Chapter 8 Sleep with me!

Arlo almost thought he misheard her, looking at her incredulously. Nora chuckled lightly, "A monthly salary of ten thousand, plus a share of the profits. But let me be clear, from now on, all security work at the bar will be entrusted to you. You saw the performance of those security guards today. I hope that next time there's such a situation, it won't just be you charging ahead, but all of you security guards together." Arlo was dumbfounded. With ten thousand a month, even without the profit share, he would have over a hundred thousand in income in a year. And with free food and accommodation at the bar, when the lease expires, he can move directly into the dormitory without spending a penny! At this rate, after working at the bar for three to five years, he could not only pay off the family's debts but also afford his sister's university tuition. Since the family's incident, Arlo hadn't been this happy for a long time. Thinking about the concept of benefactors he learned about in school, he felt Nora was his benefactor! "Ms. Marsh, I won't let you down!" Arlo promised solemnly. Nora smiled without saying anything, feeling very appreciative of the young man in front of her. In today's society, there are too many people who don't keep their word, too many who forget kindness. As the daughter of a wealthy family, she's been surrounded by people who flatter her since childhood, and she's long been accustomed to the insincerity of those people. Although she hasn't known Arlo for long, in their few interactions, she could tell he was a person of integrity and commitment. Most importantly, Arlo had no ulterior motives when interacting with her, making it very easy for her to be around him. "Is your head still hurting? If not, I'll take you back to rest, and you can come to work at the bar tomorrow." Without hesitation, Arlo refused, "No need to rest. I'm feeling fine now, Ms. Marsh. I want to go back to work!" Nora shook her head, insisting, "No, you drank so much, you must rest properly. I'll take you back to have a nap, and you can report for duty tomorrow." Under her firm gaze, Arlo scratched his head, "Well, alright then. Just drop me off at the nearest bus stop, and I'll take the bus back." "I'll drop you off at the entrance of Urban Village!" Nora smiled, "Don't be so formal. Let's just be friends." Arlo stared blankly at her smile, "Ms. Marsh, you have a beautiful smile!" Nora's smile became even brighter. Suddenly, she remembered something from earlier in the morning and asked, "Let me ask you something, do you like that Skyler?" Seeing her mention Skyler, Arlo hesitated for a moment, then pursed his lips and said, "I have some feelings for her, but I wouldn't say I like her." Then he briefly explained his situation with Skyler to Nora. Hearing that he rejected Skyler, Nora couldn't help but give Arlo a strange look, "Do you... have any problems in that area?" Arlo's face instantly turned red. He cleared his throat and said, "No! How could there be any problem?" "Then why did you reject her?" Nora blinked, "A girl is being so proactive, rejecting her would hurt her feelings!" Arlo scratched his head. After some thought, he said, "I just felt it was too soon, and... " Pausing for a moment, he continued, "And I feel that as a man, I must have my own career first. Otherwise, in the end, we'll definitely drift apart." Nora raised an eyebrow, unable to hold back her amusement, "Oh, I didn't realize you're a bit of a male chauvinist? Isn't it great that the girl is willing to fight alongside you? Have you ever considered that once you're successful in your career, those women who were with you are after your money or you as a person?" Arlo was stumped by her words. After seriously considering it for a moment, he replied, "Ms. Marsh, I'm not stupid. I can tell if someone is sincere towards me or not." As they spoke, the car arrived at the entrance of Urban Village. The Urban Village at this hour was particularly lively. People who had been out working gradually returned to their residences, and on both sides of the street, vendors selling snacks and making fast food occupied the roadside, resembling a snack street. Nora stopped the car, saying, "We're here. Make sure you drink plenty of water when you get back." Arlo nodded and opened the door, stepping out. After walking just a few steps, he noticed something seemed to be happening up ahead, with a crowd gathered around. Squeezing into the crowd, at the center of it all, were five or six women surrounding another woman, shouting insults at her. A middle-aged woman with curly hair and a bulky figure was grabbing the woman on the ground, cursing at her harshly, "You little slut, at such a young age, you're already learning to seduce men? I'll strip you naked right here and see if you have any shame left!" Is this a case of catching a mistress? Arlo had occasionally seen women caught by their lovers for cheating in the village, but seeing a group of people gathered around to physically assault someone was a first. Just as he found it somewhat novel, he suddenly recognized the woman—it was none other than Skyler! His heart tightened, and he quickly pushed through the crowd of women, rushing into the midst of them. Grabbing the arm of the fat woman, Arlo angrily shouted, "Stop it!" Enraged, Arlo exerted force, causing the fat woman to cry out in pain, "You little bastard, what are you doing?" "What am I doing? What are you doing?" Arlo firmly held onto her arm, his voice cold, "In broad daylight, you're bullying a young girl like this. Have you no shame?" The fat woman cried out in agony and anger, "Nonsense! This bitch seduced my husband. Can't I give her a beating to vent my anger?" Recognizing the voice, Skyler looked up to see Arlo, his face contorted with anger. She bit her lip and lowered her voice, "You, what are you doing here?" "There's been some trouble. I came back to rest," he replied, looking at the handprints on Skyler's cheeks and the scratches on her neck, feeling a pang of pain. He realized it was fortunate he had returned. If he hadn't, would these people have stripped her naked? For a woman, being stripped naked in public was akin to death. Before Skyler could speak, the fat woman started shouting, "She's killed someone! This little bitch's lover has killed someone!" Arlo glared coldly at the fat woman. "Shut up! If you keep yelling, I'll call the police!" But the fat woman seemed unafraid. Instead of quieting down, she raised her voice even louder. Seeing the woman causing a scene, Arlo sneered and began tearing at her clothes. The fat woman hadn't expected Arlo to do this. She immediately panicked, "What, what are you doing? Let go!" "Call out if you want. Don't you enjoy shouting? Keep shouting!" Arlo remained unmoved, continuing to tear at her clothes. Seeing Arlo's determination, the fat woman faltered, "You, why are you being unreasonable?" Amused by the situation, Arlo pushed the fat woman away and helped Skyler up from the ground. "I'm being unreasonable? Who's being unreasonable here? You can't even manage your own man and yet you blame others?" With just a few words, Arlo silenced the fat woman. He snorted coldly and led Skyler out of the crowd. After escorting Skyler back to her rental house, Arlo comforted her briefly before preparing to leave. But suddenly, Skyler hugged him from behind, her voice trembling as she said, "Arlo, don't leave. Stay with me tonight?"