4: 4
"Not buying it?" Ulysses looked ready to pop his eyes clean out of his skull. "Didn't you two say you were buying? What about that fifty-grand deposit?"
Yesterday, a friend had dug up the owner of the luxury flat. It was Ulysses's grandmother.
A four-hundred-thousand-dollar place, listed at eight hundred thousand, and I was supposed to buy it. The whole point was to help Ulysses clear his debt.
"If we can't get the deposit back, then we let it go," I said.
"So it was true, what Chloe said on the phone about you not buying the luxury flat!" Dad was clearly displeased. "Good thing we came straight over!"
"Sir, ma'am, Austin's got a perfectly good luxury flat downtown he refuses to buy, and he's dead set on this run-down old unit instead. If that's how it is, then I won't marry him!"
Chloe was tattling to my parents.
Dad glared at me. "You really won't buy the flat? You want to buy this dump?"
I smiled. "Dad, don't listen to her."
I thought about it for a second, then decided to lay it out. "Chloe, want me to tell you who owns that luxury flat?"
A flash of panic crossed her eyes.
"Austin, what does it matter who the owner is?"
"Chloe likes the flat. You're her fiancé. You should buy it for her!"
Ulysses was tense.
Mom said, "Austin, just buy it for her. A husband and wife should keep things smooth and pleasant."
"Mom, the thing is, the owner of that luxury flat is Ulysses's grandmother."
"The market value of the place is four hundred thousand, and his grandmother's asking eight hundred! She wants to make a sucker out of me!"
"And high-rise units are hard to sell! They're a pain to live in!"
The air in the room froze on the spot.
Chloe stared at me in disbelief, because I, the man who trusted her one hundred percent, had actually gone and investigated her.
Cold sweat beaded across Ulysses's forehead.
My parents were stunned too.
Dad said, "Chloe, if that's the case, then we can't buy it!"
Chloe burst into tears. "Sir, I already told my friends and relatives I was going to live in a luxury flat! If we don't buy it, I'll never be able to face any of them again!"
Dad still shook his head. "No. It's double the price. We only buy it at a fair price."
I let out a breath.
My parents were of the older generation. They believed a man should settle down and start a family, and should coax and indulge his woman.
But they weren't fools. There was no way they'd pay double.
"No!"
Chloe wailed. "Sir, ma'am, if we don't buy the luxury flat, I won't get married!"
"I'll go get rid of the babies right now!"
"They're triplets! They're your Hughes bloodline!"
At that, my parents' faces changed.
"Chloe, you, you're pregnant?" Mom's voice trembled.
"Yes, I just got checked yesterday. Over two months along. Triplets!"
"If we don't buy the luxury flat, I'll book a miscarriage at the hospital right now!"
My parents exchanged looks and murmured a few words to each other.
Dad forced a sheepish laugh. "All right, all right, we'll buy it!"
Mom smiled. "Oh, Chloe, a pregnant woman can't be getting upset. Don't be angry. I'll tell Austin to buy it, that's all!"
I said quickly, "Dad, Mom, Ulysses owes loan sharks four hundred thousand. That's why the four-hundred-thousand flat is marked up double. We can't buy—"
Mom cut me off. "Quiet! If you dare buy this run-down old unit instead of the luxury flat, don't ever call me Mom again!"
Dad nodded. "You won't buy it, then I will! And once it's bought, we put it in Chloe's name alone!"
Cold sweat broke out all over me.
My parents weren't just venting. They really would empty out every cent of their savings to buy it.
Right then, Herbert, the agent, who'd been outside taking a call, walked back in. "Mr. Hughes, that middle-aged man I mentioned before—he took a liking to the place yesterday, but wants his wife to come look at it before he buys."
"If you're not buying, he'll be coming over shortly to close the deal."
My heart nearly leaped straight out of my chest.
This was a fifty-million-dollar demolition payout on the line!
