Chapter 9 Olivia Pearson

• Lester took out a wad of cash from his pocket and stuffed it in Chloe's hands. "This is your salary for the month. Stop working here from now on."
• Thomas broke Harvey's head with a bottle and destroyed his legs. There was no way Harvey would let that slide. Even without Lester's advice, Chloe didn't think she could even keep on working at the bar. However, she was surprised that Lester would pay her, and it was more than her fair share too.
• Thomas understood where Lester was coming from. Lester was doing this out of the kindness of his heart, so Thomas calmed down.
• "Mr. Lush, I make three hundred and fifty dollars every month, and it hasn't been two weeks this month. That's more than my fair share." She pulled a few notes out and tried to give them back to Lester.
• Lester waved his hands. "Not the time to talk about this, Chloe. Listen to me. A girl like you shouldn't work in places like bars. It's not the cleanest working place in the world, and you're not cut out for any work here. You have to leave, or Harvey's thugs are gonna catch you."
• Chloe knew how dangerous bars were, especially after everything she saw when she was working in the bar. Some girls had their drinks spiked, some drank too much and were f*cked on the spot, and some were taken away by force. She too was teased due to her cute looks. If it weren't for the fact that someone would help her every time she got in trouble, she would have ended up like one of those girls. Of course, she was scared, but there was no choice. This place paid her well, and she needed the money for her father's medical bills.
• "Thank you." She bowed at Lester.
• They bid farewell to Lester and went back to Chloe's house. The girl said nothing, but Thomas could see that she was upset. "Are you angry at me, Chloe?"
• "What are you talking about? You saved me, Thomas. I just think it's a shame to lose this job. And after all I went through to get it too."
• Thomas smiled. "Nothing to feel sorry over. I didn't know you were working at the bar, or I would have told you to quit a while ago. You can always find another job."
• "But it's hard to get any jobs in the market, especially when I don't even have a degree. All the jobs available to me pay less than two hundred dollars a month. That's not enough for Dad's medical bills."
• Thomas asked curiously, "Chloe, your brother told me you're still in college, so why are you working?"
• Chloe stared at the ground and fidgeted. "I dropped out. Dad's sick and Zachary's not here, so I have to work."
• Thomas let out a long sigh. His heart was aching for Chloe, and tears started streaming down his cheeks.
• "Don't cry, Thomas. It's all my fault. I can't even help you out, and I keep having to trouble you."
• "You've done enough, Chloe." He wiped his tears away. "Don't worry. You're not alone now. You have me. If you need money, I'll make it for you. As long as I can do it, I'll do anything."
• "You're not going back to the troops?"
• Thomas shook his head. "No. I'll take care of this family with you."
• "No!" Chloe panicked. "I can't trouble you."
• "What are you talking about? Zachary's my best friend. Just treat me like I'm your brother. Or do you think I'm not good enough?"
• "No… But…"
• "No buts!"
• Chloe went to make breakfast, leaving Thomas to muse over their predicament.
• I made a promise, but how am I supposed to make money and keep this family intact? I only have twenty-eight hundred dollars. No. Spent seventy dollars last night, so I have less than that. And then he was reminded of a certain someone—Olivia Pearson.
• "Perhaps she can help us out. She's the president of Pearson Group, and that sounds amazing. She owns a whole company. I guess it won't be hard for her to get me a job. Maybe she can get Chloe a job as well."
• After they had breakfast, Thomas told Chloe to get some sleep while he went 'job hunting'. But the moment he left, he realized something. Hey. There's only the company's name, but not the address on the namecard!
• He was born and raised in Irieson, but he spent most of his life in the military so he didn't know where the company was. He had no choice but to get a cab. "Pearson Group, please."
• The driver looked at him. Why is he going to Pearson Group? That's one of the biggest companies in Irieson. Look at him. He's wearing a regular navy blue shirt and looks like a hobo. He's obviously blue-collar. Does he even know anyone there? The driver sighed and drove away.
• Irieson's traffic was excellent. Thomas arrived at his destination just a while later. He paid the driver the fee and got out of the car.
• The sight of the towering building before him dazzled him. Building? More like a mountain. At the same time, he felt delighted. Looks like that woman is super rich. Maybe she can help me and Chloe out.
• Thomas confirmed that it was the building he was looking for before he entered it.
• However, a guard stopped him the moment he approached the entrance. "Are you looking for someone, sir?"
• Thomas scratched his head. "Give me a minute."
• He thought that's a big company for you. So formal, and they even have guards. He whipped out the card from his pocket and looked at the name. "I'm looking for Olivia Pearson."
• "Olivia Pearson? Who's that? Sounds familiar," the guard muttered under his breath.
• "That's the president!" The younger guard knew right away who Olivia was.