Love's Cunning Ruse novel Chapter 72

After several trials and errors, Julie finally concluded that the keys in her hand were indeed faulty. She whipped out her phone and called her landlord.

The response on the other end of the line was swift: "Oh, so you still remember how to call me? The front gate won't budge, right?"

The tone of her landlord was a dead giveaway. "Sorry, I'll definitely transfer the rent to your account tomorrow," Julie conceded.

Her gaze dropped to her plastered leg, and then she spoke politely, "Could you possibly bring the key over?"

An icy snort came from the other line, "Now you remember to pay the rent? How long have you been delaying the past few months' rent? I've deducted all the deposit. Every time I called you, you always had some excuse to delay, right? I know you have a sick sister to take care of. That's why I've been patient with you."

"I know, thank you. Are you home right now? I'll come over to get the key."

"I've already told you!" The landlord's voice came through, "A quarter's rent plus the deposit. Only talk to me about the key after you've transferred the money to my account tomorrow. Otherwise, move out and stop hogging my space!"

And with that, the landlord hung up. When Julie tried to call back, the landlord's phone was already turned off.

Kieran was watching Julie from a taxi not far from the gate.

Suddenly, a loud thunderclap resounded in the sky, startling Julie into a crouch and covering her head. But the pain in her leg made her sit down on the ground. The sight was heartbreaking.

Kieran immediately swung open the car door, his long leg about to step out, but he stopped abruptly. Julie had fled the hospital, so she probably didn't want him to see her in this embarrassing state. So, he retracted his leg back into the car.

Julie was about to call Daphne but then remembered Daphne was on a business trip. Eventually, she put her phone down, defeated.

The spare key Daphne gave her was lost on that night when she and Kieran got drunk. She hadn't had time to get a duplicate, so that she couldn't stay at Daphne's place now.

In the car, Kieran took out his phone and, after a few seconds of hesitation, dialed Ivan Hernandez's number.

At the gate, Julie was about to check how much money she had left when her phone suddenly rang.

"Mama Julie, it's Ivan." A whimpering cry came from the other end of the line, laced with fear.

Julie immediately forgot about her homelessness and quickly comforted Ivan on the other end, "What's wrong, Ivan? Don't worry, tell me slowly."

"I'm scared of the thunder," the little boy's nasal voice was filled with sobs, sounding as if he had just had a good cry, tugging at Julie's heartstrings.

"Where is everyone else at home?" Julie asked.

Ivan glanced at the servants surrounding him, then sniffled and said through sobs, "Dad went out on a date, all the servants went home for a holiday, I'm alone at home, I'm scared, I'm afraid of the thunder!"

"How about I keep you company on the phone?" Julie rubbed her arm. In the pouring rain, this was the only way she could comfort herself.

Ivan blurted out, "Can you come to my house? I'm really scared. What if aliens invade the Earth? What if they take me away, I can't bear to leave you, mom."

Julie didn't quite know how to respond to this alien invasion excuse.

Ivan, thinking his performance wasn't convincing enough, cried out to Julie, "Mama Julie, I'm all alone at home. You have to come quickly! Or else I'll be taken away by aliens! I'm really scared."

"Where is your house?" Julie finally asked. To the homeless Julie, Ivan's call was like a lifeline.

Ivan quickly told her his address, ecstatic.

"Okay, I'll come over now. You have to be good. Boys need to be brave, and thunder is not scary at all."

"Okay. Mama Julie, hurry up, I'm waiting for you!!"

Julie, as if having made up her mind, used the wall to stand up and started hailing a cab.

Kieran leaned towards the driver, instructing, "Please take her safely to her destination."

With that, Kieran got out of the car. The taxi headed towards Julie.

Julie didn't expect to get a cab so easily. She immediately broke into a smile, climbed into the car, and off she went.