Love Rents A Room
Chapter 110: A Bold Suggestion

Chapter 110: A Bold Suggestion

Joanne’s eyebrows twitched as she tried to reason with him. "For your family’s sake, Old Man."

Philip’s eyes flashed.

"You know why I have to..." Joanne added, her voice quieter but no less firm.

A heavy silence fell between them.

Then, just like that, the anger in Philip’s face faded. Something else replaced it. Understanding and guilt.

Jeffrey looked between them, realization settling in. This wasn’t just about the money. It had never been just about the money.

And maybe... Maybe he had been a fool for ever believing it was.

After all, wasn’t that exactly what he thought of her too? That she was someone who would do anything for money?

The sharp sting of shame twisted in his chest. Had he, with his doubts, and his silence, been part of the reason she felt this way?

Philip exhaled slowly, his voice deep and resolute. "My word is final, and no one in my family has any right to criticize you."

His declaration struck Jeffrey like a blade through the heart. Philip had paid Joanne’s debt. Jeffrey had blamed him for it. It was his grandfather’s money he earned and he gave it to Joanne. No one had any right to ask him any question and yet he... He acted like a brat.

Still, Philip never wavered in his support for her. But the rest of the Winchesters...

His mother. His cousins. The sneers. The whispers.

He knew about it. They enabled him to run away against his grandfather’s wishes. They reinforced his prejudice against her. They gave him the courage to "live his truth".

How stupid was he?

Jeffrey stole a glance at Joanne. She was trying to keep her expression neutral, but the pain was there.

Something had happened. Something more than what he had seen.

Joanne’s gaze softened as she looked at Philip. She could see the hurt in his eyes. She almost told him she wouldn’t return the money. Just for his sake.

But then...

The memory of that night on the balcony crashed over her.

The laughter.

The sneers.

The mocking voices, calling her names, treating her like she was nothing.

Her pride ached, raw and exposed.

She swallowed hard and whispered, "They will... Decades later..." She hesitated, then continued, "They’ll make you roll in your grave."

Jeffrey’s head snapped up. "Jo!"

His voice was sharp with disbelief. How could she say something like that so casually to his grandfather, as if she were discussing the weather?

But the moment he looked into her eyes, the breath left his lungs.

Her eyes were red. She was sad too because she had already accepted the truth.

Her ties to the Winchester family would end with Philip.

One day, he would be gone, and when that day came, she would have no place among them.

She had accepted it. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

Jeffrey’s throat tightened.

An invisible wall separated her from the Winchesters. She hated every one of his family members, except his grandfather.

And he hated it... He hated that she hated Jeffrey Winchester.

Fear gripped his heart. The way she spoke... She would never accept him if she knew who he truly was.

And she was hurting too.

Without thinking, he reached out and rubbed slow, soothing circles on her back. Joanne turned to him, surprised, before offering him a small, tired smile.

Philip let out a long, weary sigh. But he wasn’t angry; not in the slightest.

Her words didn’t offend him—they never could.

He was old. He would end up six feet under sooner or later, probably sooner. That was reality.

And the truth was, he knew what she meant.

He had seen what happened that night. He had heard what the family whispered behind her back. He knew she had wanted to run—even before she found out Jeffrey had already left.

That was why he stopped the wedding.

Because in the end, she didn’t want the wedding anymore either. That made him reach a decision to stop the wedding.

And now...

She was right.

He wouldn’t live forever. And once he was gone, the Winchester family would never accept her.

Philip’s eyes landed on Jeffrey.

It was in his hands now.

"Fine," Philip relented. "You will pay me back. Just the twelve million—no interest, no adjustments for inflation, no—"

"But I—" Joanne started.

Philip cut her off with a firm shake of his head.

"Even my employees’ loans from my companies are interest-free," he said gruffly. "I’d rather sell my soul than take a single cent more than what you owe me."

Joanne let out a deep breath.

A weight lifted from her heart.

Finally.

Finally, she could set this right.

And yet, as Joanne sat there, looking at Philip, she couldn’t stop the tiny ache in her chest.

Because even if she returned every cent, she knew...

Some debts could never truly be repaid.

She took a slow breath and whispered, "I love you, Old Man. You should know that."

She would repeat it again and again, with no hesitation, for as long as she could. Because that was the only way she could truly repay his love and kindness.

Philip’s lips curved into a smile. He reached out, patting her head with the same warmth he had always shown her.

"I love you too, Poppet."

A lump formed in Joanne’s throat, but she swallowed it down and stood up, moving toward the kitchen to serve dinner. Jeffrey remained seated, watching as Philip and Joanne fell into easy conversation. He felt like an outsider.

There was a bond between them, one built on time, trust, and something unspoken. And he would be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous of it.

Philip’s laughter rang through the room as Joanne set a plate before him. They spoke about everything and nothing, their words flowing effortlessly. Meanwhile, Jeffrey sat there, invisible, trying to understand the connection they shared.

But then Philip’s tone shifted.

"What are your plans for expanding your company?" he asked, casually sipping whiskey from a glass Joanne had somehow managed to sneak past Sebastian.

Jeffrey didn’t protest.

One glass wouldn’t hurt. And if anyone deserved it, his grandfather did.

Joanne sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly. "I’m already struggling as it is. What expansion can I possibly make?"

She had enough on her plate—Sam’s legal notice, the logistics issues... Expansion? It felt impossible.

But Philip simply raised an eyebrow.

"This is the perfect time to expand."

Joanne blinked. "How?"

"Because someone is trying to bring you down." Philip leaned back, watching her with quiet pride. "That means you’ve reached the kind of success that makes others nervous. And that, my dear, is precisely the moment you push forward—not retreat."

Joanne bit her lip.

She was skeptical, but this was Philip Winchester. A man who had built an empire from ruins. She would be foolish not to take his words seriously.

"You really think so?" she asked hesitantly.

Philip chuckled, shaking his head. "Poppet, I know so."

Jeffrey’s gaze flickered between them.

His grandfather had already planned something. He could tell.

But what?

"You keep buying trucks," Philip mused, swirling his glass. "Why not buy a plane or two? Or a ship, maybe, for intercontinental shipping?"

Joanne’s heart skipped a beat.

She nearly dropped the serving spoon.

"Me?" she croaked. "Owning airplanes and ships?"

She could barely fathom it.

Was he serious?

But the look in Philip’s eyes told her everything.

Yes.

Yes, he was.