Fragments of Desire: Marigold's Silent Departure novel Chapter 8

Lennon arched an eyebrow, whipped out his phone.

"How much are you short on cash?" he tilted his head to ask her.

How much?

This was her first time doing this. She didn’t know the going rates, but she knew her father's surgery bill was exorbitant.

Marigold hemmed and hawed, unsure of the right amount to ask for.

Catching her flustered look, Lennon's fingers danced on the keyboard and in a few seconds, he recited the information he had Googled.

"Based on egg donation rates, a junior college girl’s worth is around 230 thousand, undergrads around 580 thousand, and an Ivy League graduate starts at a million."

His gaze lifted to her. "Do you need 50 thousand, or 100 thousand?"

Marigold hadn't expected him to be clued in on this.

The figures he tossed out dwarfed the prices scrawled on the bathroom stall at school, and she was at a loss for words.

She mumbled, "50 thousand."

Lennon brightened his phone screen, his fingertip tapped lightly, and the transaction went through.

The "Di—" of the transfer alert made Marigold look reflexively at the screen, and her eyes widened at the amount displayed.

A full 100 thousand!

He had transferred double.

Marigold looked at him, surprised, even intimidated by his generosity. She hadn't sold him eggs, nor was she being kept by him, and she felt he had given too much.

Lennon pocketed his phone and shot her a look as she stood there frozen.

"Won’t you go?"

He'd deliberately left half of the money for her to splurge.

For a college girl, that sum could keep her afloat for a considerable amount of time, no need to go down the foolish path of selling eggs again.

Marigold snapped back to reality; her lips pursed as she accepted the money.

"Thank you," she whispered her thanks.

The man just stared back at his computer screen, his chiseled features emotionless, his voice flat and cool.

"Next, please."

Marigold, clutching the prescription, made her exit.

Outside, she bumped into Kent who was about to enter. They brushed past each other, and Kent shot a curious glance at the medical prescription in her hand.

Marigold, with meds on her mind, hurried off.

Back in the clinic, Kent waltzed in, his tone gossip hungry.

"Gastrology Department, huh? Why are you handing out gynecology meds?"

Lennon glanced up at him.

"Mind your own business."