My Child and I Married a Billionaire

What?

’He always had his phone with him before. When did he develop this new habit?’

’My phone is dead, and he didn’t bring his. What are we going to do?’

Luckily, they hadn’t gotten on the highway. There were a few scattered houses along the sides of the national road. Cecelia Archer thought for a moment.

"Well, could I trouble you to wait for a moment? I’ll go find a place to charge my phone..."

"You want me to wait here? Don’t you know you’re supposed to stay away from a disabled vehicle to avoid a secondary accident?"

Damien Vaughn looked at her, displeased. "I’m going with you."

Cecelia Archer placed the warning triangle behind the car, grabbed her phone, and left the main road with him.

It was a very run-down small town—or more accurately, a village.

They walked for a long time without seeing a single young person. There were only a few middle-aged women with sun-darkened faces playing outside with their grandchildren.

Cecelia Archer tried to strike up a conversation with one of them.

"Hello, ma’am. My phone’s dead, and he left his at home. Our car broke down just up the road. I was wondering, do you happen to have a charger for this model? Could I possibly borrow it to charge my phone for a bit?"

The words had barely left her mouth when the middle-aged woman looked as if she’d seen a ghost. She scooped up her granddaughter, scurried back into her house, and SLAMMED the door shut.

Cecelia Archer: "???"

There was nothing for it but to try another house.

But the same thing happened. Before she could even finish her sentence, the person waved their hands dismissively, grabbed their child, and ran off.

"What’s going on? Why is everyone so wary? Do I really look like a scammer?"

Cecelia Archer asked Damien Vaughn, speechless.

Acting as if Cecelia Archer’s failure to borrow a charger had nothing to do with him, Damien Vaughn said bluntly,

"A lot of child traffickers use that exact excuse to get into people’s homes. It seems the anti-trafficking and anti-fraud campaigns around here have been quite effective."

"...I guess there’s no other way then. Since I apparently look like a child trafficker, I’ll have to find a phone store. I just hope there’s one nearby, and that the owner is willing to help me."

Damien Vaughn didn’t seem the least bit concerned about the dead phone. While Cecelia Archer walked ahead, craning her neck to look for a phone store, he was busy looking for a restaurant.

"I’m starving. Stop. Let’s eat first."

Hearing him, Cecelia Archer followed his gaze and saw a beef noodle soup shop.

Although the shop was very plain, even a bit dilapidated, the owner had set up a large cauldron by the entrance. A rich, white beef bone broth was simmering inside, its fragrant aroma wafting out, incredibly enticing.

Cecelia Archer wasn’t against eating, but...

"With what? We don’t have any money."

she reminded Damien Vaughn.

"You don’t have money. I do."

As if by magic, Damien Vaughn produced a wallet from his inner suit pocket and pulled out 200 yuan in cash.

"I have 200 yuan."

For the nth time that day, Cecelia Archer was left speechless.

’These days, not many people carry a physical wallet, and even fewer carry one with only 200 yuan in cash!’

"Only 200 yuan? You didn’t bring any cards?"

"Is 200 yuan not enough for you? Since when did you get such a big appetite?"

Damien Vaughn stuffed the wallet back in his pocket. "Are you coming or not?"

Cecelia Archer hadn’t eaten breakfast and was so hungry by this point that she really couldn’t hold out any longer. ’A full stomach makes for better work. Why not eat?’ The two of them entered the shop together.

"Sir, how much is the beef noodle soup?"

"A small bowl is 10 yuan, a large is 15. Do you want large or small?"

Before Cecelia Archer could speak, Damien Vaughn cut in, "I’ll have a large. She’ll have a small."

"Okay. Do you two want it spicy?"

"No."

After speaking, the incredibly distinguished President Vaughn frowned at the greasy, gleaming table and chairs, snatched the cheap paper napkins from the table, and tossed them to Cecelia Archer.

"It’s filthy. Wipe it."

Cecelia Archer: "..."

Perhaps because there were always maids at the Vaughn Family estate, she’d never paid much attention before. Only today did she realize what a high-maintenance jerk Damien Vaughn was.

’A petty, unreasonable, high-maintenance jerk.’

’An extra five yuan wouldn’t bankrupt him.’

’He knew she was so hungry she was probably hypoglycemic, yet he wouldn’t even spring for a large bowl of beef noodles!’

Cecelia Archer tore off a long strip of paper napkins and wiped the table in front of him again and again, then wiped the chair again and again.

"Is this acceptable, President Vaughn?"

Damien Vaughn kept his distance from the table, his brow still furrowed.

"What do you think?"

Cecelia Archer tore off another section of napkins and wiped some more.

"How about now?"

"Is there something wrong with your eyes?"

The roll of paper napkins was almost gone. Cecelia Archer felt a little bad.

"The owner runs a small business; it isn’t easy for him. You’re going to use up all his napkins."

"I’ll pay him for them. Keep wiping."

Cecelia Archer used up the entire roll, wiping the table until its original surface was visible. Only then did Damien Vaughn finally deign to sit down.

It would take the owner a little time to cook the noodles, so Cecelia Archer took the opportunity to talk to him and ask if there was a phone store nearby.

The owner pointed her in a direction. She went back to consult with Damien Vaughn.

"There’s a phone store up ahead. Lend me 100 yuan so I can go buy a charger."

She had subconsciously treated him like the Damien Vaughn of old, her tone a bit too familiar. Damien Vaughn was not pleased.

"Are you speaking to me?"

"My apologies, President Vaughn. There is a phone store up ahead. May I please borrow 100 yuan from you to purchase a charger?"

He slowly took out his wallet. "You may. Borrow 100, pay back 10,000."

Cecelia Archer: "What?"

"If you think it’s too expensive, you don’t have to borrow it."

’This man is so childish. Is he in elementary school? Playing these kinds of games, taking advantage of the situation?’

Cecelia Archer really didn’t want to play along, but having a dead phone wasn’t a solution either.

"Understood, President Vaughn."

She found the phone store, and the owner turned out to be quite accommodating.

"If you have a charger at home, there’s no need to buy a new one. You can use mine for a bit, free of charge. Come on."

He handed Cecelia Archer a fast charger.

’Perfect. Now I don’t have to spend his 100 yuan, and I won’t have to pay him back 10,000.’

Cecelia Archer plugged in her phone and sat down to wait.

It was lunchtime, so there weren’t many customers. The owner was bored and, seeing that Cecelia Archer was young, beautiful, and had a refined air about her—clearly from a big city—he started chatting with her.

About twenty minutes passed, and her phone charged to 60%. Cecelia Archer thanked the owner and ran back to the noodle shop.

The table was empty. There was nothing on it. Damien Vaughn was sitting there alone, his expression dark.

"The noodles aren’t here yet? What’s taking so long? I’ll go hurry the owner."

As she spoke, she started to head for the kitchen, but Damien Vaughn stood up coldly.

"I’ve already eaten. I threw yours out."

"What?"

"You have no sense of time. Who knew if you were even coming back."

Cecelia Archer: "..."

’How is that possible? He’s the great President Vaughn. Would I dare abandon him here by himself?’

"You knew I was..."

Damien Vaughn cut her off. "Lunchtime is over. Enough nonsense. Let’s go."

Cecelia Archer’s stomach was growling with hunger. The fragrant smell of the beef soup made her mouth water.

"I went to charge my phone! You have nothing else to do, where are you rushing off to? Couldn’t you have waited for me for a little while?"

"I could have. But my time is billed by the minute, and you know my net worth. So, how long do you want me to wait? The clock starts now."

’He drove all the way from Veridia to Oakhaven for breakfast and wasted all that time on the road without once mentioning his net worth, but now he wants to charge me for the time it takes to eat a meal? Isn’t he just deliberately messing with me?’

The anger killed Cecelia Archer’s appetite.

She took out the 100 yuan and shoved it into his chest.

"I’m not eating. Let’s go."