Chapter 657: Deal
He paused before continuing.
"But if you don’t open the door... How am I supposed to tell you the solution I’ve come up with?"
Hearing the word "solution," Jacqueline immediately lifted her head.
Hope flickered across her tear-filled eyes. She quickly stood up.
However... after taking only two steps, she suddenly stopped.
’How could he possibly have a solution? Even my parents... People who’ve struggled in this industry for decades... Couldn’t find one. So how could Theodore possibly succeed?’
Almost as though he had heard every one of her thoughts through the door, Theodore laughed quietly.
"If you don’t let me in... How will I tell you? Please... Just trust me this once."
Jacqueline slowly clenched her trembling fists. She closed her eyes before letting out a long, exhausted sigh.
’At the very least... I should give him one chance... before deciding anything.’
With slow, heavy footsteps, she walked toward the door.
Her fingers hesitated over the handle for several seconds before she finally twisted it open.
The door had barely opened when Theodore immediately pulled her into a warm embrace.
She froze. His large hand gently stroked the back of her head, patiently smoothing her tangled hair.
That single gesture completely shattered the emotional wall she had been desperately trying to maintain.
She burst into uncontrollable sobs. "I’m such a terrible daughter..."
She cried against his chest.
"I caused my parents so much suffering. And I never even knew..."
Her fingers tightly gripped the back of Theodore’s shirt.
"Theodore... How could I be so selfish?"
She continued crying until her body trembled violently.
Watching the woman he loved break down like this, Theodore felt as though someone had plunged a sharp knife deep into his heart and twisted it without mercy.
For the very first time in his life, he truly understood that watching the person you loved suffer could hurt even more than enduring the pain yourself.
Taking a deep breath, Theodore gently stroked her hair before murmuring in an incredibly soft voice,
"Alright... It’s alright. I’m here, aren’t I? I’ll take care of everything."
With those reassuring words, he carefully scooped Jacqueline into his arms and carried her in a princess carry.
Jacqueline was so overwhelmed by sorrow that she didn’t even realize what had happened.
Her mind was completely blank.
Almost instinctively, she wrapped her arms around Theodore’s neck and buried her tear-stained face against his shoulder.
Neither of them spoke.
Theodore carefully laid her down on the bed before sitting beside her.
His hand never left hers. Several moments passed before Jacqueline finally lifted her head.
Her swollen, red eyes looked utterly lost. "What should I do?"
Her voice trembled. "What should I do, Theodore?"
Theodore smiled gently before wiping away another tear that had slipped down her cheek.
"If you stop crying... I’ll tell you exactly what we should do."
Jacqueline blinked before finally looking directly into his eyes.
Theodore slowly reached into his pocket.
To Jacqueline’s surprise, he pulled out a small chocolate bar and placed it into her palm.
She stared at it blankly. "What... about this?"
She asked hesitantly.
Theodore chuckled softly.
"Well... Here’s my plan. For now, I’ll help stabilize your family’s expenses. We’ll make a few investments on the side. We’ll let that money grow. Then we’ll use the profits to slowly repay the principal while continuing to pay the monthly interest."
The moment those words left his mouth, Jacqueline’s eyes widened in shock.
She immediately pulled her hand away before vigorously shaking her head.
"No. No... no... I can’t."
Her voice became increasingly emotional.
"How could I possibly agree to something like that?"
She lowered her head.
’Why should I drag Theodore down with me? He’s finally built his own career. He’s finally earning respect. How could I destroy everything he’s worked so hard for?’
The thought alone made her chest tighten painfully.
Even if Theodore’s current net worth had already reached nearly one hundred million dollars... it still wasn’t enough.
Compared to a debt worth billions, that amount was insignificant.
Once he became involved... no one knew how many years it would take him to recover.
Perhaps... he never would.
Just as Theodore was about to continue explaining his plan, Jacqueline suddenly interrupted him.
"Theodore."
Her voice became unusually firm. "Don’t you dare say something like that again."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"I’m warning you. If you even think about taking over my family’s debt..."
She bit her lip before forcing herself to continue.
"...then I’ll never speak to you again."
She was already drowning in guilt because her parents had sacrificed everything for her.
If Theodore ended up sacrificing his future too... she slowly lowered her gaze. "Let’s break up."
Theodore froze.
"Don’t..."
He immediately panicked. "Please don’t say that."
He hurriedly raised both hands in surrender.
"Alright. I won’t. I won’t interfere with your family’s debt."
Only after hearing those words did Jacqueline finally let out a sigh of relief.
Theodore quietly thought for several seconds. Suddenly, something crossed his mind.
"Give me ten minutes."
Without waiting for her response, he quickly stood up and walked out of the room.
Watching him leave, Jacqueline unconsciously clenched the blanket tightly.
Her heart once again became restless. ’What could he possibly be planning?’
Exactly ten minutes later... the bedroom door opened once again.
Theodore walked inside with a mysterious smile on his face. "Well..."
He lifted his phone slightly.
"I happen to have Miss Dawn’s personal number. What do you think about contacting her and trying to make a deal? I’ve heard she’s actually a very generous person."
Jacqueline stared at him in complete silence.
Miss Dawn... Generous?
The woman who had become infamous as one of the most ruthless investors in the entire industry?
The same woman whom countless CEOs feared negotiating with? And Theodore was calling her generous?
Honestly, the statement came across as almost laughable.
Still... She softly shook her head.
"I don’t want to trouble..."
Before she could finish speaking, Theodore interrupted her.
"Jacqueline."
His expression became serious.
"If you’re going to keep crying about how miserable your situation is but refuse my help and refuse your parents’ help as well, then tell me, how exactly are you planning to solve this problem?"
He leaned slightly closer.
"The problem won’t disappear simply because you cry. It’ll still be there tomorrow. And the day after. You’ll only sink deeper into depression."
His voice softened. "Is that really what you want?"
Jacqueline slowly lowered her head.
Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the chocolate still resting in her hand.
"...I don’t have anything I can offer Miss Dawn."
Theodore smiled.
"That’s not something you should decide. Leave that decision to Miss Dawn herself."
Jacqueline pursed her lips. She remained silent for nearly a minute.
Finally... she took a deep breath before giving a small nod. "...Alright."
She picked up her phone. With trembling fingers, she dialed Miss Dawn’s number.
She honestly didn’t expect much.
She had merely hoped the secretary would answer and perhaps schedule an appointment several months later.
However... to her complete surprise... the call was answered almost immediately.
It was almost as though Miss Dawn had been waiting for her call all along.
Jacqueline quickly introduced herself.
"Hello, Miss Dawn. My name is Jacqueline. I was hoping to request an appointment with you."
She had already prepared herself to hear polite refusals.
Instead... a calm voice replied almost instantly.
"Tomorrow."
The call ended shortly afterward. Jacqueline stared blankly at her phone.
Even after several seconds had passed... she still couldn’t believe what had just happened.
The following day... standing outside the luxurious private meeting room, Jacqueline took several deep breaths.
Her palms were covered with cold sweat.
Even now... she couldn’t believe she had actually secured a meeting with Miss Dawn herself.
Beside her stood Theodore, along with both of her parents. They silently encouraged her with reassuring smiles.
"You can do this."
Theodore gently squeezed her hand before letting go. Jacqueline nodded.
The moment she entered, she immediately maintained a calm and professional smile despite the nervousness churning inside her stomach.
At the center of the room sat Miss Dawn. She appeared to be around five feet six inches tall.
She was leisurely reclining on an elegant sofa while a delicate veil concealed most of her face, making her seem even more mysterious.
Jacqueline unconsciously swallowed.
"Hello... Miss Dawn."
Miss Dawn simply gave a slight nod. Standing beside her was Emily. Emily smiled warmly.
"Miss Jacqueline. Please don’t be nervous. Our boss thinks very highly of you."
Hearing those words, Jacqueline unconsciously relaxed a little.
She took another deep breath before getting straight to the point.
"I won’t waste your time. I need ten billion dollars."
Even Emily, who had remained composed until now, paused for a brief second.
"That’s... quite a large amount."
She looked at Jacqueline curiously.
"How do you plan to repay it?"
Jacqueline forced a bitter smile.
"That’s the problem. Even I don’t know."
She laughed softly at herself.
"The only thing I’m truly good at... is watching films. I can offer advice. But apart from that... I don’t possess any extraordinary talent."