Chapter 431

She held her breath. “Does his current expression mean… he’s angry?”

“You said you want to be independent and continue working at the small restaurant because you don’t want to rely on me. Fine, there’s nothing wrong with that,” he said, taking a deep breath. “But even a regular boyfriend should be able to give his girlfriend what she wants, right? Do you even treat me as your boyfriend?”

Grace bit her lip, unable to answer.

“Grace, I know you don’t want to rely on me, but that doesn’t mean you need to reject my gifts,” Jason said.

He wanted to give her a good life, to prevent her from worrying about even a penny. He knew her actions stemmed from past experiences with him, but he couldn't help feeling this way. Some things take time to change.

Even so, the anger he’d suppressed erupted. It was directed more at himself, however. If he hadn’t let things progress as they did, if he’d given her the justice she deserved, she wouldn’t be in this situation. He’d destroyed her life, transforming her from a lawyer with a bright future into someone with a criminal record. He’d forced her to face life’s hardships, calculating every penny to ensure survival.

Grace took a deep breath. “Okay, I understand. Then please buy me some hair ties.”

To be honest, she’d been too calculating with him. She feared repeating her mistakes with her ex. She didn’t want to be a parasite, taking without giving, so she’d tried to be self-sufficient. But they were boyfriend and girlfriend now; she didn’t need to be so careful about small things. This calculation only widened the distance between them.

Jason then pulled Grace to look at other hair accessory stalls. Nothing caught his eye. Finally, he took her to a shop in the mall adjacent to the Food Fest Street.

Grace saw that a plain black hair tie cost $50. While the quality was good, it was expensive.

Jason glanced around, realizing there was no better option. Reluctantly, he said, “We’ll take this. Give me ten.”

“Ten?” Grace was shocked. Ten would cost $500.

“Didn’t you want to buy ten earlier at the street stall?” he asked curiously.

“…” That’s because they cost $5 for ten, cheaper than buying one individually. That’s why I usually bought ten at once.

After a while, Jason felt buying only hair ties wasn’t enough. He asked the assistant to choose more accessories. “Do you see anything you like?”

Every girl has a fondness for beautiful things. Grace naturally liked them, but… “These are too expensive. Besides, I don’t have many opportunities to wear them because of my job.” Nice hair accessories usually require matching makeup and clothes.

“Then I’ll create those opportunities for you. As for the price, you only need to worry when the cost of something I buy for you is half my net worth.”