The Supreme Soldier in the City
Chapter 204: 1,000,000 in Hand

Chapter 204: Chapter 204: 1,000,000 in Hand

Half an hour later, Helen Wilson’s family of three along with James Brown, their potential Son-in-Law, were all seated on the sofa. Helen Wilson was snuggling next to James Brown, her arms wrapped around his, her face still bearing the tear stains, sobbing from feeling wronged.

Helen Wilson’s parents looked quite displeased. Their daughter cohabiting with a man before marriage was one thing -- after all, many young people do this nowadays -- but they hadn’t expected that she would end up pregnant, leading to a shotgun wedding. This was somewhat unacceptable for the slightly old-fashioned parents.

However, after half an hour of venting, Helen Wilson’s parents had calmed down, with Helen’s mother sighing and saying, "Well, since it’s come to this, we won’t scold you two anymore."

Helen instantly exclaimed with joy, "Mom, you really agree?"

Helen’s mother replied somewhat grumpily, "What else can I do if I don’t agree? You even have a child now. If I don’t agree, would that mean my grandchild will be born without a father?"

Helen immediately jumped up and sat next to her mother, startling her so much that she quickly held Helen down and urgently said, "Be careful, be careful, you just got pregnant, it’s not very stable yet. You shouldn’t be reckless at this time, it could easily lead to a miscarriage."

Helen stuck out her tongue, saying, "I’ll be careful."

"You see, you’re about to be a mom, yet you are still acting like a child. How are you going to take care of a child in the future?"

James Brown quickly responded, "Uncle, Auntie, don’t worry, I will definitely take good care of Joanne and the child."

Helen’s mother immediately said, "You two handling a child? Once the baby is born, we will help you take care of them. This way it won’t affect your work. We, the old couple, are quite free now at work. We can just take a longer holiday to specifically care for my grandchild."

Helen sneakily winked at James Brown, then added, "Mom, then we’ll go register our marriage."

"Registration is necessary, but shouldn’t you also consider having a wedding?" Helen’s father said.

James immediately responded, "Definitely, I must give Joanne and you both a proper explanation. The wedding will be grand. I wouldn’t let you lose face."

Helen’s father shook his head, "Being extravagant is not good either. I say have a wedding to let family and friends see it; a simple one would do. You don’t have parents, these responsibilities will have to be ours to bear more. Don’t worry about it, your mom and I can handle the wedding."

Helen was startled, letting her parents handle it would definitely become widely known across the city quickly, which might be difficult to manage later, she hurriedly said, "Dad, Mom, James and I have already discussed, we’ll get married after three months."

"What? In three months? By then you’ll be visibly pregnant, what would that look like?" Helen’s mother exclaimed.

Helen said stubbornly, "There’s nothing I can do. You see I just got promoted to Deputy Director, I can’t just leave my job. Plus, dad, you know I’m now an important public image ambassador in YODC City’s police circle. Getting married and taking leave without achieving anything yet wouldn’t be good. Also, James, his company is at a critical period too, He can’t just take leave now. We both are at crucial stages of our career development; we really can’t get married right now."

Helen’s parents being proud that their daughter was a public image ambassador for the police in YODC City agreed though her mother reluctantly consented, understanding that both of their futures were very important.

Despite being eager for the one million dollars, Helen didn’t bring it up at this time but instead pretended to discuss her hopeful future with James Brown with her parents, which gradually improved their mood. Having only one daughter, as she grew up, feelings of loneliness for the two were becoming pronounced, and soon they would be grandparents with a grandchild to look after, which they were quite looking forward to.

At noon, James Brown eagerly took to the kitchen and prepared a lavish lunch, which greatly impressed Helen’s parents. It’s rare to find men who can cook nowadays, especially as deliciously as James did; having their daughter with someone like James at least promised good meals, and being pregnant wouldn’t worry them about nutrition.

After lunch, Helen’s parents retired to their room for a while. Helen and James looked at each other, and Helen flashed a smug grin because she knew her parents were likely discussing the matter of giving them money.

Soon after, Helen’s parents came back out, Helen’s mother spoke, "Little Lee, the old man and I discussed it, you shouldn’t take a loan to pay for a house. Both of you would be too exhausted. We’ve decided to give you the money we’d saved up for Little Rachel, and you can use it to buy a nice apartment. From there on, the money you earn should be enough for you to live."

James hurriedly replied, "Uncle, Auntie, that’s too much — as a man, striving for my wife and child is only natural. I believe with my efforts, I won’t let Joanne suffer."

Helen’s mother said, "Don’t worry too much; we’ve thought it over. Currently, you’re alone, and you don’t have parents. As we age, we’ll need to rely on you and Rachel, so we’ll treat you like our own son in the future; hence, it’s better for us to pay for the house."

"Uncle, Auntie... I..." James was choked with emotion.

However, Helen’s father sternly spoke, "But I have to say something unpleasant in advance. We’ll buy the house for you, but the property must be registered under Little Rachel’s name. After all, this is the entirety of our life savings. If you two live well, the house is yours for a lifetime, but if not, we need some insurance. I hope you understand."

James nodded vigorously, saying, "That’s absolutely necessary. Even if you didn’t mention it, I would have done the same. If it were in my name, I would feel uncomfortable, as if I were living off someone else."

Helen rolled her eyes at James, saying, "You still have quite the male ego."

James replied with an awkward smile, "It’s not about being chauvinistic, but as a man, I have to stick to some principles, have some self-respect; without self-respect, I would lose the motivation to strive."

"Alright, alright, you make a good point. Let’s see if you dare to bully me in the future. If you bully me, I’ll kick you out." Helen wore a face of triumph.

Helen Wilson’s mother spat lightly at her daughter and scolded with a laugh, "You silly girl, always talking nonsense." But her face was filled with affection.

Helen hugged her mother’s arm, grinning, "Then just take the money, Mom. When I go back this time, I’ll finalize the house."

"Hmph, as if we’d refuse to give it to you," Helen’s mother glared at her daughter.

"It’s not about refusing, it’s about getting the money sooner to buy it sooner. I have to handle renovations and all, which can be very troublesome. You said yourself, we’re getting married in three months. How would it look if we didn’t even have a new house by then?"

"Here, take this!" Helen’s mother slapped a bankbook into her daughter’s hand.

"Thanks, Mom!" Helen embraced her mother’s neck and gave her a big kiss.

Helen’s father hummed, and Helen immediately kissed him too, cheerily saying, "Dad, you’re the best too, I won’t forget you."

Helen’s father coughed and said to James Brown, "Little Lee, I hope you two can live well and not let us down."

"I definitely will," James promptly replied.

Once Helen secured one million dollars, she couldn’t sit still at home any longer. She made up an excuse and left with James, which left her parents somewhat speechless. It really is true that daughters won’t stay once grown; the moment the money was in hand, she ran off with her husband, not even considering her elderly parents.

Sitting in the car, Helen held the one million dollar bankbook, feeling incredibly happy, humming a tune, and occasionally bringing the bankbook to her lips for a kiss.

James laughed, "You’re totally acting like a money-crazy person."

Helen giggled, "I never cared too much about money before, but this time, I really wanted to get it. I’m so excited I feel like singing."

"Then sing, I’ll take the risk and listen."

"Get lost!" Helen glared at James.

"I’m dizzy, I just helped you out, and you’re treating me like this? That’s really not nice."

Helen chuckled, "That’s what you get for talking nonsense. Come on, let’s find a bank quickly and transfer this money to another bankbook, just in case my parents change their minds or report it lost, and then all my efforts would be wasted."

James shook his head, "I believe uncle and aunt wouldn’t do that."

"Not for now, but if we don’t get married... it’s really possible. No way, we have to register tomorrow, only then can we assure them."

"What? We got the money, and we still have to get married?" James’s eyes widened.

"Of course, we already said we’re going to get the license tomorrow, they’ll definitely ask. If we don’t let them see the certificate, they may just come over in a couple of days. You know, my dad is really shrewd. He was only quiet today because I said I was pregnant, but who knows, he might figure things out after a night’s sleep."

James was speechless, "No way?"

"Definitely!" Helen nodded firmly. "If I don’t show them the certificate, they’ll definitely come over in two days. Right, right, we also need to find a house as a decoy, or else when they come to see our new house, we’ll have no explanation."

"You’re really clever, being a police officer, wouldn’t it be easy to get a couple of fake marriage certificates? This world is full of fakes, a couple of hundred bucks and you could have two."

"Do you know what my dad does? He’s a police officer. If he wants to check my information, it’s not a game. Whether we’re married or not, can that be hidden from him?"

"Dizzy, so you mean we really have to register?"

"Exactly!" Helen answered very affirmatively.

James was immensely frustrated. He thought getting the one million dollars without a certificate would let him off the hook, but it turns out they still needed to get married. He thought for a moment, "Wait, getting the certificate isn’t urgent, we can still make up an excuse, like I suddenly have to go on a business trip for ten days or half a month. After all, at your place, I already mentioned I’m very busy with work. I think they’d understand that."

This excuse was indeed not bad. Helen thought about it and then agreed. Maybe this half-month would allow her to gather enough evidence with James to crack this big smuggling case. By then, even if her parents found out, it wouldn’t matter anymore.