Chapter 168 Cherise the Fool?
Why is this mall so deserted?
As if he could read her mind, Damien spoke softly. “This mall belongs to the Lenoirs.”
Then, it made sense why the mall was open only for them. “But the weekend is the time. when malls make the most profit. Closing abruptly like this would cause losses, wouldn’t it?” Cherise asked.
Damien smiled gently. “This mall’s in the Lenoir name, but it’s actually owned by Tristan. If it loses money, that’s on him.”
Cherise pursed her l*ps. “Then so be it!” Her determined tone elicited a chuckle from Damien. “You dislike him that much, huh?”
“Of course!” Just the mention of the name made Cherise feel disgusted.
“He’s not inherently a bad person,” the man sighed. “since you want him to suffer, we should take more of those expensive things.”
He continued, “We don’t need to pay for anything here.”
Cherise responded with an enthusiastic cheer. “Oh yeah!” But what did he mean by ‘expensive things? She didn’t have a clue.
She pushed Damien around the mall for a while, buying a smart foot bath to relax her grandma’s tired feet, a ma*sager and a phone for her uncle and aunt, and a bunch of health supplements to improve her family’s overall health.
Finally, in the stationary section, she bought two college prep textbooks for Sky and Tay, her twin cousin brothers.
Seeing the gifts she chose for her cousin brothers, Damien couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “They’re going to hate you.”
Cherise carefully wrapped the exercise books, her movements precise and efficient. “Why would they hate me? They’re about to enter their senior year and need this!”
Damien’s faint smile softened his angular features, “Not everyone is as fond of studying as
you are.”
“But for them, studying is their only way out of the mountain village.”
Cherise became serious, her eyes dark and bright. “The children in the mountain village have to work very, very hard to have a better life than those in the city.”
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Looking at Cherise’s glistening eyes, Damien’s heart twinged slightly. “And what about. you? How hard did you work back then?”
Cherise smiled. “I’m smart, so I only needed to study for twelve hours a day!”
He gestured for her to come over. She obediently approached.
The man pulled her into his arms. “Studying for twelve hours a day… isn’t that tiring?”
“Not at all!”
The young girl shook her head and playfully pecked his face, leaving a mark. “Besides, I don’t have any other skills. If studying harder can give my uncle, aunt, and grandmother a better life, even if I have to study for eighteen hours, I’m willing to do it!”.
Damien’s grip on Cherise’s arm tightened imperceptibly. “You only need to live well for yourself.”
Cherise shook her head. “That would be too selfish.”
“My uncle, aunt, and grandmother raised me. And I must care for them and ensure they have a good life. Although I don’t have much ability now, when I become a doctor, I can support them!”
Damien gazed into Cherise’s delicate features and let out a faint sigh.
Damien had never met anyone like Cherise before, someone who strived to better herself, loved life, and cherished the world.
If it weren’t for Cherise, he probably would never have realized how hard those born into poverty must work to secure a better life.
The past thirteen years had been a blur of loneliness and hatred.
He resented the Lenoir family for not valuing him, resented himself for not being able to exact revenge on his enemies, and resented the world for taking his loved ones away one by one.
Before, Damien always thought that people who loved life, like the ones in TV shows and novels, were fictional.
The world was so cold and indifferent that only a fool would genuinely treat others with kindness.
Until Cherise, the fool he had always despised, came into his life.
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