Cindy raised all her fingers as she cried, "Ten times, Aunt Gina! No, it might even be more than that! We sold it at 500 million, but it's now worth five billion dollars! Five billion, Aunt Gina!" Hearing the number, Gina froze even as she sat up on her bed, unable to manage words.
"Quick... Quick!" she cried after spacing out for a long while, holding out a hand at Cindy. "Bringmy phone. I'll call Frank!" "Alright!" Cindy was certainly enthusiastic-she would definitely get a cut if Gina took back that land lot.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtHowever, even as Gina got her phone and scrolled through her contact list to Frank's name, she froze before she could dial his number.
"What's wrong, Aunt Gina? Call him!" Cindy cried, clearly more anxious than Gina.
Peter was the sas well, urging Gina right then, "Call him, Mom. Why are you hesitating?" "I..." Gina was stumped even as she turned awkwardly toward Peter and Cindy, stammering, "A-Actually, Frank did callpreviously..." "He did?" Peter was taken aback.
Cindy's face darkened as she remembered too.
Frank and Helen had called Gina, advising her to buy back the land.
Not only did Gina refuse at the time, but she even mocked Frank endlessly and called her own daughte@names. She expressed in no uncertain terms her refusal to take back that land, whether she et was threatened or afforded a better price. To make things worse, she had cut ties with Frank and Helen, vowing that she would never go to them again.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmWith that in mind, Gina felt as if the button was welded tight and she could not press it down.
If she called and Frank answered, what was she supposed to say? Apologize, saying that she was just upset and beg for him to sell back that land? She could not manage that, no matter how thick-skinned she was-not after Frank had repeatedly explained that it would make her a Lof ton of money, swearing on his honor. And what did Gina do? Not only did she doubt him, but she also ridiculed him in every possible way, even calling him and Helen pigs.
It was a clear cut case of looking a gift horse in the mouth, and after all that grandstanding, was she going to change her mind and beg for that piece of land? She would be mocked for the rest of her life if news spread.
She quietly put away her phone. She wanted money, but she could not abandon her dignity.
In retrospect, Frank was well aware of what that land was worth. Would he give it up now just because Gina understood her mistake and because she was thick-skinned enough to demand it back? S After all that ridicule, it was obvious that Gina would not get it back unless Frank was really stupid.
In fact, she would be ridiculed in return without getting her land back, which meant that she would lose more than what she bargained for.