The Amazing Jack Morland

Chapter 6

Tobias Gray frowned again, "Vouchers? What's for?"

Lily gave ex-lover Jack a dismissive look, "Oh, Toby. Look at those shoes! Maybe he'd like to get some new shoes."

Lily's guess made Tobias burst out laughing. He gave Jack a sneering look, "Shoes? So, you want to buy shoes at my family's mall, loser?"

Jack was still silent, waiting for Tobias' next words as if he knew Tobias still hadn't stopped talking.

"Don't you know what the minimum price of shoes at Gray Mall is?" Tobias said with a grin, "Oh, no. If I mention it, I'm afraid you'll faint."

"Just tell me how much it is!" Jack replied still holding back.

"No, you won't be able to afford it."

"Let alone a pair, you won't be able to afford one," Tobias added with an increasingly annoying mocking smile.

"What if I can afford it?" Jack retorted in the end who couldn't help himself.

Lily, who knew Jack was very poor and thought it was impossible for her ex-boyfriend to buy the shoes sold at Gray Mall, said, "Don't even try to dream, Jack. It's impossible."

"Oh, dear. Why do you forbid people to dream? Dreaming is free, dear Lily. Just let him do it," Tobias said with a grin.

Lily sighed, "You're too kind. Oh, but you're right, Toby. I agree with you."

The pretty girl turned to Jack and gave him a dismissive smile, "It doesn't matter what you dream, in the end you'll be disappointed that you can't fulfil it."

Jack clenched his fists, but made no comment. In his heart, he thought there was no need to take his ex-lover's words to heart because all he needed to do was to shut them up later.

Yes, he would really go to Gray Mall later. However, right now he had other important things to do so he walked past Lily and Tobias without any intention of answering their first question to him.

"Hey, you haven't answered my question yet. Who freed you?" Lily asked in a half-shout.

However, Jack just walked straight ahead and didn't look back once.

Lily grumbled in annoyance. "How dare he ignore me!"

The girl also realized that it was the first time Jack had ignored her. "Huh, just watch out for him!"

"Honey, calm down, let it go. Whoever's helping him has a lot of guts, but I think it might be his friends," Tobias guessed.

Lily didn't know any of Jack's friends but she had seen Jack out with his friends from a distance. And what she remembered was that some of Jack's friends were from the upper class.

"Hm, it could be. But ... Toby, what if he really goes to Gray Mall?"

Tobias frowned, "Didn't you say he wouldn't go there?"

"Yeah, I believed that at first, but who knows if he borrows money and then buy something there, Toby?"

Tobias groaned in displeasure but then he smiled mysteriously, "Oh, it doesn't matter. We can give him a little welcome later."

"What welcome, darling?" Lily looked inquisitive.

"You'll find out later, darling. Just take it easy. He's going to love my welcome, trust me!" Tobias grinned happily.

Lily smiled back sweetly, no longer caring about Jack. To her, Jack was now really just a useless piece of rubbish. She already had Tobias Gray who would do anything for her.

Meanwhile, Jack had just entered his dormitory which was still filled with his three friends.

"Gosh, where have you been, Jack? Why didn't you come home last night?" one of his best friends asked with a worried expression.

"We looked for you everywhere. Your mobile phone is off too. What really happened?"

A tall, bulky man chimed in, "Did you take an extra hours at work until the morning and end up sleeping at the restaurant?"

"Or did you sleep over at your mysterious girlfriend's house?" Edward asked with a teasing smile.

Jack just chuckled in response to his friend's questions, "I broke up with her."

Everyone was of course immediately shocked. Darryl, his good friend who had helped him a lot, widened his eyes, "Wow! What is this? You haven't even introduced her to us, but now you've broken up?"

"What's the reason you broke up?"

"Who left whom?"

Jack simply replied, "It doesn't matter who left whom, what's clear is that I don't have a girlfriend anymore."

Darryl looked surprised at his good friend, "But, you don't look sad. You're not heartbroken?"

"I don't have time to get my heart broken when I have so many exams waiting for me," Jack replied, smiling at his friends.

They immediately grumbled as they were reminded of the activities that were like torture for them at the moment.

That day Jack went about his day as usual until he finished attending his last class.

"Are you going straight to work, Jack?" Darryl Spencer asked as he put his arm around his best friend.

"Yes, but I'm going to stop by to buy some shoes first."

Darryl immediately glanced at Jack's feet which were encased in unbelievably ugly shoes. "Do you have any money?"

"Yes, I do."

"How much money do you have?"

Jack hesitated to answer. He didn't want to lie to Darryl, but he couldn't tell him who he was either. So, Jack chose to remain silent.

Darryl sighed when he saw Jack who never answered him. He then took his wallet without hesitation and took out a few hundred dollars and handed it to Jack.

Jack looked at Darryl with a surprised expression, "You don't need to do this. I have money."

Darryl chuckled, "I know you have money but if you use all your money, what will you live on then?"

Jack was silent.

Darryl forced Jack to pocket the money, "I just want to help you. My ears burn every time I hear people making fun of you."

"Listen to me, Jack. I know that if I buy you shoes, you won't be able to take them so ... you just use it as extra and buy shoes according to your taste."

Jack couldn't have been more touched by that. Darryl Spencer was indeed a good friend. He came from a rich family but Darryl was one of the few rich people who had a kind heart and was not arrogant.

Darryl was also the one who helped him so often that Jack felt that he owed Darryl so much.

"Thank you, I'll use it well." Jack didn't want to make his friend feel upset so he decided to accept it.

However, that meant his plans had to change. He couldn't possibly buy fancy shoes with his grandfather's money. He would buy shoes at a price that matched the amount of money given by Darryl.

After parting from Darryl, that afternoon Jack walked to Gray Mall. When he arrived at the building that had a dozen floors, Jack couldn't help but be amazed.

"The Gray family turned out to be quite wealthy. Now I wouldn't be surprised if Lily got interested in Tobias."

Although he was disappointed in Lily's decision, Jack couldn't do anything about it. His and Lily's relationship was completely over, he had to remember that.

Jack approached the entrance of the mall, but before he could enter, two guards in black uniforms blocked him.

"No beggars allowed." One of the guards said while holding Jack's arm.

Jack sighed, "I'm not a beggar."

The guard looked Jack up and down and shook his head, "Please make us busy of you!"

Jack said again, "I'm really not a beggar. I came here to buy shoes. Let me in, please!"

One of the guards laughed mockingly, "Buy shoes? Are you kidding me, beggar?"

"Do you think shoes cost a dollar here, huh?" the big tall guard gave Jack a contemptuous look.

"Go away and stay out of trouble!" The other guards shooed him away without a care in the world.

An annoyed Jack reached into his pocket and showed the money Darryl had given him earlier, "Look, I have money."

The two guards looked at each other. They glanced at the money with suspicious eyes.

"Where did the money come from?" the first guard asked with an accusing look.

"Are you stealing?" the second guard asked.

Jack could hardly stand it anymore but he tried to explain, "Stealing? Not at all. It's my friend's money."

"Oh, you stole from your friend?" the first guard immediately restrained Jack's arm, while the second guard immediately contacted someone.

"Sir, there is a suspicious beggar carrying six hundred dollars. According to our suspicions, he has stolen from his friend."

Jack, who had both hands held by the two guards, protested. "I didn't steal it. My friend gave it to me. Let me go!"

"We'll let you go when you're in the security room."

Jack's eyes widened, "Security room? What do you mean?"