Chapter 32
Chapter 32: Belinda had become the main subject of the room’s whispers, with several attendees stealing glances at her. As she rose from her seat, the room’s attention naturally settled on her. Catching everyone’s gaze, Maggie rolled her eyes and muttered, “What, you can’t hear me from here? Should I pay for a check-up for your ears?”’ “Go ahead.”’ Belinda smiled softly and extended her palm to Maggie. “That’ll be fifteen thousand dollars, thanks.”’ Maggie was taken aback. “Excuse me?”’ Belinda echoed Maggie’s earlier comment with a smirk. “Didn’t you offer to cover my ear treatment? They’ve been giving me trouble lately.”’ She waved her palm impatiently and repeated, “Time to pay up.”’ Maggie recovered from her initial shock, her frustration evident. “Fifteen thousand dollars? Have you lost your mind?”’ Belinda’s grin grew. “You rented out a whole bar last week to host Miss Miller, dropping nearly thirty thousand in one evening. If you can splash out on a stranger like Cathy, surely you won’t skimp on me, your sister-in-law? Or perhaps you would”¦”’ She hesitated, a sneer playing across her features. “So you spent thirty thousand dollars on Miss Miller for a spectacle, and now you’re broke?”’ Maggie’s complexion shifted from red to pale in a heartbeat. “Belinda,”’ Cathy cut in, her brow furrowed. “Maggie was clearly kidding. As her sister-in-law, you wouldn’t really accept her money, would you?”’ With a graceful sweep of her hair, Belinda replied in a steady tone, “She volunteered to pay. She spent thirty thousand on your welcome party, and now she’s proposing to cover my hospital expenses. I’m merely asking for fifteen thousand. I think that’s quite fair.”’ She then turned her palm toward Cathy. “Since you’re so eager to defend her, why don’t you pay the bill for her?”’ Cathy clenched her jaw. Fifteen thousand was hardly a dent for her or Maggie, yet Belinda’s arrogant smirk was intolerable. The mood thickened with tension as murmurs began to swirl around them. Realizing the Cox family was once again becoming the center of gossip at the event, Kristopher lost his composure. He grabbed Belinda’s hand and fixed her with a stern look. “Weren’t you the one who’s supposed to be level-headed? What’s all this commotion about?”’ Belinda had previously endured public humiliations, but this time, she was standing her ground, all because Maggie had dropped a careless remark. She refused to let it slide, insisting on getting paid. Belinda gave a chilly laugh. In the past, her sensibility had been mistaken for weakness; they had taken advantage of her, repeatedly mocking and disrespecting her. Tossing her hair back, she fixed Kristopher with an icy stare. “So will you pay fifteen thousand for them, Mr. Cox?”’ Kristopher scoffed, “When have I ever skimped on you? Is there really a need to create such drama over fifteen thousand?”’ Cathy, biting her lip, grabbed her handbag. She quickly took out a bank card and put it in Belinda’s hand. Seeing that Belinda had received the card, Cathy faced her with tears in her eyes. “Belinda, it’s done. Please, let’s not escalate things with Kristopher over this.”’ Kristopher’s frown grew heavier. “Cathy, why did you give the card to her? You don’t owe her anything.”’ He then turned to Belinda, his gaze icy. “Give the card back to Cathy!”’ “I didn’t force her to give me the card,”’ Belinda countered with a frosty smile, quickly putting the bank card into her pocket. “Miss Miller, you seem to have grown quite fond of my husband’s company. Consider that a leasing fee. If you need his services again, consider him available for rent.”’…