In this world, there were different types of women.
Emma and Alice were gold-diggers, lacking discretion; Grace and Quinn were dependents with clear goals; for now, Angela seemed to belong to the same category as the latter.
Mia, on the other hand, belonged to the more common type: she liked money and influence, but she wasn't as decisive or single-minded. Conventional morality still imposed constraints on her choices.
Moreover, as a popular streamer, she earned a good living on her own and could manage quite well without depending on anyone.
"Jason, may I speak with you privately?" Mia walked up and whispered.
"Of course. What's on your mind?" Jason nodded, and Olivia, sensing the situation, wisely led the others a short distance away.
This small gesture subtly revealed status. If they had been on equal footing, Mia would have had to find a corner somewhere to speak privately.
Mia lowered her head slightly, her cheeks flushing red for some reason. "Jason, what do you think of me?"
Jason looked at her curiously. Was she really making a move so soon? Her favorability was only 58, and her personality didn't seem like the type to throw herself at someone casually.
"As expected of New Vision Media's top streamer," Jason said calmly, "your appearance, voice, and presence are all impeccable."
Mia smiled faintly, a hint of sadness flashing across her face. "I'm honored that you think so highly of me, Jason. Then… may I be so bold as to propose a deal? I've run into some trouble, trouble that could sink me completely. If you help me resolve it, I will devote myself to you, loyal and unwavering, serving you for life. I've never been in a relationship before, so I can guarantee my purity."
"Of course," Jason replied, "first tell me what kind of trouble you're in. If it's not worth the risk, we can drop it."
He was taken aback slightly by the phrasing of a deal. Strictly speaking, his arrangements with Grace and Quinn were also a form of deal — mixed with admiration — but it had never been stated so explicitly. This was the first time someone was laying out a lifelong promise of loyalty and service in such a formal, almost traditional manner.
Jason raised an eyebrow. "You're a popular streamer with a good income. What kind of trouble could you possibly be in? Why didn't Lewis or someone else handle this?"
Mia shook her head. "Lewis probably can't solve this. It's also a private matter that would be inconvenient to discuss formally. Otherwise, it might not only be useless but could annoy him. I dared to ask only after seeing your wealth and influence, Jason."
Jason nodded. "Alright. Then tell me — how serious is this trouble?"
If it was minor and easy to resolve, a deal could be made. If it was major and risky, it wouldn't be worth offending anyone for her sake. After all, she was just an employee in the company.
Mia took a deep breath, organizing her words carefully. "Since I was in middle school, my father became addicted to gambling. Yes, it's a cliché story, I know."
"But he was the worst kind of gambler. Not only did he waste all the family's money, but he also physically abused my mother and me. If my mother earned a little to support the household, he'd take it all. And if she refused, he'd beat her severely before taking it anyway."
"At first, it was manageable, but it got worse over time. Sometimes my mother would be beaten until she bled."
"You might wonder, why not call the police? But in reality, domestic dispute cases are handled with incredible leniency. Even when my mother filed for divorce, there was a mandatory waiting period. During that period, he almost beat her to death."
"Later, my mother, under my father's coercion, canceled the divorce. The cooling-off period was halfway through, and the divorce never went through."
"My mother took me and fled to another city, somewhere we didn't know anyone. My father never found us, and finally, our lives started improving."
"Eventually, I became a streamer, and my popularity grew. I could finally give my mother a comfortable life."
"But good times didn't last. It felt like fate was determined to punish us. A wealthy and influential man appeared during one of my streams, Rick, the son of the District Attorney in my city, took a liking to me."
"He even spoke on the mic once, and even through the screen, I could feel the same abusive tendencies my father had shown."
"From then on, I avoided him. I refunded the gifts he sent in my streams and stopped responding to his messages."
"But he didn't give up. He used his influence to find my company. That time, I rejected him outright."
"And I was right—he's a scumbag. After a simple background check, he found my father. Then, using his connections, a private loan company tracked my father down, putting him in a debt trap, and even told him where we were living now, letting him locate our home."
"I hired bodyguards, but they were constantly intercepted by people from that company. Though my mother and I haven't been physically harmed yet, the terrifying days of the past feel like they're coming back."
"My father, the loan company, Rick—I don't know how to handle this. I don't want to return to that life, not even if it kills me."
Mia had been calm at first, but as she spoke, her hands trembled slightly, whether from fear or anger.
After finishing, she smiled bitterly. "Of course, I know this is asking a lot. I don't really believe my looks alone are enough to make someone stand up to a DA's son. There are so many women in the world; who am I? But just saying it aloud… it makes me feel a little better."
Mia clearly didn't have high hopes for Jason's willingness to help. She knew all too well that money alone couldn't contend with political power.
Seeing Jason remain silent, she turned to walk away, dejected. But at that moment, he called after her: "Why are you leaving after telling me everything? Don't you want to fix this?"
Mia's eyes lit up. "Jason, you… you're willing to help? Isn't this too difficult?"
Jason's expression remained calm. "It's not that difficult. We'll take it step by step. First, tell me—what's the name of that private loan company? Lending at high interest in this day and age, they must know the risks."
Mia said, "It's a small company called Phoenix Financial. Of course, they don't openly admit to loan sharking—they exploit loopholes and operate in gray areas."
Jason smiled faintly. "In our country, all the company generally have some gray area. You, ah… haven't read enough yet."
He waved at Olivia, his secretary. "Look up Phoenix Financial."
Olivia nodded and immediately began checking. After a moment, she reported, "Jason, Phoenix Financial is actually a subsidiary. Its parent company is Westwood Holdings—not very large. But that's not the main point. The main point is, its chairman, Nathan Westwood, is a V2 member of the Sterling Club. He provided a luxury car today that you didn't fancy. Should I inform him?"
Before Jason could respond, his phone rang. Olivia glanced at it. "It's Nathan Westwood."
Jason nodded. Olivia answered and put the call on speakerphone. Nathan's trembling voice came through: "Secretary Olivia, I just heard from my assistant that you called about my company?"
Olivia replied, "Chairman Westwood, your information is very up-to-date."
Nathan quickly said, "Not really—I instructed everyone that if you or Jason called, it should be treated with utmost importance. But from my assistant, this isn't a call about business cooperation… are you investigating me? Did I offend Jason Carter? If so, I'll come apologize immediately. I only ask Jason to be lenient and tell me where I went wrong."
Mia's eyes widened in disbelief. From her perspective, Phoenix Financial had been a massive problem.
Yet in Jason's world, just his secretary checking on the company, before he even acted, prompted the chairman of the parent company to call and apologize—without even knowing what he had done wrong.
There are 120 chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
patreon.com/B_A_3439