Chapter 121
Jaden’s harsh words left Avery momentarily stunned, her mouth slightly open in disbelief. ’Jaden is usually so calm and patient, but now, here he is, holding a grudge? Whatever Linda did, it must’ve been terrible,’ Avery thought.
Jaden’s voice was emotionless as he replied to Linda. "You’re reading too much into this. I’ve never held a grudge against you. I moved on—you should too." He shifted his gaze away from her, stepping to the side, clearly ready to walk away.
But Linda was quick, grabbing the hem of his shirt and turning to face him, desperation in her eyes. "But I haven’t moved on! Can we... can we please talk?"
Jaden shook his head. "There’s nothing left to say between us. I’ve got things to do. Let go."
"I won’t! I’d rather die than let go!" Linda’s face was now streaked with tears. "Jaden, I know I messed up badly. Every single day for the past three years, I’ve hated myself for it. I’ve been planning to pay you back, to fix my mistakes."
She dug through her designer purse and pulled out her phone. "I’ve been trying to find you, but you changed your number. I even thought about showing up at your house to apologize in person. I’ll add you on iMessage and transfer the money right now. I’ll pay you back the 200 thousand dollars."
"That’s not necessary," Jaden said, his tone flat. "You helped my family a lot during those years. I remember that. Just consider the interest your payment for all the trouble." He pulled out a pen and paper and quickly wrote down his bank account information. "Just send me 100 thousand dollars, and we’ll call it even."
Linda’s teary eyes brightened with a flicker of hope. "Jaden, if you still remember what we had, it means—"
Jaden interrupted her coldly. "Someone’s waiting for me. I’m in a hurry. Just pay me, and we’re done."