The next day, when Crystal came down for breakfast, Nathan was already sitting at the head of the table in the dining room. And to the right of him, there was a man in a black suit. The stranger was standing over Nathan, slightly bowed, and he was handing a document to him. From the way that the stranger carried himself in Nathan's presence, it was apparent to Crystal that he was subordinate to him.
When Nathan heard Crystal's footsteps, he looked up from the papers and ordered her to join him at the table. Once she was seated, he introduced the man in black to her. "This is Mike," he said. "Mike is my lawyer. Say hello to Mike."
Suddenly Crystal felt like a child, which, she supposed, she was, at least as far as these men were concerned. Her cheeks turned pink, and she looked at her shoes. "Hello, Mike," she said shyly. "My name is Crystal Smith..."
Mike reached his hand out politely towards Crystal. Crystal hesitated for a moment, and then, as she brought her hand up, Nathan brushed it away. "No time for that," he said impatiently. "You and Mike have some details to finalize."
"What documents?" Crystal asked skeptically.
"Here," Mike said as he pushed some papers in front of Crystal. "Miss Smith, this document is a real estate transfer certificate.
Mr. Davis is transferring this house to your name. The other document is a statement of Mr. Davis' renunciation of your custody. The minute you sign it, it will take effect."
As Crystal looked at the pages, a thousand thoughts crowded into her mind, and she couldn't think straight. Things were moving much faster than she had imagined they would, and everything that was happening seemed too easy. Too good to be true - a voice in her mind cried out - Be careful! It's a trap! If it was a trap, though, it was very cleverly hidden.
Mike looked at Crystal curiously. "Miss Smith, if there is no problem, please sign here and this place: on the dotted line," he said. Mike's words interrupted Crystal's thoughts and forced her hand. She took the pen, brought it to the paper, and began to sign where he had indicated. Crystal was halfway through her signature when she seemed to remember something. She stopped, looked at Nathan, and asked, "Can I add a condition to this agreement?"
Nathan raised his eyebrows and said, "You can ask for one, but I probably won't agree to it."
"You!" Crystal gasped.
Nathan: "You want that diary, don't you? Well, too bad! I am taking it with me!"
Crystal: "Why? That belonged to my mother! It should belong to me now!"
Nathan: "Unfortunately for you, she didn't leave it for you. She left it for me!"
Upon hearing these words, Crystal felt as if she had been punched in the stomach, and she began to gasp for air. Panic Attack! - her mind told her - You have a Panic Attack!
Before things could get any worse, Crystal forced herself to finish signing her name, and she pushed the papers away from herself. Mike took back the documents. He handed her another set of documents and said, "Miss Smith, this is your real estate certificate, and, from today on, Mr. Davis is no longer your guardian."
Crystal's breathing began to slow, and she thanked Mike. Now that Nathan was no longer her guardian, she could finally relax. "If there's nothing else," she said, "I would like to go and make my breakfast now."
Crystal got up without waiting for an answer, but Mike stopped her. He said, "Wait a minute, Miss Smith, there are still some procedures to be done."
Procedures? - her mind reeled now?!?!!?
Crystal turned back to the table as Mike began to lay out some other papers on the table. As he placed them where she could see them, he explained what they were: "This is the authentication certificate for the Night Lotus Vase, which is celadon and belongs to the late Yuan Dynasty and the early Ming Dynasty. This one is for the Multi-colored Peach Pattern Olive Vase, which was produced in the Kangxi period. And this is for the Banana Leaf Hollowed-out Vase from the Qianlong Qing Dynasty..."
Crystal frowned and said, "This... I'm not interested in antique collections, not to mention art that I can't afford."
Mike sighed and said, "Miss Smith, on behalf of my client, Mr. Davis, I must formally claim compensation from you."
"Compensation?" Crystal hissed. "What compensation?" Crystal looked at Mike with a dumbfounded expression on her face, and then she looked at Nathan.
Mike: "Miss Smith, please stay calm and be reasonable. You broke several items from Mr. Davis' collection last night. These are the assessments of worth and authentication certificates. The total amount of damage adds up to four hundred and eighty million dollars!"
Upon hearing this, Crystal began to panic again. Her heart began to beat rapidly, she began to gasp for breath, her head began to spin, and tears began to fall from her eyes like rain on the legal documents below her.
"What did you say?" she cried as she remembered throwing a vase against a wall. It had felt so satisfying then, but now? Not so much. "I must not have heard you right…."
Nathan looked at her, and through Cheshire's grin, he said, "You owe me four hundred and eighty million dollars. How would you like to pay for that?"
Crystal looked at Nathan in disbelief. He was: cool and calm, and she wanted to rush over and tear him into pieces.
Mike: "Considering that Ms. Smith and Mr. Davis have no guardianship relationship, I hope Miss Smith can make restitution as soon as possible."
Crystal: "I can't afford it..."
Mike: "If you can't afford it, your house will be sold. The profits will go to him, and your wages will be garnished until your debt is paid in full, plus interest. In all likelihood, your debt will not be paid off in your lifetime, and it will be passed down to your children, and perhaps to your grandchildren as well."
I have no future - Crystal realized - and I am about to be homeless, penniless, and alone. I won't even be able to pay my tuition fees...Crystal would have cried then if she weren't already crying.
"You set me up!" Crystal shouted spitefully." Nathan chuckled and said, "Did I ask you to throw those things? Was I the one that asked for the Guardianship Order to be terminated? No. You did that. You made your bed, and now you have to lie in it."
Nathan's words rang true in Crystal's ears, and she was struck dumb by them.
He masterminded this- she told herself- but he is too smart for me to see how or what to do about it!
Crystal forced herself to calm down by taking slow, deep breaths and counting backward in her heart, from - Ten to nine... Eight... Seven... And so on. Finally, she was able to look at Nathan with some semblance of control. "Nathan Davis, what do you want?" she asked.
"You are a smart enough woman," he replied. "Don't tell me that you don't know what I want: I want you!"
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