Frozen Apocalypse: My System Gives Me Infinite Supplies

Chapter 9: Sian's Outrage and the Three-Hundred-Thousand Demand

“What do you mean, you can only have one woman?” Sian sat up in bed and pulled the duvet over herself, her face twisting with anger. “We spent the entire night together, and everything was fine! How can you still be thinking about Tamsin?”

Calder turned away from the window and sighed. He wore a troubled expression, as though he had no choice in the matter.

“You don't understand, Sian. Tamsin was my wife for three years. She keeps calling me, demanding that I take her back, and threatening to make trouble if I refuse. No matter how many times I tell her it's over, she won't leave me alone.”

“That shameless woman!” Sian spat, her fingers tightening around the duvet. “She drove you out of your own home, and now that you've got money, she wants you back? What does she take you for?”

Calder lowered his eyes and shook his head. “I don't want to get dragged into another fight with her. If she finds out about us, she'll make things difficult for both of us.”

“Don't worry. I'll deal with her!” Sian declared. “I'll make sure she regrets trying to get between us.”

Calder gave her a grateful look. “I knew I could count on you.”

An hour later, Sian left the Diamond Luxe Hotel and took a taxi home. As soon as she entered her apartment, she called Burl, who had been trying to reach her all night.

“Sian! Where have you been?” Burl asked anxiously when he answered. “I've called you so many times. Did you talk to your parents? We can still get married, can't we?”

“Stop talking and listen,” Sian said impatiently. “I've thought about it. Renovating that apartment isn't enough anymore. If you want me to marry you, I also want a luxury car worth at least three hundred thousand dollars.”

Burl went silent for a moment. “A car? Three hundred thousand dollars? Where am I supposed to get that kind of money?”

“That's your problem.” Sian's voice grew colder. “Calder spent hundreds of thousands of dollars shopping yesterday. Meanwhile, I'm supposed to drive around in some cheap car while he lives like a king? What will people think when they see me? They'll laugh at me!”

“But the renovation alone is going to cost a fortune!”

“Then find a way to pay for it. My father is the director of Central Hospital. Plenty of successful men would be happy to marry me, and you know perfectly well why you want to marry into my family. If you can't even provide a house and a decent car, what future can you offer me?”

She gave him until Friday to arrange both the renovation and the car. If he failed, she would call off the wedding. Before Burl could argue any further, she ended the call.

Back at the Lowen family home, Burl stared at his phone as if the world had collapsed around him. Then he burst into tears and immediately called Tamsin.

“Tamsin, you have to help me!” he wailed the moment she answered. “Sian wants a three-hundred-thousand-dollar car on top of the renovation! She says she'll cancel the wedding if I can't get it. This is all Calder's fault! He humiliated us at the mall yesterday, and now Sian thinks I'm useless. What am I supposed to do?”

Tamsin pressed her fingers against her forehead. She was already dealing with enough problems without her brother adding to them.

“Have you lost your mind, Burl? Three hundred thousand dollars for a car? Where do you expect me to find that kind of money?”

“Ask Garrick!” Burl pleaded. “You told me he was rich. He can afford it, so ask him to help!”

“Shut up!” Tamsin snapped. “I just asked him for five hundred thousand dollars to cover the renovation, and he hasn't even sent it yet. I told him I'd meet him at the hotel, but I asked him to wait. Now you want me to ask for another three hundred thousand?”

She paced around her office, growing more frustrated with every word. Garrick might have money, but he wasn't stupid. If she kept asking him for cash without giving him what he wanted, he would soon realize she was using him.

“If I push him too far, he'll cut me off,” she continued. “Then I'll lose both the money and the man. What will I have left?”

Burl ignored her explanation and continued crying. “I don't care! I have to marry Sian! Her father is the director of Central Hospital. Once we're married, I can finally get ahead in my career. Tamsin, you're my sister. You can't just stand by and watch my future fall apart!”

Before Tamsin could answer, Martha snatched the phone from Burl.

“Tamsin Lowen, what kind of daughter are you?” she shouted. “Your own brother is about to lose his future, and all you can do is make excuses! You couldn't even keep Calder under control, and now you can't get a little more money out of Garrick. What use are you to this family?”

Tamsin's headache grew worse. She clenched her fists and tried to hold back her anger, but her mother's insults only made her feel more trapped.

“Mom, stop shouting at me!” she finally yelled. “You think getting money from Garrick is that easy? He's demanding that I sleep with him at the Diamond Luxe Hotel before he'll give me a single cent. Do you want me to throw myself at him just to pay for Burl's house and car?”

Martha didn't hesitate.

“Then go and meet him! What's the problem? Put on some makeup, get to that hotel, and bring back the eight hundred thousand dollars your brother needs. Do whatever you have to do, but don't you dare let this wedding fall apart!”