A Life Debt Repaid

Chapter 5

and said, “Actually, Mr. Levine, you could’ve just explained that I’m not his mommy.”John simply watched her with his black eyes quietly then, and the sudden silence left Cordy wondering if she had misspoken.Still, she did not dwell on it and continued, “The fire was just an accident anyway. You didn’t have to bring me lunch or have those maids take care of me. And how much for the phone? I’ll wire the money to you.”“I thought you were smart, Ms. Sachs.”Cordy was at a loss. Was there anything about her that made her look stupid?!“Dicky needs a mommy,” John continued in his alluring voice, as if it was only natural.“So?” Cordy raised a brow.John simply kept his dark eyes fixed on her for a long while.After the pause, his pitch seemed to deepen. “And he likes you. So you might be able to tell that I’m wooing you, Ms. Sachs.”Cordy was speechless.She could never have told. All she felt was that everything he did was imposing!“You don’t need to respond immediately, Ms. Sachs. After all…”  John then trailed off, as if musing on the right words, “We’re not acquainted yet.”Obviously, they were just strangers who crossed paths by chance.Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Cordy said, “Don’t you think you’re being a little childish about a relationship, Mr. Levine?”John raised a brow—she was already a difficult person, and she appeared even more distant now.“Wooing me just because your son likes me? Am I just a tool to you? What if your son stops liking me and chooses another woman to be his mommy one day? Are you going to woo her too, Mr. Levine?”Cordy paused to calm herself just then, as she noticed that she was getting a little harsh. “I’m sorry, Mr. Levine, but I don’t share your perspective.”“Wooing has nothing to do with my son. He just happens to like you too, just as I do,” John said plainly then.Cordy actually thought she misheard.A sudden declaration of love… It must be a joke, right?!They had just met hours ago!“You don’t have to worry about my son falling for another woman either, Ms. Sachs,” John said, enunciating every word. “Devotion runs in our family.”Cordy was left speechless again.Did that man just endorse himself and his son at the same time?Even offering her… a promise?!Still, she was not about to be caught in his pace, not to mention that she absolutely could not respond to the feelings of people she just met. “Whatever you’re aiming to do, Mr. Levine, I’m serious when I tell you that I’m rejecting you.”John simply stared at her with his jet-black eyes.“Please don’t disturb me ever again, Mr. Levine. All you have to do is offer me due compensation—”“I reject your rejection,” John said, cutting her short with an assertive tone.Anger flashed in Cordy’s eyes. “Do you even know my past? I’m not as ideal as you’d like to think.”“I never doubt my judgment, nor do I take issue with a person’s past.”“Someone told me that before too, and you saw how that ended up.”Therefore, how would she ever trust a stranger she just met?“Don’t compare me to scum.”The ward suddenly turned silent.John’s thin lips twitched ever so