"Well? You won't be losing out, you know!" Royce tilted his head towards Julia.
Julia's expression turned serious. "Royce, from the moment you took time out of your busy schedule to save me today, I could tell you're a kind person. And I believe a kind person wouldn't force another kind person to sleep with him, right?"
Royce opened his mouth, but seeing Julia's earnest and serious face, he found himself at a loss for words.
"I made it very clear last time. The reason I agreed to sleep with you and have a child was because of special circumstances. Now that my husband is back, I won't do such a thing again. You may think once or twice makes no difference, but to me, it makes a world of difference."
Julia paused before continuing, "As for my photos, do as you please. If you want to leak them, there's nothing I can do. But, leaking someone's private photos without their consent is illegal. I may not have money or power, but if you infringe on my rights, I won't let it go easily!"
With that, Julia stood up, took out her wallet from her pocket, and after rummaging through it for a while, she finally pulled out some money and placed it on the table.
"You saved me, so I'll treat you to a meal." She put the scattered bills on the table and left.
"Hey! You're no fun at all!" Royce called out, but Julia didn't look back.
Royce looked at the pile of bills in frustration. The largest denomination was twenty dollars, with the rest being tens and fives, totaling a hundred dollars.
"So, you really are dirt poor, huh?"
Royce chuckled helplessly. To be honest, he rarely saw bills of such small denominations.
After some thought, he made a call to Zoey.
Just as he was about to leave, Lionel Gonzalez's call came in.
Julia took the last bus home. As she reached her doorstep, she remembered she had forgotten to buy medicine.
Since there were only a few households in the neighborhood, the surrounding shops had gradually closed down. The nearest pharmacy was probably several miles away.
"Forget it," Julia muttered as she unlocked the door and stepped into her home.
Zoey was still lounging on the couch, engrossed in her favorite pastime—watching TV dramas, especially those Korean ones.
Julia didn't pay her any mind and headed straight to the kitchen. As usual, there was no dinner waiting for her. Feeling a bit worn out, she decided to cook herself a bowl of instant noodles and sat down in the dining room to eat.
After finishing her meal and cleaning up, Julia was about to head upstairs when she suddenly remembered she might need some antiseptic. She was due to join a film crew soon, and her arms and legs were covered in scrapes. With the current season, infections were easy to catch, and she couldn't afford to let them get worse.
"Zoey, do we have any antiseptic? I scraped myself today," Julia asked politely, knowing she needed a favor.
Zoey glanced at her, then pulled a plastic bag from under the coffee table and handed it to her. "See how good I am to you? You don't know how lucky you are!"
Julia opened the bag and found it filled with antiseptics and wound-cleaning supplies, all brand new.
"Thanks!" she said, taking the bag and heading upstairs.
At the bar, the place was alive with vibrant lights and pulsating music, another night full of excitement.
In the center of the stage, a pole dancer was performing, drawing cheers from the crowd.
"Way to go!" shouted a fair-skinned, handsome young man with strikingly large, bright eyes that gleamed mischievously as he squinted.
This was Lionel Gonzalez, known to many as Mr. Lionel.
He took a swig from his bottle, then turned and draped an arm over Royce's shoulder.
"Royce, are you telling me that your fling that day was actually with your own wife? Your wife wants to have a baby by borrowing someone else's seed and cuckolding you?"
Royce glanced at him but remained silent, continuing to sip his drink.
"I'm telling you, a woman like that, if she does it once, she'll do it again. And if she does it again, she'll do it a third time, and then a fourth, and so on. I can already see a green glow on your head! Hahaha!" Lionel said, patting Royce's head.
"Get lost!" Royce glared at Lionel. After a moment of silence, he said, "I threatened her with her own photos, and she still wouldn't sleep with me. Plus, I saved her. It's a double test."
"Double test, my foot! You just haven't been around enough women! Women say no with their mouths, but their bodies tell the truth. Don't listen to what they say; listen to what they really mean."
Royce pondered this. To be honest, when Julia refused him today, he felt a secret joy.
He had planned to reveal his identity to her, but after hearing Lionel's words, he thought there might be some truth to them.
Royce suddenly turned his head. "Then why do you think she, being so young, wants to have a baby?"
"Who knows! Your wife is quite the odd one!" Lionel rubbed his clean-shaven chin. "But maybe she just wants an excuse to fool around!"
Royce narrowed his eyes."Who can say for sure! I can't imagine any young girl wanting to have a baby these days. Even women in their thirties, who are already successful in their careers, don't want to get married and have kids!"
Royce nodded. "Looks like I need to test her a bit more."
Lionel patted Royce's shoulder. "Alright, stop thinking about your unlucky wife. Which chick caught your eye today? I'll help you get her! You deserve a break. Let's make sure you have a good time tonight!"
Royce pushed Lionel's hand away in disgust. "I'm leaving."
"Hey, don't go! You've already lost your innocence, why pretend to be pure now?"
Royce didn't say anything and strode out of the bar with determined steps.
He couldn't understand why all the women here wore heavy makeup and revealing clothes, but it made him feel sick to his stomach.
Soon, he would be joining a film crew to start shooting. Although his role as the third female lead wasn't extensive, it would still take about a month. He needed to arrange everything for Grady before leaving and also finish his graduation thesis.
This week seemed to be the busiest week for Julia.
To be honest, after her last separation from Royce, Julia felt a bit anxious. If he got angry and decided to release her photos, she would be in big trouble.
However, a few days passed without incident, and she gradually relaxed.
After finishing her thesis and making sure Grady was settled, Julia finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Tomorrow was the day she would join the film crew, so she needed to pack her things tonight.
As soon as she walked through the door, Zoey ran up to her. "Why are you so late? Sir is coming back today! You need to get ready!"