"I know your mom is crazy but I am sure she wouldn't do that to you right? I mean you are her only daughter…"
"She thinks of me more as her money-making machine. There is no time she has ever seen me as her daughter. Also, this is not the first time she has doing this, so I wonder why you are so shocked,Jillianin cut in.
Although she tried her best to sound nonchalant about this, Zoey still saw pains in Jillian's crystal amber eyeballs.
"I am aware of all she has done but she went too far this time around," Zoey muttered, standing up from the sofa
"I know what you and Oliver went through to gather such an amount. Are you alright? How did he react to this?" Zoey asked, knowing too well how upset Jillian must have felt that her very own mother betrayed her in such a cruel manner.
No sane human being in the lower class would remain alright after that. Maybe only the rich would see such amounts as peanuts.
"And how did you expect me to begin telling him that my mother squandered our wedding funds on a few luxurious bags, jewellery and clothes? Do you think I am that heartless…"
"Then what are you gonna do if you don't tell him the truth? How are you gonna get your hands on such a hefty sum of money within the space of one year?" Zoey asked with a worry stricken face.
"It's precisely because it is impossible for me to raise such a large sum of money within such a short period that I accepted Brayden's deal even after rejecting him twice," Jillian started in a soft tone.
"As long as I take good care of Marley and Monalisa for the period their home is under repair, the payment for my services will not only be enough to cover my wedding funds that my mother stole but there will still be enough change to spare. Apart from that, I get to stay here free for a year without having to pay a dime for rent," Jillian revealed some of the details she had concealed from Zoey during her narration earlier.
"He will pay so much just for watching over his nieces for a few days? Are you sure he wasn't lying to you because he thinks you are gullible?" Zoey demanded.
She did not believe that there was someone out there who would pay so much for such a little service.
The offer was way too good to be true.
"We are talking about the new President of Marvel Entertainment Agency and the grandchildren of the famous Lawrence family. I don't think they are capable of deceiving me. Besides, he assured me that he would have his executive assistant draft the contract. He will be the one delivering it when he comes to check up on Marley and Monalisa later," Jillian said confidently as if she knew that Brayden was the type of man who never went back on his words.
"Wait, are you saying their uncle is the second son of the Lawrence family and their father was the demised Mr Ethan Lawrence, the President of Marvel Entertainment Agency?" Zoey quizzed with a bewildered expression.
"Wow, you know so much about them even more than I do…"
"My favourite idols and actresses belong to Marvel Entertainment Agency, so of course I know a lot about them," Zoey said with pride, brushing her long brown hair behind her ear.
"I have left the girls alone for way too long. Let me go and check up on them. I am sure their belongings will be delivered here before I am done showering them," Jillian said and stood up from where she sat. She strolled towards her bedroom after asking Zoey to feel at home.
Just as Jillian predicted, Dylan, Brayden's executive assistant delivered all the necessary accessories Marley and Monalisa would require during their stay in her home.
Inside Jillian's bedroom, the poor lady who just finished bathing the girls was seen running around the room trying to tend to the girls' needs.
"Mom, my hair is still wet. Can you help me dry it again?" Monalisa called Jillian who was trying to help Marley wear her clothes.
"I am coming," Jillian replied, letting go of Marley to attend to Monalisa.
"Mom, I love those earrings over there, can you help me put them on?" Marley gestured at the white pearl earrings lying on Jillian's dressing table.
Zoey stood at a corner and watched as Jillain helped the girls do stuff the girls wanted including things Jillian necessarily didn't have to tend to herself.
She wished she could help Jillain out but not after the angry girls threw her murderous glances after she volunteered to help them out in place of Jillian.
After they finished their breakfast, Jillian asked Marley and Monalisa to stay at the sitting room while she cleaned up the littered dining table.
"This is your first day taking care of them and they are this demanding. Are you sure you will be able to handle taking care of them for another day not to mention for a couple of days?" Zoey asked based on what she noticed.
"I heard they haven't experienced what it means to have a mother. I guess that's why they are this excited. Also, apart from asking me to do stuff, you will agree with me that they are quite good right?" Jillian asked playfully.
"Oliver will be so freaked out when he comes back and sees them. Because of what your mom did, you will not be able to tell him the real reason for taking them in, so I wonder what you are gonna say to make him accept the girls," Zoey voiced out her worries.
Although she really wanted to stay longer she couldn't because of work. She bade Jillian farewell and didn't forget to do the same to Monalisa and Marley.
Because Marley and Monalisa were on holidays, Jillian didn't have to worry about getting them ready for school except for their lesson in the academy which was in the afternoon.
A few minutes to noon, Jillian moved away from the living room leaving the girls to continue with the TV show they had been watching.
"So how did it go, Beatrice? Did I get the job?" Jillian asked, sounding a bit optimistic for someone whose resume has been repeatedly rejected by several organisations she submitted it to.
"My boss said that your resume and level of experience was the best among other applicants she reviewed," Beatrice started in a calm tone.
"Really?" Jillian asked, a sweet smile lingered around the corner of her lips.