Chapter 98: Charlotte and Cecilia

Calvin didn't dare to give Elsa too much money.

In a place like this, having more money meant dying early.

It was sinful to be rich than the average people in the Northern Borough.

Seeing Calvin's gesture, Charlotte's impression of him improved.

After assisting Elsa out of the door with the body of her grandson, Charlotte offered a seat for Calvin and asked, "Why did you want to come here? Do you have something to say to me?"

Calvin nodded his head, "That's right, but before we do that. Can we talk about your situation here?"

"What is there to talk about?"

Calvin noticed that Charlotte was still angry.

"Uncle Superman! Mommy is angry at you... You've got to make her happy again or else, I'd also be angry at you!"

"Cecilia, quiet! Go and play on your own. The adults have something to talk about! You don't intervene in the talk of the adults, okay?" Charlotte directed her embarrassment at Cecilia by glaring at the little girl.

Cecilia gave a bell-like chuckle before she climbed up the bunk bed and stared curiously at Calvin and Charlotte.

Calvin glanced at Cecilia and the little girl immediately pretended to be asleep.

Charlotte also noticed Cecilia's antics and she couldn't help but shake her head and bitterly smile, "I'm sorry about my daughter's antics..."

"No, you don't have to apologize about that, Miss Charlotte. She's just a child. Let a child have fun in her own way."

Calvin waved his hand and didn't seem to be bothered about Cecilia.

"I want to talk about what made you so desperate that you tried to sell such an important piece of item." Calvin was obviously referring to the Medallion of a Crow Within the Sun. Charlotte quickly caught on what he was trying to say as she let out a sorrowful sigh.

"Don't get me wrong... The medallion is valuable for me. But so is my daughter... If I can use that medallion to save both of our lives, then I will do it ten out of ten times!" Charlotte firmly said.

Complicated emotions flashed across Calvin's face.

Realizing Charlotte's determination when she made that decision, Calvin couldn't possibly say that the reason why he saved them was that he wanted the medallion right? After all, it was that valuable for Charlotte. The least that he could do was to borrow it.

But if he borrowed it, it surely wouldn't be returned once he presented it to the Cavaliers.

Damn...

It's becoming complicated.

Calvin felt a headache coming.

"What do you mean by saving both of your lives? Is it because of those loan sharks?"

Charlotte nodded, "Yes... But that's not the only reason. It's because it's been three months since we paid rent. The landlord is already impatient. He already gave us all the grace period that he can give, but... If we wanted another grace period... That would mean..."

"Wait..." Calvin suddenly interrupted her speech.

It was because he realized that there were immense sorrow and remorse laced within Charlotte's voice. As far as Calvin could remember — landlords were ruthless and inhumane in the world of Las Felipinas.

Even if you were only late on your payments for a single day, they would decisively kick you out.

After all, with the immense number of homeless people in Ashmelion... Any landlord could easily have their place rented out again after kicking out the previous tenant. In other words, tenants weren't that precious at all for the landlords.

They view them as assets that they could replace at any moment's notice.

But there was something strange within Charlotte's voice when she said that the landlord had already given all the grace period that he could give to them.

With landlords being so ruthless, it was close to impossible for them to give out any grace period for their tenants. Even when the law of the Joselian Kingdom stated that a person must not be arbitrarily deprived of their homes. This law wasn't enforced at all.

Then...

Just how did Charlotte acquire three months of grace periods?

Could it be that...

"Yes... I have no choice... The matchstick factory that I'm working in kicked me out for being tardy... I have no income, the sweatshops, and the textile factories are full of workers. The only industry that I can work in to save our lives is the industry that I would rather die than work in..."

"I may be poor, but I would never be a whore!"

"But that shitty landlord... I let him touch my body in exchange for a grace period, but for this month's grace period. He wants to... He wants to do it with me..."

"I'd rather die than do it with that disgusting man!"

"That's why... Please..."

"Please don't..."

"Please don't think of me as someone dirty..."

Charlotte couldn't take it anymore.

She cried and sobbed.

"Mommy...?"

Cecilia hurriedly descended from the top of the bunk bed and ran towards her mother.

"Mommy, why are you crying?"

"Mommy, please don't cry..."

Cecilia tried her best to console her mother but Charlotte's tears wouldn't stop.

"Wuwuwu... Mommy... Please don't cry anymore... Wuwuwu..."

In the end, even Cecilia was crying.

Calvin stared at the pair of mother and daughter before he stretched his hand out and ruffled the hair of the two.

"You've done your best... You've worked hard... You have all the right to cry..."

To be honest, Calvin was never a man who knew how to console someone.

His movements were awkward and his voice was stuttering...

He didn't know what to say to comfort the mother and daughter pair.

Eventually, Charlotte stopped crying and she hung her head low in shame.

Calvin may look to be the same age as her, but he was a member of the opposite sex!

As a woman, she found it quite embarrassing for her to bawl and cry in front of Calvin.

"Hahaha..." Calvin found Charlotte's antics as quite amusing, "Go ahead, cry... No one is around us anyways..."

"What are you saying..." Charlotte rolled her eyes at him.

"Mommy... Uncle Superman means you look ugly when you're crying..." Cecilia took advantage of this opportunity to tease her mother.

"You... Cecilia!" Charlotte was so aggrieved after being teased by her daughter that she bit her pale and chapped lips.

"But she's right, Miss Charlotte. You do look ugly when you're crying. That is why you shouldn't cry anymore. You look beautiful when you smile." Calvin said.

"Beautiful... You..." Charlotte trembled.

She felt inexplicably happy knowing that Calvin thought of her as someone beautiful.

The three continued their talk and Calvin found out that even Cecilia was working on a nearby matchstick factory. When Calvin knew about this, he immediately ordered Cecilia to quit and he also promised that he would take care of them from now on.

"No, that's not appropriate..."

"We don't know you... and why would you... Why would you do something like this to us?"

Charlotte was quick to express her protest.

"Didn't I told you earlier as to why I am doing this? It's because I feel like helping someone today, and you said that you don't know me, right? Then, in that case, I'll introduce myself. Hello, my name is Calvin... Nice to meet you, little Cecilia!"

Calvin turned to look at Cecilia.

"Nice to meet you too, Uncle!"

Cecilia let out a burst of bell-like laughter and comically shook her small hand with Calvin's.

Afterwards, Calvin retracted his hand and extended it to Charlotte, "Miss Charlotte, my name is Calvin. Just call me by my name, you don't have to add any honorifics. It's nice to meet you."

Charlotte stared dumbstruck at the wide smile on Calvin's face.

The man standing in front of him may be a cripple, but his heart was as boundless as the ocean.

Charlotte didn't know what to say.

She subconsciously extended her hand and shook hands with him.

"Now that you know who I am, I guess I can help you now, all right?" Calvin didn't wait for Charlotte's reply.

He took out the pouch containing his remaining money which amounted to a few dozen Joselian pesos and said, "Take this money and find a better place to stay at the Southern Borough. I'll be going out for now. Remember to be careful out there."

Calvin then turned around.

"Wait!"

"Where are you going?"

"Uncle Superman... Are you going to leave us? Please don't leave us, Uncle Superman..."

Cecilia whispered in a wistful voice.

Charlotte bit her pale lips and said, "Will you come back?"

Calvin laughed, "What's this? Don't exaggerate now, all right? Of course, I'll be back! I'm just going to go out there and find a job..."

"Find a job...?"

"But why?"

Calvin grabbed Charlotte's calloused and yellowish hands before saying, "From now on. I want you to focus on Cecilia..."

"You've already endured so much, so let me take care of the rest. I'll make sure to earn enough money so the two of you won't have to worry about your food and shelter for the rest of your life."

Calvin solemnly declared.

Charlotte stared dumbstruck upon hearing Calvin's declaration.

But in the very next moment.

She started crying once more.

But this time, there was something different.

Charlotte's eyes seemed to be shining in a greenish light.

That light disappeared as abruptly as it appeared, but Calvin was sure that the light he saw wasn't an illusion.

Holding back her tumultuous emotions, he wiped the tears off Charlotte's face and said, "I'll be back in a few hours...

"In the meantime, use that money to get Cecilia some good food!"

Calvin then left in a hurry.

Staring at Calvin's back, the greenish light within Charlotte's eyes returned.

"Mommy?"

Cecilia whispered.

Her eyes were also emanating the same greenish light.

"I-It's nothing..."

Charlotte shook her head and the greenish lights disappeared similar to a burst bubble.

"Let's get you some food... What do you want? A dirty ice cream?"

"Yaaay! Ice cream! It's been a year since I had ice cream! Thank you, mommy!"

Cecilia was immediately delighted and she quickly forgot about the greenish lights that she saw.