The way Claire pays makes it seem as if a hundred twenty dollars is nothing to her. For rich families like Brooks, it probably is. But for ordinary people, the amount is half a month"s living costs for an entire family."Oh, Katrina." After exiting the restaurant, Claire suddenly remembers something. She takes an ornate box from her purse and opens it, revealing a beautiful and delicate bracelet inside.
Claire hands the box with the bracelet to Katrina with a smile. "I have no idea what kind of jewelry you like. The last time I went to a jewelry store, I saw this bracelet and thought of you. Try it on!"
Katrina is completely taken aback. The diamond bracelet looks very expensive at first glance.
As Marcellus"s girlfriend, she hasn"t given Claire any gift yet. How could she accept Claire"s gift after the woman graciously treats her to brunch?
Katrina quickly waves her hand in refusal. "Thank you, Aunt Brook. But it"s too expensive, and I can"t accept this!"
Claire continues to hand over the box to Katrina. "It"s nothing. I was afraid you wouldn"t like it because it"s only worth a few hundred thousand dollars."
Katrina gapes in shock. A few hundred thousand dollars?
Today, Claire repeatedly makes Katrina reevaluate her sense of value. First, she overpays for brunch worth more than a hundred. Now, she gives away a bracelet worth several hundred thousand dollars.
Claire says the price so lightly as if it only costs ten dollars.
But several hundred thousand dollars is not a small sum of money, and it"s equivalent to a low-end car. How could Katrina accept such a valuable gift?
It may be nothing to Claire, but n.o.ble people usually think that courtesy demands reciprocity. If Aunt Brook gives me such an expensive bracelet, how could I possibly repay her? I can"t afford to accept such an expensive gift!
Katrina keeps refusing firmly, "Aunt Brook, I really can"t accept this."
"Katrina, I am giving you a welcome gift because I really like you. You have to take it."
"I understand, Aunt Brook. I really appreciate this, but..." Katrina pauses and bites her lower lip. "This gift is too expensive for me. I would feel very uncomfortable accepting it."
In the face of Katrina"s constant refusal, Claire has no choice but to give up. "Well, then I will keep it for you. When you come to visit us, you have to accept it then."
The compromise relieves Katrina. "Thank you for your understanding, Aunt Brook."
"By the way, Katrina," Claire starts. "Are you busy this afternoon?"
"I..." Katrina blinks in surprise. "I was planning to visit Marcellus." But she will change her plans if Claire is also planning to visit her son.
Claire appreciates Katrina"s thoughtfulness. "No wonder Marcellus likes you so much, you"re always thinking about him. What a nice girl!" she gushes before suddenly pouting. "But it can"t be fun staying in the hospital all the time. Katrina, how about we go shopping in the afternoon?"
Katrina points incredulously at herself. "Just us?"
"Of course!"
"But Marcellus..." Katrina hesitates. If they both go out, no one will look after Marcellus.
"Don"t worry. I"ll call a servant to take care of him. He"ll be alright. Marcellus will be happier if he sees that we"re getting along well, don"t you think?" Claire points out.
Katrina thinks how she also enjoys going shopping with her best friend. Shopping with someone you like and trust provides a certain kind of enjoyment. On the contrary, shopping with someone you dislike will only feel uncomfortable.
The way Claire insists on inviting Katrina must mean that she really likes her. She is so kind and friendly to her that it seems inappropriate to refuse any of her requests. Katrina nods briskly. "Okay!"
Claire nods in approval. "Okay, go home and get some rest. Where do you live? I"ll ask the driver to pick you up in the afternoon."
"Don"t bother, Aunt Brook," Katrina declines with a smile. "Where do you want to meet? I"ll see you there in the afternoon."
"Well, all right then," Claire concedes.
Katrina smiles happily. "See you later!"
"Okay, watch out on the road."
They bid each other goodbye after making plans to meet later in the afternoon. Katrina walks to a bus stop and hops on when the bus arrives.
As soon as the bus disappears, Claire"s smile falls off her face.
Although Katrina seems gentle and harmless, she is rather difficult to deal with than other ignorant girls.
To keep her son from marrying an orphan, Claire secretly hired someone to get rid of Katrina through a fake car accident. Unexpectedly, it happened to her own son. The situation makes Claire feel frustrated and guilty. If she hadn"t plotted such a thing, Marcellus wouldn"t have gotten hurt.
The results of the incident make Claire realize how important Katrina is to her son. His love for the woman is beyond her imagination. If Marcellus is willing to give up his own life for her, his affections for her must run deep.
If Claire continues her plan of getting rid of Katrina by harming her through other means, Marcellus will eventually find out and end up hating her.
Claire can"t risk it. She can"t afford to lose her only son.
Because of this, Claire changes her strategy of getting rid of Katrina. The only way to make Marcellus leave Katrina is to show him her true colors. When he finds out that Katrina is only with him for his money, he will leave Katrina without blaming her.
After meeting Katrina in the hospital, Claire acts warm and friendly to her in front of Marcellus.
For one thing, she doesn"t want her injured son to feel worried about Katrina. It might affect his recovery. For another, she decides to use kindness as a weapon to secretly tear down Katrina"s defenses.
With that in mind, Claire invites Katrina to an expensive brunch and offers an expensive bracelet as a gift.
First, she wants to show Katrina the difference between her and their family. She wants to shove how humble she is compared to Marcellus and make her realize that she doesn"t deserve her son at all.
Second, she wants to expose Katrina"s desire for money. By accepting the bracelet, Katrina will reveal herself to be a gold-digger.
But Claire doesn"t expect Katrina to behave gracefully and turn her down.
An ordinary girl would have immediately accepted the bracelet upon seeing such a valuable and beautiful piece of jewelry. She would have pretended to refuse it twice, but in the end, she will take it.
However, Katrina declines to accept it in the end. It seems that she is wiser than the average girl. She knows that she should stay for the long haul.
Perhaps I"m not doing enough to tempt her, Claire thinks. I need to be more aggressive and lure her in with beautiful and expensive clothes.
With that, Claire decides to take Katrina shopping.