Chapter 6 Not Every Woman Wants Your Money

Slowly, Lorenzo walked over and stopped in front of Madison, blocking her way.

He was very tall. It wasn't obvious because he was sitting on the sofa just now, but when he stood up, he towered over Madison. His shadow enshrouded her, blotting out the light.

"Times ten."

"What?" Madison asked, frowning in confusion.

"I'll pay you the price of this dress times ten. Give it to me."

Madison didn't answer.

"Twenty," he offered again.

Madison pursed her lips tightly.

Lorenzo let out a dry chuckle. "Please. You can't even afford this dress. Why are you being so stubborn?"

Albeit unwilling, Madison lowered her head to glance at the price tag. Her hand, which was holding the tag, suddenly tightened.

The dress cost six figures. Not even an entire year's salary was enough to cover it.

"Fine. I'll pay you thirty times the price of the dress." Lorenzo wagged his finger in front of her provokingly. "I'll give you three million dollars in total. Even the house we live in now can go to you."

"What's that all about? Alimony?" Madison shook her head firmly. "I told you yesterday that I don't want anything."

Lorenzo's expression hardened. "You had the audacity to follow me here and dress like that in front of me. Obviously, you came here for money. We both know it, so drop the act."

All of a sudden, Madison raised her head to lock eyes with him. So that was why he looked at her with disgust just now.

Filled with indignation, she sneered, "Not all women in this world want your money."

Lorenzo waved his hand dismissively. "Fine, then I'll give you four million."

"Didn't you hear me?"

"Five million." Smiling, Lorenzo looked away to smooth his already crisp shirt. "You're refusing me just because you want more. Since we were married for three years, I can give you all that money as compensation."

"No need!"

"No need!"

Two voices spoke in unison.

When Madison turned around, she saw an enraged Joanna strutting towards them, high heels clicking against the floor. She put her arm around Madison's shoulder protectively and glared at Lorenzo. "I'm buying this dress for Madison."

Then she took out her card from her bag and handed it to the saleswoman. "Use this."

"Er..." The saleswoman looked at Lorenzo hesitantly.

Madison took a deep breath and took Joanna's card from the dazed saleswoman. With a determined look, she handed her own card to the saleswoman and said firmly, "I'll pay for the dress I picked."

"But you don't..." Joanna's anxious voice trailed off.

She managed to stop herself from blurting the rest of her sentence, which was "have much money."

A secretary's salary wasn't particularly high, and Madison still had to pay for her mother's medical fees, which was no secret to Joanna.

Knowing what she meant, Madison smiled at her friend reassuringly. "I'm buying this dress not because I want to imitate Elena, but because I want Lorenzo to know that there are some things in this world that can't be bought with money. But I won't wear this dress. I'll either sell it or donate it-I don't care. From now on, I'm me, Madison Graves. I'm not anyone's substitute."

When the saleswoman returned with the receipt, Madison walked out without looking back.

Lorenzo quietly watched her leave, lost in deep thought.

Zoe called him. "Lorenzo? Lorenzo..."

He didn't answer her.

Being ignored pissed Zoe off, so she angrily yanked at his sleeve and yelled, "Lorenzo!"

Only then did Lorenzo look back at her. "Let's go," he said indifferently.

"What did she say just now?" Zoe demanded unhappily. "Alimony? Did you really marry her?"

"Yes."

Zoe clenched her fists angrily. "I knew it! Women like her are gold diggers, hooking up with their bosses for the money!"

For some reason, Lorenzo didn't like the sound of that. He frowned and said unhappily, "It's just a dress. I'll have my assistant buy you another one tomorrow."

Over the past few days, Lorenzo had granted her every wish. He had even agreed to prank his secretary for her pleasure, but today, his attitude seemed to have changed completely. Bewildered, Zoe couldn't stand it and cried, "Lorenzo, it's not just about the dress! I'm your girlfriend, yet you took her side!"

Lorenzo's face suddenly darkened. He stopped in his tracks and sneered, "Forget it."

"Forget what?"

"Zoe Harris, only Elena had the privilege of being called my girlfriend. Even if Madison is out of the picture now, you'll never be my girlfriend, do you understand?"

When he called her full name, Zoe's heart leaped to her throat.

She knew that Elena was always gentle, kind-hearted, and soft-spoken. When she lashed out just now, she didn't resemble Elena at all. Madison, on the other hand, dressed just like Elena, which was probably why Lorenzo chose to side with her.

So, did this mean that he'd always side with whoever looked more like Elena?

Pouting, Zoe quickly adjusted her mood to mimic Elena again. She bowed her head slightly to appear humble and said softly, "Lorenzo, I'm sorry. I was just a little worried, okay? Is she really not your secretary anymore?"

However, Lorenzo ignored her and strode out of the store.

"I..." Zoe caught up with him, maintaining her gentle act as Elena's substitute. "I wasn't trying to compete with Elena. I was just worried that Madison would keep pestering you. I hope she'll come to her senses and find another job."

"'Find another job'?" Lorenzo sneered, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp. "No one in Phesa will dare to hire someone I blacklist."

Zoe was delighted to hear that, but she had to pretend to be kind-hearted, so she said cautiously, "There's no need to be so cruel to her. She's actually quite pitiful, don't you think?"

"Don't worry. She can't leave me. She'll definitely come crawling back to beg me for mercy in less than three days."

Madison, who was on her way back to the store, was stunned to hear that and stopped in her tracks.