Alex arrived back at the university. It was around 11.30 am, so he called Debbie and went to the cafeteria to meet her.
He ordered some tomato soup, scrambled eggs, a burger, and two bowls of fries.
"That's far too much." Debbie's eyes widened.
For the last two days, she had been studying in the library. She had tied her hair into two thick braids that hung over her shoulders, making her look very pretty.
"Debbie, you look beautiful," Alex said, unable to help himself.
Surprised, Debbie lowered her head and smiled shyly. Then she raised her head again and looked at Alex, who was still staring at her with a foolish expression. She mumbled, "You're such a smooth talker."
"No, I'm serious," Alex insisted.
Debbie's heart melted a little. She raised her hand and lightly punched his shoulder. "Eat your lunch."
"Okay." Alex picked up his spoon and started to eat his soup as he stared at Debbie.
Watching her simply made him happy.
"What's wrong?" he asked with concern, noticing that her happy expression had faded to one of melancholy. He froze with his spoon halfway to his mouth.
"I miss my mom," Debbie said, lifting her head to look at him. "My family lives in a small town in the northeast. Since I was young, it was just me and my mom. Now I'm at school, and she's on her own. And I eat so well here, while she struggles at home."
Tears slid down her face.
Alex moved closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders, encouraging her to lean against him.
"I really miss my mom." Debbie couldn't hold it in anymore and started to cry. Her sobs were breaking Alex's heart.
"Don't cry. If you miss your mom, then I'll arrange to bring her here. I promise you'll see your mom in a couple of days." Alex consoled her as he planned the best way to get her mother to New York.
"Hey, Debbie, you're back." Donna and Darren walked toward their table, carrying plates of food.
It had been a month since they had seen Alex and Debbie. Two days ago, they had heard that Billy had been the one who stole Mr Morgan's money, not Alex.
"Debbie, why are you crying?" Donna asked with concern.
"It's nothing," Debbie said, straightening up. "I just got something in my eyes." She didn't want to confide in anyone except Alex.
"Oh." Donna let it drop. "So, Alex, what exactly does your family do?"
Donna and Darren were very curious about Alex. How much property did he own that he could afford to bid one million dollars?
If Alex's family was as powerful as they thought, then they would have to play nice with him.
They're getting suspicious, Alex thought.
"I actually won the lottery," he said, after thinking for a moment. "I got two million dollars. I was quite nervous about having so much money, so I donated most of it and spent the rest on Debbie. The money is already gone."
"You won the jackpot?" Donna asked. She and Darren were taken aback.
"About a month ago, I heard that someone won the two million dollars. It was even on the news. Was that you?" Donna asked.
Alex laughed to himself.
"That would be telling," Alex said, tapping the side of his nose.
"Wow. I'm speechless." Donna shook her head in disappointment. She had thought that Alex was seriously rich.
It's great that Alex isn't rich. Now he's back to his old self, Donna thought. And Debbie is still a loser. If Alex were a rich person, then I'd have to be nice to her.
Donna and Darren felt much better.
Darren sighed. It wasn't every day that you won money like that. Alex had managed it and had wasted it all. No wonder he was poor. He deserved to be. Darren didn't think much of Alex at all.
"Oh, Debbie. You need to be careful," Donna said. "It's fine if Alex is a scatterbrain, but you come from a poor family, and you should know better. You really need to help him. He had two million dollars and he's given it all away. And now you're back to being poor."
Donna was interrupted by a call from her mother. After talking for a few minutes, she ended the call and wrapped her arms around Darren as she said, "Honey, my mom said that she's coming for a visit."
"Your mom is coming! That's great! I want to meet her," Darren said happily.
Donna smiled sweetly and then glanced at Debbie. "Debbie, my mom is flying out to see me. We promised we would visit each other because we know we have the money to do that. So, if you get more money in the future, remember to not just spend it all. If those two million dollars were still around, Alex could have paid for your mom to come and see you. Or maybe not. Even if she had the money, your mom still might not have come. She's probably never even been on a plane. Ha ha."
Hearing Donna says this, Debbie's gaze turned sharp. "Don't talk about my mother!"
"What? I'm only speaking the truth," Donna said, smiling. "I was going to ask my mother to bring yours with her this time. But with your attitude, I think I'd better not…"
"Really?" When Debbie thought about seeing her mother, she grew excited. Her mother hadn't flown before, so Debbie would feel more comfortable if her mother could travel with Donna's mother.
"Of course," Donna said casually. "I was planning on paying for your mom's flight. After all, we're from the same town, so I understand your family's situation."
"Donna, I'm sorry. I was being too sensitive earlier," Debbie said. Alex tugged her closer, and she lightly shook her head. "Please have your mother bring mine here. I'll do whatever you want."
She's so weak, Donna thought. It's no big deal, and she's taking it so seriously. As if this is the only thing that matters to her.
"Since you're so sincere, I guess I can arrange it," Donna said.
"Thank you, Donna!" Debbie was delighted.
Seeing Debbie's happy expression, Donna looked down on her even more. Just this small favour was enough to please the girl. Donna felt superior once again, knowing that Debbie would always be beneath her.
"Don't worry, I will give you the money for Debbie's mother," Alex said. He didn't like Donna's attitude.
"There's no need. It's only a thousand dollars. And we have plenty of money, right, honey?" Donna asked Darren sweetly.
Darren nodded, and then glanced at Alex with disdain. "He only said that because he didn't have enough money to pay for the plane ticket right now. If he had, he would have told us. The most important thing we need to sort out is the accommodation."
"We didn't say we want everyone to stay together," Alex said with a faint smile.
"What do you mean? Both mothers are traveling together. Do you plan to make them stay in different places? I can't let you do that," Darren said.
"Fine. Then we'll all stay together. Is that okay with you?" Alex was getting impatient.
"Do you want to stay in a dingy little hotel? That would be too embarrassing." Darren sneered at Alex.
"Oh, honey," Donna said. "I really want to show off to my mother about how well we're doing." She smiled maliciously. "So, why don't we let Alex arrange the accommodation? I'm sure he'll find something that isn't too bad."
"Okay. Alex, you can arrange lodging," Darren said, and then muttered softly, "I don't think this will be anything to brag about."
After that, Donna and Darren felt it was beneath them to sit at the same table as Alex and Debbie, so they got up and left.
Alex and Debbie finished eating. When they left the cafeteria, Debbie received a call from her mother, saying that Donna's mother had already called and was bringing her to New York the next day.
Debbie was overjoyed to hear her mother's voice.
After walking Debbie to her dormitory, Alex dialled Sam Woodsworth's number and told him to reserve two rooms in the Berkley Hotel for Debbie's mother.
"For your girlfriend's mom?" Sam said anxiously. After pondering for a while, he said, "Mr. Ambrose, I don't think Berkeley Hotel is good enough. I'll arrange a better hotel for you."
"Oh?" Alex was a little curious. Judging from Sam's tone, the hotel he was talking about was quite fancy. "Which hotel?"
"The Azalea Guest House," Sam told him. "It's not a hotel, exactly. Even with plenty of money, it's hard to get a room there. It's very exclusive.