Chapter b16 /b

bChapter /bb16 /b

After getting separated from her family at the age of five, Shermaine ended up in a ce called Maple Leaf Ville. It wasn’t a big ce—barely more bthan /bbs /bdozen households.

The vigers treated her, an orphan who had wandered in from nowhere, with nothing but kindness. They helped her get documented, bmade /bsure she had food, clothing, a roof over her head, and even supported her through school in the nearby town.

They had done so much for her, and she was someone who never forgot a debt.

The high–tech farm project was the first gift Shermaine had in mind for them after returning to the country. It was her way of giving back, after seeing how hard life had be for them–how they were barely getting by anymore.

However, the total cost of building the farm hovered around 100 million dors. It wasn’t exactly astronomical. But the thing was, Shermaine had no concept of money.

Back when she was studying abroad, she never thought about how much she could earn through her abilities. As long as she had enough to cover her daily expenses, that was good enough for her, which meant she basically had no savings to her name.

2.3 million dors–while nowhere near enough for the full project–was more than enough to build a few small vis for the vigers and give their living conditions ba /bsolid upgrade.

Shermaine opened theptop on the desk and transferred the full b2.3 /bmillion to the Maple Leaf Ville mayorb, /bbJay /bGill. She left herself a backup fund of three thousand dors–just enough for emergencies.

Once that was done, Shermaine caught a lingering scent of blood on her and grabbed a bottle and a ss before heading to the bathroom.

Lying in the tub, she poured herself a drink. One sip in, the liquor burned its way down her throat, the hit sharp and intense. ‘Damnb, /bthat’s good stuff, she thought.

She didn’t drink much. Once the water turned cold, Shermaine got up, dried off with a towel, and slipped into ba /bsilk nightgown.

Her hair was still wrapped in a white towel as she looked around the bathroom for a hairdryer.

After searching for a while and finding nothing, she stepped out, nning to ask Mariam. But when she called for her, there was no response from downstairs. Shermaine figured she might as well give up.

Just then, the door across the hall opened. A light, clean scent drifted out–Joshua had just showered too.

Shermaine froze for a beat. “Didn’t you say you weren’t staying here?”

Joshua said, “My grandfather checked in on me. gotte, so I didn’t leave.”

“Okay.”

“If it bothers you, I can go now.”

“No need. I just need to borrow something.”

Right now, Joshua was wearing a dark blue silk pajama set, the cor left partly unbuttoned, revealing ba /bglimpse of his chest and a ck tattoo bbeneath/b.

His hair was damp, beads of water dripping down and tracing the sharp lines of his neck, sliding past his Adam’s apple.

His sensual lips were pressed into a thin line, and his eyes were calm, deep, unreadable.

“Go ahead,” Joshua said.

Shermaine narrowed her eyes slightly, gave him a once–over, then quickly shifted her bgaze/bb. /b“There’s no hairdryer in my room.”

Chapter b16 /b

b“/bbHold /bbon/bb./bb” /bJoshua turned around and came back a momentter with a hairdryer in bhand/b. “Just leave it in your broom /bbwhen /bbyou’re /b??ng)

b“/bbYou /bdon’t need bit/b?”

b“/bbNo./b”

Since that was the case, Shermaine happily epted it. When she took the dryer, her hand brushed against his. His hand was cool, bbut /bher fingertips felt strangely hot. She asked, “Did your grandfather say anything?”

Joshua kept it brief. “Nothing. It’s taken care of.”

Shermaine was someone who cared a lot about boundaries. “I’ll be more mindful of the time next time.”

“Alright.” Joshua nodded.

Right then, Shermaine remembered the Rémy Martin Louis XIII Joshua had rmended. “The liquor’s really good. I love it,” she remarked.

Joshua gave ba /bfaint smile, but said nothing.

Back in her room, she let out a small sigh, thinking, ‘He’s so cold and distant.‘ She finished drying her hair, quickly put the hairdryer away, then opened herptop and typed in a URL with one hand.

The site was called the International Tech Forum. It covered everything from information tech and biotech to energy andser technologies.

It was a tform where people posted problems they needed help solving in those areas and they’d post tasks there. Users who felt qualified could pick up tasks based on the level of difficulty and earn some extra cash.

Back when Shermaine didn’t have money for living expensesi, /ishe used to take on low–difficulty jobs from the site. They were easy, bdidn’t /btake bmuch /btime, and came with a decent payout.

The login page popped up. Shermaine typed in her username–Boa Hanks–then her password, and hit enter.

The ount had been active for two years. Her task history was filled entirely with D–level jobs, the lowest iin /iterms of difficulty.

But right now, she was scrolling through the SSS–level listings.

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bChapter /bb17 /b