Filed To Story: The Scarlet Vengeance: Justice of a Framed Beauty Novel (Grace & Jason)
“It’s okay,” she said.
Just now, as Harley was walking with Calvert, she suddenly became curious about what Calvert’s home might look like.
He moistened his lips, murmuring, “Alright then.”
Calvert was speaking as he led the way, with Harley following behind.
“By the way, is there anyone at your place now?” she asked curiously.
“No, it’s just me and my father living at home, and he’s at the hospital now,” he said.
“And what about your mother?” she asked.
His expression fell a bit, “My mother is no longer with us.”
Harley was taken aback, then immediately apologized with a full face of regret, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know your mother had passed away, I…”
“She didn’t die!” Calvert interrupted her, pausing in his steps and turning to look at her. “She left, abandoned me and my father. She couldn’t stand this filthy environment and left this place. As for where she is now and what kind of life she’s living, I have no idea!”
Harley stood there, staring at the person in front of him, illuminated by the faint moonlight filtering through the hollowed-out wall by the stairs.
When Calvert said this, his face was calm, or numbly silent, as if he was talking about someone completely irrelevant.
Harley suddenly regretted bringing up this topic: “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked you that question.”
“You don’t need to apologize. A lot of people here know about this. It’s not a secret,” Calvert said, continuing to ascend the stairs.
A moment later, the two of them entered that small room in the Calvert’s house!
The Calvert’s house was even more rundown than she had imagined, with a musty smell wafting through the air.
When Calvert turned on the light, Harley surveyed the room. Many of the old pieces of furniture looked somewhat damaged. There were quite a few cabinets with only half a door, or with door handles that were only half there.
Such living conditions could have been described as extremely harsh. However, when one looked at
Calvert, it wasn’t possible to associate him with such an environment.
Calvert himself had an excellent physique. Even when he was dressed in ordinary, cheap clothes, he exuded an air of elegance, like a noble prince fallen on hard times.
“My place is a bit modest,” Calvert said, seemingly a bit embarrassed.
“Do you plan on moving to a different house in the future?” Harley asked. After all, no matter how you look at it, this place doesn’t seem quite suitable for comfortable living.
“Once I graduate from university, if I have the means, I’ll move away from here,” Calvert said, then chuckled self-deprecatingly. “But it’s also possible that I might never be able to leave this place. After all, it’s hard to cross social classes. Many children of the poor remain poor forever.”
“Why would you think that?” Harley asked, looking at the other person in confusion.
“What?” He was taken aback.
“A child born into poverty doesn’t necessarily have to stay poor forever. Isn’t the reason you’re going to college to change your fate?” she said.
She knew very well how hard it was for an ordinary person with no family background to get into her current university and receive a full scholarship.
Given Calvert’s family situation, he could only afford to attend this university if he received a full scholarship.
Upon hearing her words, he shuddered slightly, lowering his head and murmuring, “I guess it was in high school when I thought good grades could determine a lot of things. But when I got to college, I realized I was a bit naive.”
Most of his classmates around him were wealthy and influential people.
Calvert slowly began to understand that in the eyes of those people, he was nothing more than a clown. Even though he had good grades, he had no background, and his family was poor. Trying to change his own fate was just too difficult.
Even though some girls were drawn to Calvert because of his looks and tried to win his favor, they only saw him as a temporary source of amusement. They didn’t really intend to have a long-term relationship with him.
“I think having good grades is great, it shows you’re smart,” Harley said. “Someone as intelligent as you, as long as you’re willing to work hard, you’re bound to succeed.”
Calvert suddenly froze, slowly lifting his head. What came into view was Harley’s handsome and radiant face, showing not a hint of insincerity.
“Thank you.” It took Calvert quite a while to say that.
“By the way, what happened to the ointment I gave you last time?” Harley asked.
“Over here.” He walked over to a worn-out cabinet and pulled out an ointment from inside.
“You’ve got a wound on your face. You’d better apply something to it quickly. That way, it might not be so noticeable tomorrow,” she said.
“Alright,” Calvert responded, only to find Harley’s gaze still firmly fixed on him.
He was stared at to the point where he started to feel a bit embarrassed.
“I’ll apply it later,” he said.
Seeing the way Calvert was, Harley knew he wouldn’t paint later, so he said, “You might as well paint now.”
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Calvert’s face. He picked up the ointment, unscrewed the cap, dabbed a bit on his finger, and began to apply it to his face.
He just couldn’t see the wounds on his own face, so he could only apply the medicine based on what he felt.
“Isn’t there a mirror here?” Harley reminded.
He lowered his gaze, “The previous mirror was shattered when my father got drunk. We haven’t bought a new one yet.”
In reality, he simply couldn’t afford it. For others, a mirror might just cost a few dollars, but for him, it was money he could save.
After all, he didn’t think the mirror was that important.
But in the next moment, Calvert suddenly stiffened. This was because Harley had grabbed his hand, the one smeared with ointment, and was gently applying it to the areas he hadn’t reached yet.
“Here… and here…” Harley said.
Calvert looked up, staring at her blankly.
Because Harley was helping him apply medicine to his wound, Harley was leaning towards him at the moment. As a result, their faces were extremely close to each other.
Such close proximity made Calvert’s heart pound wildly again!
By the time he snapped back to reality, Harley had already let go of his hand: “Done.”
A hint of loss subtly flashed through Calvert’s heart. On his fingers, the warmth of Harley still lingered, a warmth he felt like he could remember for a lifetime.
“Take a good rest, I’ll head back first,” Harley said.
“Alright,” Calvert responded.
Even though he truly wanted to spend more time with her, he didn’t try to keep her around. In such a rundown place, where he couldn’t even offer her a cup of coffee, what right did he have to ask her to stay?
For Calvert, being able to spend time with Harley like this was already something beyond belief.
After Harley left, Calvert looked around this incredibly familiar, rundown room, but for the first time, he felt something different.
In the air, it seemed like Harley’s unique fragrance still lingered. For the first time, he felt a touch of warmth in this room.
“I shouldn’t be so greedy…” he muttered to himself. He shouldn’t be attached to this warmth, because once it fades, it will only become colder. He knew this all too well.
Harley returned home and saw his parents in the living room. He walked up to them, gave his father a hug, and then buried his face in his mother’s embrace.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Valda looked at her daughter who was clinging to her. Ever since her daughter had grown up, she rarely held onto her like this.
“I just feel so lucky to be your daughter,” Harley said softly. Even though she’s always known how fortunate she is. Being a daughter of the Hart family, with parents who love each other deeply, such a birthright is a blessing that others might not achieve in several lifetimes.
However, after Harley saw how Calvert’s father treated Calvert today, this feeling became even more pronounced.
Valda chuckled, patting her daughter’s head, “Did something happen?”
“Moms always know their daughters best,” Harley nodded, “I recently met a classmate. We’re not in the same major. His life is somewhat difficult, and his father isn’t very kind to him. So, I want to help him.”
“Of course, there’s no problem if you want to help someone,” Valda said. “As long as you believe they’re truly worth your help.”
Was it worth it?
Harley wasn’t sure, after all, she had only known Calvert for a short time and had only met him a few times.
But every time, Calvert left quite an impression on her.
Calvert was shy and didn’t easily accept the kindness of others. Despite having such a beautiful face, there wasn’t a hint of arrogance. Instead, he seemed to carry a sense of inferiority.
And Calvert was stuck in such a terrible environment, with a father like that.
So, she wanted to help him.
After all, helping Calvert was just a simple task for Harley!
“Dad, can I use the company’s resources?” Harley turned to look at Brian.
Brian chuckled, “Why not? But the person you want to help, do they want to join this circle?”
“He’s got a decent look, I think he could start off as a print model doing some photo shoots. I want to help him improve his living conditions. As for whether he wants to take this job, or stay in this industry, that’s up to him to decide.”
All Harley gave was just a chance!
Brian looked at his daughter with satisfaction. Indeed, she had grown up and understood the principle that it’s better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.
When Harley saw Calvert again, the injury on Calvert’s face seemed to have almost healed.
“Do you want to go see your father?” Harley asked.
Earlier, Harley had his father taken to the hospital for a comprehensive check-up. He learned about the results of the examination from the doctor.
Calvert’s father wasn’t in good health. Years of heavy drinking had led to nerve degeneration, and he also suffered from a volatile temper.
So, Harley simply let Calvert’s father receive the necessary treatment in the hospital.
“No need,” Calvert said, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes as he spoke of his father.
These days, Calvert’s father wasn’t at home, giving him a rare peace. He didn’t have to fear being woken up in the middle of the night to his father’s sudden appearance, beating him with fists and kicks.
Nor did he have to worry about the little money he had painstakingly saved up being taken away by his father!
“But I’m afraid I can only pay you back for my father’s medical bills once I start working in the future,”
Calvert murmured.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.