Chapter 3 Do You Want Something Else?

• Madeline's pupils were constricted. Her expression changed rapidly as she pressed her back tightly against the door.
• "I really regret this. Please let me go, sir. I promise I won't come back again."
• Logan looked down at her tear-streaked face, her eyes red, and the pink tip of her nose. She looked utterly pitiful.
• He asked coldly, "You're really not selling anymore?"
• "No, I won't sell it," Madeline hastily shook her head.
• "Not now, not ever?"
• At this, tears spilled down Madeline's cheeks, and her voice trembled as she begged, "Never again, I swear! Please let me go, and I'll be grateful for the rest of my life."
• Logan tilted his head slightly and patted her shoulder twice.
• She was scrawny, all bones and with hardly any flesh to speak of.
• He turned his gaze away and said, "Get lost."
• With tears streaming down her face, Madeline twisted the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge. A large hand reached from behind, pressed down on hers, and with a firm tug, the door swung open with a click.
• The lock was strangely set to open in the opposite direction.
• Now was not the time to ponder this. Crying, she rushed out, forgetting to even put on her shoes.
• It wasn't until she had run several feet and spotted the elevator entrance that the pressure overwhelmed her. She leaned against the wall beside the elevator doors, gasping for breath.
• The area was quiet, and she dared not cry out loud.
• Madeline covered her mouth as tears fell one by one, her teeth chattering uncontrollably, clicking together in her fear.
• She was terrified.
• Madeline had never dared to do anything like this.
• She had mentally prepared herself, but when the time came, she was too afraid to deal with it and nearly broke down.
• Madeline crouched helplessly on the ground, silently sobbing for nearly ten minutes, her anxious heart gradually calming down.
• Just then, her phone rang, the screen flashing 'Mom'.
• She answered the call, tears still in her eyes, seeking solace amidst her overwhelming fear. But instead, a barrage of curses bombarded her from the other end.
• "You ungrateful, good-for-nothing b*tch! Your father's a cripple, and you're just an ingrate! It's all on me to earn money. Where's the money? Listen, if you don't send it soon, don't bother with your dad's checkup in two days. Let him just sit in his wheelchair and rot to death for all I care!"
• Madeline's sobs suddenly became trapped in her throat.
• When she was five, her father had taken her out on his bicycle to buy ice cream. But they had gotten into an accident; her father shielded her with his body, getting hit by a truck head-on, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
• The driver had left some money and fled, leaving their family's breadwinner crumbled and their lives in ruin.
• When she turned eighteen, she had passed the entrance exam for university. Despite all the challenges, her father urged her to continue her education. He had endured endless humiliation and hardship throughout her life, secretly borrowing money from relatives to ensure she could attend school, believing that education was the only way for her to rise above their circumstances.
• After years of waiting, her father's much-needed surgery was just two days away. They had consulted experts and waited five years for this appointment. Without money, he would be forced to spend even more years in that wheelchair.
• In those years, she had witnessed a man's dignity crushed underfoot.
• Madeline felt a sharp pain in her heart.
• She hung up the phone and wiped her tears away.
• Looking down at the disposable slippers on her feet, she felt the coldness of the floor seep through the thin soles, invading her nerves and spreading through her limbs.
• Madeline shivered, standing up from the ground, turning back to walk.
• She took a few steps back to the door, wiped her face, and raised her hand to knock on it.
• The door opened, revealing a handsome man with sharp features.
• Without waiting for him to speak, Madeline blurted out, "Do you want something else? I can't sell my eggs, but I can still sell myself."