Love is the Sunshine

Chapter 18 I Want You To Stay

Terence almost choked on the beverage he was drinking when he saw Carla staring at him. He

furrowed his eyebrows.

"Carla, are you annoyed because you like me but I don't reciprocate your love? That's why you speak

ill of men."

Carla took a big gulp of her beverage and rolled her eyes. "Come on. Don't flatter yourself, Terence. Do

you really think that I like you?

You just overestimate your charm! Even if Evan is a scumbag, at least he hasn't hurt me."

Then, Carla threw the empty cup at Terence's arm, put on her raincoat and went out into the rain.

Terence flinched, not because of the cup that she threw at him, but because of her reaction. The smile

on his face faded as he watched her leave on her electric scooter.

That evening, Carla was so exhausted. She collapsed onto the bed and even though her stomach

rumbled in protest because she was starving, she didn't have the energy to move.

Moments later, Terence walked into the room with a tray of food. He placed the tray on the table in front

of her.

"Dinner is served! I have warmed everything up. Please, have some while it's still hot."

Carla lay on her side and looked at him and then at the food. The delicious aroma of the food made her

mouth water. They were all her favorite dishes, especially stir-fried vegetables.

Her empty stomach had made the decision for her. She crawled out of the bed and went to the table to

pick up the chopsticks. When she had a taste of the food, she began wolfing it down quickly.

"Hey, slow down! Nobody is going to steal your food. It's all yours. Just slow down or you'll choke."

Terence reminded her with a gentle voice and handed her a glass of water.

Carla swallowed a large clump of rice and took the glass from him to wash it down. "You don't know

how hungry I was after delivering so many take-outs. Especially at meal time, I almost drooled all over

the food."

The mealtime was the busiest time for food deliveries. She didn't usually have time to eat her lunch

until the mealtime rush hour was over and by then she wasn't hungry anymore.

"Actually, you won't have to work as hard anymore and be so tired." While speaking, Terence took out

an envelope from his pocket and placed it in front of her.

"What's this?"

Carla put her chopsticks down and took a peek inside the envelope. Her eyes widened when she saw

the stack of cash.

"Where did you get all that money from?"

With a blank expression, Terence replied, "I used to program computers in my spare time. I took a job

recently. That's half of the money that they owe me.

I didn't have a card on me, so I asked them to pay me in cash."

Carla straightened up and removed the money from the envelope and began to count it.

"Wow, you earn so much for just writing codes!

There's twenty-five thousand here! And you said it's just an advance payment?"

Terence just nodded and quietly placed the money aside. "Have your dinner first. It'll get cold, and you

shouldn't eat cold food.

It's all yours. It should cover all of the hospital fees that you paid for me and the lunch at the 3-star

Michelin restaurant."

Carla picked up her chopsticks and continued eating. She felt pleased and relieved that she got her

money back and didn't have to work so hard anymore.

'That was good of him. He paid me back as soon as he earned the money, ' she thought to herself.

Then, Terence continued speaking, "Once I finish the programming, I'll get fifty thousand for it. I'll give it

all to you, to pay you back for everything that you have done for me.

Then, I plan to leave."

Carla suddenly lost her appetite at the news and stopped chewing.

She swallowed the food that was in her mouth bitterly and looked up at him with a frown. "Right, now

that your wings are stronger, you want to fly away.

Terence, I really didn't expect you to be such an ungrateful person. I risked my life taking you into my

home. Now, you want to brush me off with just a little bit of money!

Why are you in such a hurry to leave when you just made a small step in earning money?

Why didn't you leave earlier when you lived and ate for free at my house?"

Terence smiled at her words and

stood up leaning closer towards her.

"Didn't you want me to get out of here as soon as possible? Now I am going to leave, and you suddenly

don't want me to go and are thinking up all sorts of lame excuses. Why?"

Although they didn't know each other for a long time, Terence knew what kind of person she was.

Although she appreciated money, she wasn't a materialistic person.

Having him standing so close to her, Carla could feel her heart doing little flips in her chest. She

blushed and looked down at the floor while pushing him slightly away with her hand.

"Nonsense! I like money. You know that. You have cost me a fortune and you ate and lived at my place

for free. Beside, I saved your life. Now, do you think that your money can pay back for all of that?"

Carla couldn't maintain eye contact with him, so she glanced nervously at the stack of cash on the bed.

"Oh? So what do I have to do to earn my freedom?" said Terence, in a low seductive tone, as he

leaned closer to her again. He could see the effect that he had on her. She was saying one thing, but

he could tell that she was thinking another. It piqued his interest in her.

Carla swallowed a lump in her throat that had suddenly become very dry, and she looked away and bit

her lip.

"Hmph, Terence!" she said poking at his chest with her index finger. "It seems that all you have to offer

a woman is your looks and body and nothing else! All right, go and have a shower and please me

tonight! If you do well and I am satisfied, then I'll consider whether to let you go or not. Okay?"

Terence's smile grew deeper when he looked into her defiant eyes. She looked so sweet with her little

furrowed brows and pouting mouth.

"See. As I said, you don't want me to leave. Now you are using the excuse that you want to make love

with me so that I would stay. Aren't you, Carla?"

Carla meant it to be a joke, but inside she actually longed for him. But Terence had spoken it outright

making it embarrassing. So she reached up and pinched him on the cheek.

"You are right! Ever since you have been with us, Sean and I have been eating much better than

before. So, if you are not in a rush, could you wait until after his birthday to leave?"

'If he really wants to go, I have no way to keep him here. He can just walk away.

But Sean likes him so much, and it would mean a lot to him if Terence was there for his birthday.'

"Ouch! Be gentle, woman!" Terence frowned as he pulled her hand away. He glanced at her in thought

and asked, "You want me to stay just for Sean's birthday and nothing else?"

Carla bit her lip and looked him straight in the eyes. "Something else, yes. You mentioned it earlier.

You said, that you'll take care of Sean and me in the future. Do you remember?"

Terence's eyes glistened. "Of course I do."

"All right. I have your word. If I run into any difficulty, I will come and find you. Let's be clear. You have

promised me. Don't ever try to deny it when I come to you,"

said Carla with tears in her eyes. Nobody could foresee the future. If she needed his help she would

definitely think of turning to him

for it.

"I'll keep my promise," Terence said as he looked deeply into her eyes.

Carla felt uncomfortable under his stare and seeing the leftover food on the table, she started to clean

up.

But, she was stopped by a firm hand.

Terence grabbed her and pushed her back onto the bed, leaving her unmovable beneath him.