My Child and I Married a Billionaire

Amina was pulled inside. Simone Vaughn set down the takeout, kindly invited her to sit, and had her friend pour a glass of water for her.

"You must be exhausted, still out working so late. You look thirsty. Here, have a glass of water."

Amina had been delivering food for a long time, but this was the first time she’d ever met such a considerate customer—one who actually invited her inside for a drink of water.

She was touched but politely declined.

"Oh, no, it’s okay. I’m not thirsty. It’s just part of my job. You’re being far too kind."

Simone Vaughn said, "No, you’re the one being too polite. We’re both girls here. It’s not like I’m going to do anything to you, so why be so cautious? Go on, drink. It’s just water; it’s not like it costs anything."

She insisted, pressing the glass into Amina’s hands. It was impossible to refuse such kindness, so Amina had no choice but to accept it and take a small sip.

Simone Vaughn sat down across from her, studying her face and batting her large eyes.

"You’re so beautiful. You don’t look very old, either. How did you end up delivering food?"

The question made Amina a little uncomfortable, but Simone Vaughn’s act was so completely harmless that it would have been rude not to answer. She had no choice but to reply.

"I don’t have many qualifications, so I couldn’t find a better job. Delivering food was my only option. You’re the one who’s beautiful."

For once, Simone Vaughn acted modest.

"We’re wearing makeup, but you’re a natural beauty. I get the feeling you might be of mixed heritage. Are you? If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your background?"

The compliments grew more and more extravagant. Amina was both happy and shy, and her cheeks flushed an even deeper red.

"Oh no, not at all. I belong to an ethnic minority. People from where I’m from look a bit different from the Han majority."

’An ethnic minority?’

’How would an out-of-towner from some ethnic minority know Zeke Walton?’

Of course, that was a question Simone Vaughn couldn’t ask out loud.

"Oh, is that right? No wonder. Which one, if you don’t mind me asking? Is it far from Veridia? This is the first time I’ve met a delivery driver from an ethnic minority. Did a relative or friend bring you here? What made you decide to come to Veridia?"

Amina, being honest to a fault, told her where her hometown was and that a relative had helped her get here. Just like that, Simone Vaughn had figured out her entire backstory.

’So she really is just some delivery girl from the boonies. Hmph!’

A flicker of contempt flashed in her eyes as her gaze slid down to Amina’s bracelet.

The bracelet looked utterly out of place with her delivery driver’s uniform.

’Besides, what young woman with even a shred of taste wears a gold bracelet?’

’In Simone Vaughn’s mind, it was the tacky hallmark of a middle-aged woman from some backwater town.’

The comparison filled her with confidence. ’Zeke must be blind,’ she thought, before turning back to Amina with a pointed, sarcastic comment.

"I see... Your bracelet is quite pretty."

Anyone would let their guard down after being praised so meticulously by a beautiful woman, let alone someone as naive as Amina.

She glanced down at her bracelet and shared earnestly.

"Thank you. I just got it yesterday."

Simone Vaughn’s expression shifted, her tone becoming a condescending interrogation.

"A New Year’s gift to yourself?"

"Sort of. A friend gave it to me."

The word "friend" reminded her that Zeke Walton was still waiting outside. Amina stood up.

"I’m sorry, I can’t chat any longer. My friend is waiting for me, and I still have more deliveries to make. I should get going."

’A friend gave it to her? And he’s waiting for her outside?’

Simone Vaughn didn’t need to be a genius to figure out who this "friend" was.

’Zeke Walton! That damn bastard! We’ve known each other for so long, and he’s never given me a single gift, not even something cheap. But he buys a gold bracelet for some stupid delivery girl? And he spends his days with her, delivering food! What the hell is going on in that head of his?’

Rage flooded her mind once more. Simone Vaughn fought to suppress it as she grabbed Amina’s arm again.

"Wait, don’t go yet. I’m not finished. You seem so sincere and down-to-earth. I actually invited you in because I wanted to ask you about something."

"I need a cleaner for my house. Would you be able to come and help me clean tomorrow?"

"Of course, I’ll make it worth your while. A thousand a day. How does that sound?"

’A thousand a day?’

If it were a long-term job, that would be 30,000 a month, which meant 300,000 a year. Amina would have agreed without a second thought.

But this was just a temporary gig.

As much as she wanted the money, she couldn’t just abandon her delivery job.

"Oh, so that’s what this is about. I’m sorry, miss, but I have deliveries to make tomorrow. I don’t have time."

’I thought offering a thousand a day would be more than enough for someone of her class, but she’s actually turning it down.’

Simone Vaughn mentally rolled her eyes but kept the smile on her face as she spoke.

"Is it not enough? Honey, look, my house isn’t that big. It’s three days of work at most... How about this: you come work for me for three days, and I’ll give you ten thousand. Take out your phone. Let’s exchange info, and I’ll transfer the deposit to you right now. Five thousand."

’Ten thousand for three days?’

Amina couldn’t help but look around, sizing up the villa.

It was huge—from the outside, it looked like it was three stories tall—but she could definitely get it clean in three days.

’Earning a whole month’s salary in just three days...’

Seeing Amina’s hesitation, Simone Vaughn knew she’d struck a chord and quickly added to her pitch.

"Honestly, it’s not even that much work. We have a carpet cleaner, a vacuum cleaner, a window-washing machine... all sorts of appliances. You just have to operate them and tidy up a bit. It won’t be tiring at all. What do you say, miss? We seem to get along so well. Think of it as you doing me a huge favor."

"And it doesn’t even have to take three days. If you can finish it all in one day, I’ll still pay you the full amount. I’m not worried about ten or twenty thousand. The important thing is that I really like you. So, what do you say?"

Amina couldn’t resist the lure of the money, nor could she withstand Simone’s sweet-talking. After a moment of thought, she agreed.

Simone Vaughn smiled triumphantly. "But I have one small request."

"My fiancé cheated on me, and we just had a massive fight. I moved in here secretly, without telling my family. Right now, I can’t stand men, and I don’t want to hear a man’s voice. So, when you come to work here, you can’t tell your boyfriend. During work hours, I don’t want to hear you on the phone with him, either. Can you just let me have a few quiet days to myself to cool down?"

Amina’s heart immediately went out to Simone Vaughn.

’She’s so beautiful and gentle. How could her fiancé bear to break her heart?’

"Don’t worry," Amina promised. "I won’t make any calls while I’m working."

"Great. I’ll be waiting for you then. Don’t you dare stand me up, okay? See you tomorrow, right on time."

On the way back, Amina kept wondering how she was going to tell Zeke.

If she told him she’d taken a cleaning job for the money, Zeke would definitely get angry. He’d say she was degrading herself again, and he might even insist on coming with her...

’What excuse can I come up with to get him out of the way tomorrow?’

Amina was a straightforward person and wasn’t good at lying. She wracked her brain but couldn’t come up with a good excuse.

She spent the afternoon delivering food and thinking, but she was still stumped.

That evening, they were back home. She was reading a book while Zeke sat beside her, applying a moisturizing mask to her hands.

They were enjoying a moment of quiet bliss when suddenly, Zeke’s phone rang. It was his mother, Mrs. Walton.

"Zeke, where have you been? Aren’t you coming home tonight? Your father and I are going to pay our respects at your grandparents’ grave tomorrow, and you need to be there. Come home first."

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