Chapter 31
The party had been in the works for days, but neither Stanley for Quiniya had really paid any attention to in
Quintyn was completely in the dark, having no clue what was going on
Stanley, on the other hand, didn’t believe a word his parents said. Originally, he had planned to be Quinlyn’s personal bodyguard for the event–making sure no one tried anything funny.
But that plan was starting to fade.
The next morning. Stanley dragged Quinlyn out of the house early.
As they walked through the living room. Stanley saw Harriet and Tina doing yoga by the large floor–to–ceiling windows. He grabbed a piece of bread, stuffed it into his mouth, and snatched two bottles of milk. “Mom, I’m heading out,” he said over his shoulder.
Before Tina could even respond, Stanley was already out the door.
Harriet wanted to follow him, but she was too slow. She turned around and stamped her foot in frustration.
“Mom, look at Stanley. He’s taking Quinlyn out again. They’re always together at home, and here he goes again. The party’s about to start, and I bet he’s planning to buy something for her, she complained.
Tina, her eyes still closed as she stretched, barely seemed to care. “Don’t worry about it. They won’t cause any trouble. It’s
fine.”
Harriet wasn’t convinced. But when she saw the calm, confident look on Tina’s face, she sat down to do yoga again
She had been practicing playing the piano for days, trying to perfect her skills for the party.
She wasn’t about to let anything mess that up.
Meanwhile, Stanley, who was out of the door, handed Quinlyn two bottles of milk in a good mood. He gently patted her on the head as if she were some rare animal at the zoo.
“Drink up,” he muttered softly. “So you can grow tall and strong. Your brain will grow too, and then you’ll be unstoppable.”
Despite his bizarre ramblings, Quinlyn finished two whole bottles of milk. She was still hungry, her stomach growling for
more.
At the next intersection, Stanley got out of the car and bought her a pancake from a vendor.
As the vendor handed him the bag with the warm pancake, he took out his phone to pay. But then, a pop–up message appeared on the screen.
[Your bank card has been frozen. Payment cannot be processed.]
“What’s this?” he thought, confused.
He froze for a second and then quickly switched to his banking app. Surprisingly, he saw that his supplementary card had
been disabled.
The card was linked to Maurice, so it didn’t take much to figure out who had blocked it.
“What’s wrong with him?” Stanley muttered under his breath, standing there on the sidewalk. Without wasting a second, he dialed Maurice’s office, A secretary picked up, saying his father was in a meeting and couldn’t take the call
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Stanley knew his father did this on purpose
He been so caught us in gaming these past few days that he hadn’t even noticed his card had been frozen. But after all these years, even though Maurice was all about money, he’d always been generous when it came to supporting him
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Stanley had a strong feeling today’s stunt was about Qualyn
His mind raced, and it didn’t take long to figure it out. He couldn’t help but feel that his parents were being petty. It was almost embarrassing to think about it
But now, all his cands were useless. Even the money held earned from coding was locked up. And when he checked his pockets, he realized he didn’t even have enough to buy a pancake.
Grinding his teeth, he shot a message to his friends in the chat group. I’m broke. Who’s gonna pay for me!]
It was still early, and his rich friends, who were used to the nightlife, were probably still asleep.
A few of them replied with jokes (Stanley, you’re out of money! The sun must be rising from the west today. Which street are you on?]
Stanley: [Stop joking. I’m at the pancake place on Great East Street. If you can make it, hurry up. My sister’s still waiting for breakfast.]
After sending the message, he pretended to scroll through his phone, just standing there and waiting.
He couldn’t believe it. A guy like him–someone who was supposed to have everything together from a rich family- couldn’t even buy a pancake for his sister. It was honestly ridiculous.
The vendor kept eyeing him, clearly worried he might try to skip out on the bill. But from the way he was dressed, it was obvious he wasn’t some broke guy. So, she just stared at him harder, waiting for him to pay.
Just as Stanley felt like her gaze was going to burn a hole in his back, the roar of engines blasted down the street. A dozen luxury sports cars rolled up, one after the other, and parked right by the curb with a loud screech.
“Stanley, we re here!” one of his friends shouted as he jumped out of his car.
“Stanley! Didn’t expect to see you here,” another friend said, grinning widely.
A whole crew of them poured out of the cars, rushing over. Some of them didn’t waste any time and headed straight to the counter to pay for the pancake.
Stanley glanced around at the crowd, raising an eyebrow. “What’s the deal with you guys? You never care when I’m in trouble, but today, a pancake brings all of you out!”
He was starting to get suspicious
The group laughed, obviously hiding nothing. One of them shrugged casually, saying, “Honestly, we’re just curious about your sister. We wanna meet her for ourselves”
“We’ve heard she’s becoming a big deal at her elementary school. Last time, when she was live–streaming, we saw you getting all protective over her. Your dad even threw a huge party just to introduce her to everyone. So, we just wanted a sneak peek”
Stanley rolled his eyes, annoyed by their gossip. With a sly grin, he shook his head. “Perfect. You guys can be my personal ATM for the day.”
Without hesitation, they all cheered and shoved each other playfully, pushing Stanley into his car. Then the roar of the
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Chapter 31
engines rumbled again as they sped off toward the lively city center.
In the car, Quinlyn nibbled on a cold pancake, quietly watching the line of cars ahead, but she didn’t ask any questions.
They started by hitting a few custom dress shops. As soon as they stepped inside, everyone began picking out multiple outfits for Quinlyn.
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“Hey, what are you doing? My sister’s only ten! She can’t wear anything too revealing. And definitely no high heels, Stanley grumbled, his voice sharp, even though his wallet was empty
He shoved the clothes they had picked to the side and told the designer to make something more appropriate for Quinlyn.
Once Quinlyn was taken into the fitting room, the group slumped down in the waiting area, yawning and stretching.
One guy, wearing a floral shirt with a few buttons undone, sat back, his lean chest on full display. He lazily nudged Stanley’s foot with his own and grinned. “Why all the drama? Just pick the most expensive one, and I’ll pay for it.”
The others laughed, giving him a thumbs–up. “Larry’s got money to burn!”
Larry rested his head on one hand, his smile widening and his charming demeanor shining through. “What can I say? I’m so broke, and all I’ve got left is money.”
He gave a flirty look at a nearby salesgirl, making her cheeks flush and her heart race.
Just as he was about to ask her for her number, Stanley kicked him, his expression annoyed. “Cut it out. It’s not a good look if Quinlyn sees you acting like that.”
Larry glanced over at him, his playful tone turning a bit sharper. “Didn’t know you were such a great big brother. Last time, you helped her buy a house, and now you’re buying her clothes. Sibling love, huh?”
Stanley flinched at the comment, but he knew Larry was holding onto some old grudges. He leaned in a little, speaking quiety.
“You can’t keep fooling around like this. I’ve got you covered on this camping trip. I’ll help you get top scores. We can go to the best universities together. Don’t you want to pursue painting?” he asked.
Larry hesitated and then glanced at Stanley, who was staring at him seriously. He sighed dramatically before flopping over to the other side of the couch, mocking him.
“Nice speech. Save it for the stage. What’s so great about those universities? After they graduate, they’ll still be working for me,” he said.
