Chapter 4 Is a Thousand Dollars Enough

With a splash, Whitney hit the water. As she went under, she heard someone scream, and her body immediately started sinking. The sudden plunge filled her nose and throat with water. She wasn't a swimmer, so her flailing attempts to surface were chaotic and ineffective. Amid her panic, Whitney saw a familiar figure dive in. She reached out, but Damian swam quickly in the opposite direction, as if he didn't see her. Her fiancé—the man she had loved for eight years—chose to save Rachel over her when they both fell into the water. The pain pierced her heart like a knife, cutting deeper than she had ever thought possible. Stunned, her limbs stopped fighting. Whitney watched as Damian held Rachel close and guided her safely to the surface. Suddenly, a firm grip seized her waist, pulling her up. She turned instinctively and met a pair of deep, mysterious eyes—the same ones she had seen on that unforgettable night. It was him! Forgetting she was underwater, she gaped her mouth in surprise, only to gulp in more water. Once out of the pool, Whitney coughed repeatedly. A maid wrapped a towel around her and helped her dry off. She didn't know why that man had shown up here, but she knew she should thank him. When she looked up, though, he was already gone. Her gaze shifted back and landed on Damian, who was hugging the pitiful Rachel. Noticing her stare, Damian gently set Rachel down and walked over. His eyes were full of concern as he asked, "Are you okay?" Now, he remembered she was here? Whitney scoffed, refusing to respond. After hearing the commotion, Elijah hurried over. When he saw the scene, he asked how Whitney and Rachel ended up in the pool. "I saw Whitney push Rachel in," said Jenny Howard, who was standing beside Rachel. Derek's daughter, Jenny, had always been close to Rachel. At her words, everyone's gaze turned toward Whitney. Damian frowned and asked, "Did you push Rachel?" "If I say no, will you believe me?" Whitney held his gaze. "I know you've been upset—" "Ms. Jenny, I think only Rachel and I were by the pool earlier. How did you see what happened?" Whitney cut Damian off mid-sentence. His half-spoken words had already made his stance clear. Ignoring him, Whitney turned to confront Jenny instead. Jenny replied, "I saw it when I came out from the living room. Is there a problem?" "The pool is quite far away from the living room, and there are many plants in the way. You must have incredible vision, Ms. Jenny." Whitney's gaze was sharp, making Jenny feel uneasy. "Besides, why would I push Rachel?" Whitney paused and turned her gaze to Rachel. "Did she do something to provoke me?" Rachel visibly flinched. Coughing, she finally said, "It was just… too slippery by the pool… Whitney and I both fell by accident." Elijah quickly instructed the maids to help the two women inside to change. Rachel claimed to have an injured ankle. Seeing that, Damian turned to Whitney, saying, "Rachel can't walk. I'll take her in. You should dry off too." With that, he lifted Rachel in his arms. As he walked away, Rachel glanced back and smirked at Whitney with mocking satisfaction. Yes, Whitney didn't lose this round, but who mattered most to Damian was painfully obvious now. After showering and changing clothes, Whitney made it just in time for the family lunch to start. Everyone was taking their seats around the dining table. "Mr. Noel is here," the butler, Isaac Hughton, announced. Damian's and Derek's families all stood up. Whitney looked up as well. From behind the screen stepped a tall, graceful man. His deep-set eyes glinted behind silver-framed glasses, and his strikingly handsome features looked almost sculpted. His hair was slightly damp, as though he had just finished showering. "Uncle Samuel, Uncle Derek," the man greeted them one by one, then moved to stand before Elijah. "Grandpa." "Noel, how's your dad?" Noel Howard replied calmly, "He's doing well. He and Mom went to oversee the grassroots level recently, so they couldn't make it back. They asked me to send their regards to you." Elijah's eldest son, Beckham Howard, had a political background, so he rarely appeared at the Howard residence. Understanding the need for discretion, Elijah never pressed him and his family to visit. Instead, he often reminded his other two sons to act prudently. "I'm doing well. Tell them not to worry." Elijah's face softened as he looked at his long-absent eldest grandson. "Are you busy with work at the institute? Your parents haven't been able to make it, and neither have you? If I hadn't called you the other day, I doubt you'd have thought to come back." Noel lowered his long lashes and didn't try to defend himself. "I'm sorry, Grandpa." "Dad, Noel is the chief designer at Seabourke Architectural Institute. He must be busy. Don't blame him," Damian's father, Samuel Howard, interjected. "Let's start eating before the food gets cold." Everyone resumed their seats. Elijah, having already heard from Isaac that it was Noel who had saved Whitney, turned to Noel and said, "The person you saved is Mr. Spencer's daughter. She's marrying Damian next month. You two met when you were kids." When Whitney saw Noel earlier, she had been stunned. She hadn't expected that the man from that night would turn out to be Noel Howard, Damian's cousin and the eldest grandson of the Howard family. And she had ended up sleeping with him. Awkward, shocked, and stunned, she barely registered Damian's affectionate gestures as he placed food on her plate. She didn't even hear him when he explained that he had only gone to save Rachel because Noel had already gone to rescue her. "Let's talk about this later," he murmured. "Don't ruin Grandpa's mood." A nudge against her leg snapped Whitney out of her thoughts, and she finally registered Damian's whisper. She realized Elijah had been calling her. She looked up, meeting Noel's gaze. His cool, handsome face and deep-set eyes bore no hint of the passion from that night. There was only a detached calm now. "I don't remember," came the answer from those strikingly defined lips. Whitney felt lost because she had missed what Elijah had just asked. "What about you, Whitney? Do you remember Noel?" Elijah asked. Remember him? Of course. But it wasn't the Noel from her childhood. It was the wild, reckless Noel from that night. Her memories of Noel from further back were vague. She could only recall him as the aloof older kid who never joined in their games. Later, Noel's family moved away from the Howard residence, and she hadn't seen Noel since. She had even forgotten what he looked like. Noticing her silence, Damian answered for her, "Noel hasn't spent much time here. Whitney probably doesn't remember. Don't mind her, Noel. Be sure to attend our wedding next month if you're free." Noel's gaze lingered briefly on Whitney's face before he said, "Congratulations. I'll come if I can." Samuel chuckled. "Noel's your cousin. Of course, he'll be there." Noel represented Beckham. Building closer ties with him could mean favorable business policies, which would greatly benefit Howard Group under Samuel's chairmanship. This, in turn, would help secure Damian's position as heir, leaving little opportunity for Derek's family to compete. "Alright, let's dig in." Elijah signaled for them to begin. Whitney heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed Noel hadn't recognized her. The dim lighting that night, coupled with her drunken state, had probably kept her identity a mystery. After lunch, Whitney noticed both Damian and Rachel had disappeared. Not wanting to dwell on it, especially with Noel present, she decided to leave. As she turned to go, a familiar voice sounded behind her. "Leaving? We're headed the same way." Whitney's heart skipped a beat. When she turned to see Noel, she quickly waved her hand. "It's okay. We're not going the same way." "Oh? You know where I'm going? Or…" He paused. A faint, mocking smile tugged at his lips, sending a chill through her. "Do you actually think a thousand dollars is enough to get rid of me?"