She Lost a Diamond in Search of a Stone

Jackson's POV

“My salary has increased now. I can afford it,” Penelope said softly. Her gentle voice cut into me like a knife. She had spent her very first paycheck entirely on her family, and from then until now, not a single cent of her earnings had ever been spent on me.

Dwayne turned to me. “That won’t do. He has to pay for it.”

Penelope caught on immediately, glaring at me. “So an apology’s not enough anymore. You’ll need to compensate him, too. We still have the receipt for that watch. It's fifteen grand.”

In that moment, my heart completely died. “Fine. I’ll pay for the watch. But what about all the money I’ve spent on you all these years? How about you calculate that and pay me back?”

“You call yourself a man?” Dwayne sneered. “What about Penelope’s wasted youth. How do you plan to pay for that? Penelope, don’t waste your breath on him. Just call the cops and let him see who really owes what.”

And she did. She actually called the police.

The neighbors tried to talk her down, insisting it wasn’t worth involving the authorities over something like this. But soon enough, the officers showed up. Since I had thrown the first punch and damaged Dwayne’s watch, both were undeniable facts. According to the police, the only way to resolve it was through compensation. As for the money I had spent on Penelope through the years, that couldn’t be addressed legally.

They told me that if I compensated him quickly and secured their forgiveness, I could avoid facing further charges.

But Penelope pressed harder. “Pay up. Then kneel and apologize to Dwayne, and we won’t push this any further.”

Since this was the case, I asked for a phone call. Afterward, I waited quietly. What I didn’t expect was for Penelope’s parents to arrive so fast. Normally, coming in from their village would take at least two hours. Yet here they were in just thirty minutes.

I wanted them to see the truth, to witness what their daughter had become, and to judge for themselves whether she should be the one paying compensation.

“Mr. and Mrs. Fuller, what brings you here?” Dwayne greeted them warmly, as if they were already close. Watching that, my heart sank even lower.

The four of them, Dwayne, Penelope, and her parents, huddled together, whispering.

Soon, Penelope’s mother came storming over, pointing a finger in my face. “You’re worse than an animal. Penelope wanted to break up with you, and you threatened to kill her. And today you actually raised your hand against her.”

Her words stabbed deep. My chest tightened with pain. “Search your conscience. Don’t you fear heaven’s punishment for saying something like that?”

“Bah!” She spat at me. “With Mr. Cohen here now, we’re not afraid of you anymore. Officers, you must make sure he’s punished properly.”

Dwayne looked at me with contempt. “We’ll do this Penelope’s way. Kneel, apologize, and transfer the money. Then I’ll drop it. Otherwise, you’ll rot in jail.”

I turned to Penelope. “You really want me to do this?”

“You’re still threatening my daughter?” her mother screeched. “Officers, look at his attitude! Scum like him deserves prison.”

“You’ll regret this,” I said at last, my voice suddenly calm, but cold.

Dwayne smirked. “What, some ‘every dog has its day’ nonsense? Guys like you, bottom feeders, can only live in those fantasy novels. I’ll give you ten seconds. If you don’t kneel and pay, get ready for jail.”

I stared him down and grimly said, “Give me your bank account number.”

He blinked in surprise, but then rattled it off.

When his phone buzzed with the deposit notification, Dwayne stared at the screen, checking it over and over. Then he shoved it toward Penelope. “Penelope, didn’t you say this loser handed over every cent of his wages to you? Looks like he’s been hiding plenty of money on the side. Guess he’s been up to more than you thought.”