The Windfalls of Love (Roxanne and Harrison)

Chapter 5

Roxanne thought Harrison was keeping calm because he was hurt by everyone's ridicule and was in a

tough spot. Guys always cared about their pride, right? Even though she and him weren't lovey-dovey,

he was still the one she chose as her partner. How could she let Oliver mock him like that?

"Oliver, if I recall, when you first started your company, you were flat broke too. It was Chloe who dug

into her savings and borrowed from friends and family to give you a hundred grand to invest in your

business, wasn't it? Back then, your whole family moved to the city, jobless, penniless. All your living

expenses came from her pocket, right? From that perspective, you too lived off a woman, didn't you?" This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.

Roxanne's retort turned Oliver's face beet red. And she didn't stop there. She deliberately hooked her

arm through Harrison's and continued, "My hubby may have gone bankrupt, but he's hard at work,

always on the hunt for jobs and ways to make a living."

"Someone who's been knocked down but got back up, who's proven he can handle pressure and take

action, is bound to achieve something in the future. Not like some people, who get used to living off a

woman's money, and even have the nerve to mock others."

Oliver's face turned even more sour. "Roxanne, watch your mouth. I've made my own money over the

years, I haven't asked Chloe for a dime."

"The money for your house and car, didn't Chloe lend you that too?" Roxanne fired back.

"I..." Oliver was at a loss for words.

The other employees at the company started to see the usually accomplished Oliver in a new light. So,

he started his career thanks to his wife?

But that was weird, Roxanne and Oliver usually got along just fine, right? Why were they bickering

today? Did they have a falling out?

Everyone figured it out, especially Roxanne. She rejected Oliver's love confession, didn't satisfy his

despicable demands, so he held a grudge against her.

Her future days were definitely not going to be smooth sailing! But Roxanne was not afraid.

"Oliver, why the long face? Did my words hit a nerve? If you're upset, you should go home. Don't come

to dinner, you might lose your appetite."

With that, Roxanne called everyone to get in the cars.

The company only had two cars, a business car, and a sedan. With all the employees, there was only

room left for her and Harrison.

So, she called an Uber.

Oliver was still standing there. With all the employees gone, he didn't bother hiding his feelings

anymore, and he looked like he could eat Roxanne alive.

"Roxanne, you really had to embarrass me in front of everyone, huh? What did I ever do to you?"

"Oliver, we've worked together for years, don't you know me? I usually don't pick fights, but if someone

picks one with me, I won't back down. And remember, you were the first to ridicule my husband."

Oliver gave Harrison another disdainful look. "He is a bankrupt, useless man who lives off a woman,

why can't I call him out?"

"Dare to say that again?" Roxanne warned Oliver with a calm yet sharp look. Sure enough, Oliver didn't

dare to say it again.

Their argument was anything but pleasant, but Harrison, who was watching from the side, was

surprisingly calm.

Being bankrupt and penniless were identities that Vincent had arranged for him. But living off a woman

and being a farmer were new identities that Harrison found amusing. Such identities didn't embarrass

Roxanne!?

The Uber driver called at that moment.

After Rozanne finished the call, she looked at the car parked by the roadside, then deliberately took

Harrison's hand in front of Oliver. "Honey, let's go."

This was the second time today that Roxanne took Harrison's hand. He knew she was doing this on

purpose in front of Oliver, so he didn't resist.

Once they got in the car, Harrison looked at Roxanne and asked on purpose, "Did I embarrass you?"

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Only then did Roxanne realize she was still holding

Harrison's hand. She quickly let go, feeling awkward, then comforted him.

"Don't take Oliver's words to heart. Instead of wasting energy caring about what others say, you should

do something more meaningful. Don't waste your time on such pointless social interactions."

These were words Harrison often said to his executives and employees; Roxanne didn't need to teach

him that.

But when Roxanne said it, he listened very patiently. After she finished, Roxanne asked the driver to

take them back to their rental first to leave the chicken and vegetables Harrison had brought.

Harrison also changed his clothes.

On the way to the restaurant, Roxanne asked Harrison, "Your dad has a bad back, right? Does farming

hurt his back? You should tell him to rest and not work too hard."

The vegetables were indeed grown by Harrison's family, and the chicken was indeed raised by Vincent.

But all the farm work was done by the servants at the mansion.

They had a huge mansion in the city center. Vincent, having nothing else to do, liked to order the

servants to work in the fields.

But Harrison didn't reveal the truth, he just gave a noncommittal hum.

When they arrived at the hotel, the thick-skinned Oliver and a dozen employees were already there.

The crowd of people were denied entry to the private room.

The hotel manager apologized, "I'm sorry, Oliver. The room you reserved is occupied. All the other

rooms are also booked today, I'm really sorry."

Oliver argued, "I reserved it in advance, and now you're telling me someone took my spot? I don't care

who it is, you have to clear the room for me today."

"Oliver, like I said, the person in the room is a big shot. I can't afford to offend a big leader just for you."

"Are you saying I'm not as important as the big shot in there?"

"Oliver, not to be that guy, but we are swamped today and can't set up a private room for you. Next

time you pop by for a meal, it's on half me. We're just so slammed on holidays, sorry for the short stick.

I'll personally make it up to you with a toast next time."

The restaurant manager was talking and backing away, seemingly itching to go deal with other stuff.

Being left high and dry, Oliver felt he was losing face. The staff tried to smooth things over, saying, "Let

it go, Oliver. Eating somewhere else is no biggie."

But Oliver was dead set on saving his pride. "No sweat, just hang tight. I know the big cheese of this

place. I'll find him. He'll definitely set up a private room for us."

He boasted about knowing the restaurant's owner, but in reality, he'd only bumped into him once at a

friend's shindig.

Back then, Oliver had tried to buddy up with the restaurant owner, but they were worlds apart socially.

The owner, a big shot worth billions, practically snubbed him and even shot down his friend request.

Roxanne was in the know about this. She stepped up and said, "Oliver, let's eat somewhere else. Even

if you hunt down the owner, they're not going to spare you a private room. Let's not waste everyone's

time."

Oliver was already ticked off. Roxanne's words just added fuel to the fire. "Roxanne, what's your deal?

Are you looking down on me too? You think your hubby can score a private room when I can't?"

"Can we leave my husband out of this? I'm just trying to save us all some time."

"I haven't even found the owner yet. How do you know he won't cut me some slack?"

But Oliver was hell-bent on reaching out to the owner. After looking high and low, he returned empty-

handed. "The big boss isn't in. Let's chow down somewhere else."

Roxanne just shook her head without a word.

Harrison glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's already twenty to eight."

He was getting antsy. Normally, his secretary would handle all his scheduling. He would never waste

time waiting around like this.

Although he was getting impatient, he kept his cool. He looked at Roxanne and said, "Why don't we eat

here? I'll see if I can score a private room."

"You?" Oliver almost busted out laughing. "If I can't get a private room, what makes you think you can?

Are you pulling my leg?"

Roxanne said, "Oliver, can you not be sarcastic when you talk to my husband?"

"Sarcastic?" Oliver gave Harrison a once-over. "I think he's just full of himself."

Roxanne felt awkward. She sidled up to Harrison and whispered in his ear, "Harrison, I know you're

trying to save face, but don't bite off more than you can chew. Let's not make a scene and go

somewhere else."

"It's cool. Leave it to me." Harrison gave her arm a light pat, took out his phone, and made a call.

One, he didn't want to waste any more time, because he still had a report to read after dinner. Two,

because Vincent's bankruptcy setup had made Roxanne a laughingstock among the partners.

Roxanne was his wife in name, so he had to have her back.

After he hung up, Oliver started mocking him again. "He's actually pretending to make a call. Roxanne,

if your hubby can score a private room today, I'll do a dog impression for everyone."