Back to the Past: Breaking the Love Spell

Chapter 279

Wanda couldn’t help softening at Gerard’s pleading gaze. “If you insist on getting the check, you may do so, Mr. Zahn.”

Jenny sat down in quiet reluctance.

Gerard gave Wanda a grateful look and returned to his seat.

He pulled out his phone and said with a sigh, “I’ve been so busy these days that I forgot to invite Carlisle to join us for a meal. How about I give him a call right now and you can have an impromptu get–together?” He decided to use Carlisle as his safety net. Surely Carlisle’s presence would make Wanda and the others more amiable.

Wanda saw through Gerard’s motives but did not stop him. She figured this was a good chance to assess if Carlisle was on good terms with him and Maria. If they were close, Wanda wouldn’t mind going easy on the terms of the loan.

Ten minutes ago elsewhere, Carlisle sat with Daniel, Francis, and Olivia at a table set up outside A1 Seafood Restaurant.

Shane had yet to arrive, and the dishes had yet to be served.

Olivia had told everyone the story of how she and Shane became a couple. As it turned out, they came from the same village.

Their parents also worked in the same quarry, but there was a terrible rockslide six years ago. Instead of taking accountability, the owner of the quarry ran off without offering any bereavement payouts to the families of those affected by the incident.

Shane’s grandparents were so heartbroken by the loss of his parents that they ended up passing away from grief themselves. Shane had raised himself since then, making a living by tending to his family’s orchard.

father was a good–for–nothing philanderer who didn’t bother looking for a job in the village. Her grandparents probably died out of anger and disappointment in

all sorts of odd jobs to make ends meet. However, her measly income was barely enough

and Shane would take days off from school just to toil away on the farmlands and orchards. They would work through the day and study in

had managed to get into Riverland University through his excellent grades and discipline, Olivia

while

as Olivia thought things were looking up for her, her mother was diagnosed with uremia. She thought her life was falling apart the moment she read

mother, he beat

with lifelong dialysis, Olivia’s mother had attempted to take her own life on a few occasions.

her treatments. It was then that Olivia learned Shane had sold

then. Having lost his only source of income, he worked through the summer to come up with his and Olivia’s

me that he made ten grand in two

sobs, “He never told me, but I saw needle marks on his arms. I suspect he might have sold

think so. He must have done something else to come up

wiped her tears with the tissues and said, “I don’t know. Whatever it

He’s too good for that.”

“Carlisle, Dan!”

them at that moment. When he saw Olivia at the

at him and her tears

his seat for Shane, who took it and asked, “Olivia, what are