Chapter 17: Gold Digger? No Thanks!
"Bus stop?" Henry arched a brow, looking at me like I’d just announced I was running away to attend a funeral. "Where are you planning to go, Young Madam?"
"I want to go to the salon!"I grinned so wide my cheeks hurt. "I could go by myself, but there’s no way I can walk all the way from here to the bus stop. Maybe ... you could ask Mr. Brixton to lend me his driver?"
Let’s be real, I’d probably collapse halfway to the gate. That mansion was big enough to count as its own village.
The house was massive, but its inconvenient location was definitely going to be a problem for me in the future.
"Young Master just left earlier," Henry said calmly. "But don’t worry, Young Madam. I’ll arrange another driver to take you. You won’t need to bother with the bus stop."
Before I could thank him, Henry slipped a card out of his pocket and held it out to me. "Here, take this."
I blinked and hesitantly accepted it. "What ... is this?"
"It’s the Young Master’s credit card. He told me you’re free to use it however you like."
I nearly dropped the card on the floor when I heard that.
What the hell?! Was Lando seriously this trusting?! Who just hands over their credit card to a brand-new wife they barely know?!
What if I were a real gold digger? I could blow through a hundred million dollars in a single day! Didn’t he worry about that even a little?!
"Oh, no, no, no." I shoved the card back into Henry’s hand like it was a piece of burning coal. "I can’t accept this! Don’t worry, I still have my own money."
Besides, I didn’t even trust myself. What if I suddenly snapped and decided to splurge on something stupidly expensive? This card would basically be an invitation for my manic side to go wild.
Yeah, no thanks. I couldn’t be trusted with that kind of power.
"But Young Ma—"
"It’s fine, Henry," I cut him off before he could finish, then dashed toward the front door. "I’ll wait for the driver outside!"
My footsteps echoed through the massive hallway as I sprinted like a kid who had just been promised candy, the excitement bubbling in my chest way too strong to hold back.
The moment the driver pulled up, I practically jumped into the car and asked him to take me to a salon that specialized in curly hair like Helcia’s.
I’d never had curls in my old life, but I once knew an actress who did, and wow, the struggle was real.
Curls weren’t like straight hair I could just brush through and wash with whatever shampoo was on sale. No, they had their own set of rules, and breaking even one could turn my head into a frizz disaster.
Which meant I’d need to stock up. Curl cream, proper shampoo and conditioner, and of course, a decent hairdryer with a diffuser. Basically, half the salon.
I clutched my bag tighter, muttering to myself. "Please, let that $2,000 coupon be enough. Please." Because if it wasn’t, then I’d have to dip into my own money, and that thought made my stomach twist.
Maybe I really should’ve brought along Lando’s credit card—No. Stop it! I shook my head so fast I almost gave myself whiplash. I couldn’t even trust myself with that kind of power!
"We have arrived, Young Madam," the driver said politely.
As I stepped out of the car, I waved my hand quickly. "You don’t have to wait for me. I’ll probably be stuck here for hours. I can just take a taxi home later."
"No, Young Madam." He rejected my idea immediately. "It’s not safe for you to take a taxi alone at night. Please don’t worry, I’ll wait for you. It’s part of my job."
I pressed my lips into a thin line, realizing the driver probably wouldn’t leave no matter how much I insisted. Eventually, I sighed and said, "Alright, thank you. You can wait then."
He gave a respectful nod, and I turned toward the salon entrance, clutching the $2,000 coupon in my hand like it was a sacred treasure.
I told the receptionist everything I wanted done to my hair: dye it black, treat the dryness, and teach me how to properly style my curls with curl cream so that I could manage them myself at home later.
"Don’t worry, Miss!" the staff replied with a bright smile. "We’ll make sure you walk out of here with hair that looks absolutely beautiful!"
Just as I had expected, I ended up spending hours in the salon, from the moment the sun was still high and bright until the sky outside turned pitch-black.
By the time everything was finally done, it was already 9 P.M., and I felt both drained and giddy at the same time.
"What do you think, Miss?" asked the stylist who had been working on my hair from the very beginning.
"This is perfect!" I turned to her with a bright smile. "You really do have magic hands!"
And I wasn’t exaggerating when I said that. When I looked into the mirror, I finally saw the true potential of Helcia’s beauty.
The black hair suited her perfectly, and the long curls made her look both breathtakingly beautiful and effortlessly sweet.
With her pretty face combined with her natural hair, her beauty had become absolutely lethal to anyone who looked at her—no, me! I mean, it was my face now!
"No, Miss. You look stunning because you were already beautiful in the first place!" the stylist said warmly. "I only helped to enhance it!"
I felt my cheeks warm at her words, a little laugh slipping out. For once, I didn’t argue because she was right.
After that, I bought everything I needed to take care of my hair at home. To my surprise, I only spent around $900, still well under the value of my coupon.
Since I hated wasting money, I decided to stock up and buy doubles of everything until the total nearly brushed against the $2,000 limit.
"Thank you for visiting us!" one of the staff said with a bright smile, clearly thrilled that I had spent so much in just one day. "Please, come again anytime, Miss!"
"I will!" I answered with the same enthusiasm, waving at the team who had pampered my hair for hours.
When I stepped out of the salon, I spotted the driver still patiently waiting in the parking lot, and guilt immediately settled in my chest for making him wait so long.
"I’m so sorry. You must have been really bored waiting for me," I said softly, lowering my head a little before slipping $100 into his hand. "Please, take this as your tip."