Soon, a stack of Federation banknotes—roughly forty to fifty thousand—rested in her palm. They carried the faint fragrance of the carefully maintained maid uniform.
Tempting.
Convincing.
“That’s all I have.”
Annabella’s eyes lit up. She snatched the money immediately, wetting her fingertip with her tongue and counting it rapidly with practiced skill.
Halfway through counting, however, she suddenly paused.
“You… gave me all of it?”
Eve nodded.
“You didn’t keep any for yourself?”
Eve nodded again.
“Tsk…”
Annabella suddenly felt a trace of guilt, as if she had tricked a child out of their allowance.
She pressed her lips together, hesitating for half a second. But soon the softness in her heart was kicked aside by the greedy desire for money.
Don’t accuse her of lacking humanity.
She still pulled out ten or so bills and handed them back.
“Don’t worry! Once your big sister here makes it big, I’ll take you out to enjoy life—ten young models, the finest food and drink!”
“No need.”
At the mention of that, Eve finally remembered the reason she had come.
First she quietly used her sharp senses to confirm no one was eavesdropping outside the door.
Then she spoke.
“Do you still have blood here?”
“…Hm?”
Annabella’s expression changed instantly. Her playful demeanor vanished, replaced by seriousness.
“If I remember correctly… it hasn’t been that long since your last supply, right?”
“You want more already? The boss clearly ordered that your intake must be limited. You’re putting me in a difficult position—if something happens, I’ll be the one blamed.”
Seeing Eve’s silent gaze—somehow both blank and pitiful—almost made her soften.
“How about you hold out a few more days?”
Stare—
“It’s only a couple of days anyway. Just endure it.”
Stare——
“Fine, fine! I surrender! I lose! Stop looking at me like that—it’s uncomfortable…”
Annabella clicked her tongue in resignation. She stuffed the money into her pocket while speaking in a lecturing tone.
“You make it seem like I’m bullying you if I don’t give it to you. Wait here—I’ll go get it.”
Click.
The door opened and closed.
Less than ten minutes later, she returned carrying a small suitcase.
Her movements were cautious and quick. When closing the door she even glanced behind her suspiciously.
Anyone watching would think she had just committed a crime—or returned from a secret affair.
“It’s all in here.”
With a soft click, the suitcase opened.
Inside were two blood bags lying neatly on a bed of ice. The cold air rising from the case filled the room.
Without hesitation, Eve grabbed one and began drinking immediately.
She looked extremely eager, which even surprised the well-traveled Annabella.
That shouldn’t be the case.
Eve had always strictly controlled both the frequency and quantity of her blood intake. She had never shown such urgent need before.
And she was professionally trained—unlike those vampires with poor self-control.
Strange.
Before Annabella could ask anything, Eve suddenly stopped drinking.
Her expression turned faintly disgusted.
More than half the blood still remained in the bag.
“What’s wrong? Something wrong with the blood?”
Eve smacked her lips slightly, checking the taste again. She examined the bright red liquid flowing inside the bag.
Finally she shook her head softly.
“No… the taste is wrong.”
“Huh?”
“So… disgusting…”
“…Baby, what are you talking about?” Annabella began wondering if she had misheard.
What kind of vampire thought blood tasted wrong—*even disgusting*?
Even the women in brothels wouldn’t complain about soggy expired fries.
And you’re complaining about blood?!
“Come on,” Annabella said skeptically. “This may not be the freshest batch like last time, but it’s still normal blood.”
Eve leaned closer to smell it again.
Her expression grew even more repulsed—like someone who had just smelled something biologically hazardous.
“Something’s definitely wrong,” she insisted.
She sealed the bag again and placed it back into the suitcase. Then she even stuck out her tongue slightly, trying to get rid of the lingering taste.
Annabella stared at her for a long time.
Then she picked up the same bag and sniffed it herself.
It smelled completely normal.
“Why don’t you try a couple more sips?”
Eve firmly shook her head, even leaning back against the sofa to keep distance from the blood bags on the table.
“Then try this one?” Annabella picked up the other bag and even opened it helpfully before handing it over. “Different donor—maybe the taste will be better.”
Eve hesitated.
Under Annabella’s persistent urging, she accepted it.
She smelled it.
Her expression immediately worsened.
“Same,” she said, handing it back. “All the same… disgusting.”
Remember—being picky about food is not a good habit. Especially when the blood had been carefully selected according to standards.
Annabella stared at her, looked at the blood bags, then finally blurted out her suspicion.
“…You’re picking a fight on purpose, aren’t you?”