Chapter 19 Lucia successfully swiped the card by herself. A brilliant smile lit up Lucia's face. Tristan beamed with satisfaction. "I knew letting Lucia spend time with Rose was a good idea. Look at her already learning to be generous." Chloe said nothing at first, then softened her tone. "Lucia's moving back home. You okay with that?" Sensing the disapproval, Tristan quickly nodded. "No objections at all" "And Chloe added, "Callum's moving back too." He had been living on his own way too long getting wilder by the day. Up all night gaming, wasting the best years of his life. He might be her great-grandson, but she thought, 'Family's family. Someone's got to step in Callum walked over just in time to hear this and immediately protested, "No way! I'm staying in the villa near campus- "You don't get a say, Tristan cut him off, landing a swift kick on his rear. "From now on, you'll be in charge of walking your great- grandma to and from school. And another thing-she just arrived in this era and she's a little behind. You're a good student, so help her catch up on what she's missed." Callum broke into a cold sweat. He was a terrible student his last exam score didn't even break 100. But then again… Chloe came from seventy years ago. Her grades had to be even worse , right ? That thought lifted his mood. Then came more shopping. Designer clothes, shoes, handbags, necklaces, jewelry, accessories-everything you could imagine. Tristan bought things for Chloe. Chloe, in turn, bought for Lucia. Those glittery princess dresses and crystal shoes were so stunning, she felt like buying out the entire mall . When they were finally done- Tristan handed over a wallet stuffed with black cards. "Here, Mom. Keep these. It'll make shopping easier from now on." Chloe was about to turn him down . Bur Callum shamelessly leaned in. "So many black cards-can I have just one! That's not too much to ask , right?" "Buzz ofll" Tristan smacked the back of las head . "You get 30 thousand dollars a month-what more do you want?" Callum was speechless. Normally, that allowance was more than enough. A couple of days ago, to impress Chlor, he casually bought a necklace and it cost nearly 300 thousand dollars. He'd maxed out his credit card. No way he could adu If Tristan found out , he wouldn't kill lum-but he'd definitely peel off a layer of skin. 1/4 P P. Chapter 19 TII hang onto them, then, Chloe said, taking the stack of black cards from various banks. A sly smile curved her lips. From now on, I'll be handling Callum's allowance myself. Callum suddenly had a really bad feeling. The next morning. Callum drove the brand-new car Chloe had bought the day before, cruised all the way to the villa near school , parked, and walked with her the five minutes to the school gate. Yo, Callum!" Vincent spotted him from a distance and came running-only to freeze when he saw Callum carrying two backpacks. He stared in disbelief. "Are you seriously carrying Chloe's bag? Dude, you look like her assistant. What's going on?" Callum let out a long, silent sigh. Tristan had issued strict orders: Chloe was to be pampered like royalty. When she got in the car, he opened the door. When she sat down, he pulled out her chair. When she shopped, he carried the bags. When she ate, he even had to serve her food… Life was seriously unfair. When Callum stayed silent, Vincent nudged him, waggling his brows. "Callum, you're something else. Seriously. To win over Chloe, you're willing to lower yourself this much? Man, I don't bow to anyone-but you? Total respect "Shut up already." Callum wanted nothing more than to tape that big mouth shut. He cleared his throat and turned to Chloe, awkwardly handing her backpack over. "Uh.. you go on ahead to class. I'm gonna grab a smoke" Chloe pulled a notebook from the bag and tossed it to him. "I made a schedule last night. Take a look while you're out smoking." Callum caught it and flipped it open. One glance-and he froze. Late to class or leaving early: 300 dollars per minute. Sleeping in class: 300 dollars per minute. Smoking : 1500 dollars flat. Fighting: 3 thousand dollars… Vincent peeked over. "Callum, what's all this 300 dollars and 1500 dollars' stuff?" Callum was seething. He only got 30 thousand dollars a month. How was he supposed to survive with penalties like these! He stormed into the classroom and slammed the notebook down on Chlocs desk. "What is this?" Everyone looked up at opre. Callum was fainous for his temper-when he blew up, not even teachers were safe. And Chloe? Just days ago , she'd embarrassed him in front of everyone Now something else had clearly set him off. Chapter 19 Chloe looked up , calm as ever. "Disrespecting your elders-3 thousand dollars deduction. you messing with my allowance!" "You've got to be kidding me!" Callum leaned in, voice low and teeth clenched. "Why the hell are y Chloe's tone didn't change. "You tell me. Why wouldn't I?" Callum fell silent. She was his great -grandmother. Half the Rhodes family's wealth? Game from her. She glanced at the cigarette pack in his hand. "Still planning to smoke?" "N-no," he muttered, totally deflated. "I'm quitting. I swear . Truth be told, he wasn't even addicted. He just thought it made him look cool. It was all for show. Now he slouched back into his seat like a balloon with the air let out . The rest of the class all kept their heads down, 'So the school's resident bad boy has finally been tamed Vincent looked stunned-then grinned. "Callum, she's already managing your life. She's gotta have feelings for you. Callum stuffed a bread into his mouth before he could say more. In class, he didn't dare fall asleep or sneak a game on his phone. He just sat quietly, zoning out-so long as his allowance stayed untouched, he could live with it. By evening study hall -free period-he rallied a bunch of his buddies and dashed off to the internet café to game. Chloe didn't say a word. Raising a kid was all about balance . Sometimes you tightened the leash, sometimes you gave a little slack. That was how you kept them from rebelling. She went back to working on quadratic equations and parabolas. When you were focused, time flied. Before she knew it, the evening session was over. She grabbed her backpack and headed home. At the same time, Erin and Zayne were also leaving school. Erin immediately spotted Chloe in the crowd. Chloe used to be a total nobody-plain and dull, easy y to miss even in a group. But lately, it was like the dust had been wiped off her. Standing among a crowd of school girls . Chloe stood out effortlessly, Erin glanced sideways at Zayne. His eyes were on Chloe He looked away quickly-but even that brief moment made her feel uneasy. She spoke, her tone casual , "Didn't my sister apply to live on campus? What's she doing out this late? Oh, right-I heard she's gotten rally close to Callum. You don't think they're off renting a hotel room or something, do you? " Zayne frowned. "Don't go spreading baseless rumors Erin pressed her lips into a thin line. She thought , Fine. Let's wait and see. Once Chloe ends up with a baby bump, then they'll know I wasn't just talking nonsense." Chapter 19 For now, she'd just enjoy the show.