?Chapter 522:


    Jeff beamed, his baby teeth on full disy. “I’m willing to do anything it takes just to move in.” He puffed out his chest. “And my family? Don’t worry about them. I walked out right in front of my grandpa, and he didn’t say a word. That means I’m free.”


    Trying to shut down any uing eviction notice, he quickly added, “I’m not leaving. If you try to kick me out, I’ll sleep at the gate every night until you give in!”


    Elliana gave him a long, cold stare. “Fine. Stay. But let’s get one thing straight—I have zero interest in raising a child groom.”


    Jeff shrugged, undeterred. As long as he could stay, he was golden. With Jeff’s ridiculous deration settled, Elliana shifted her attention to Lance. “He’s a kid. I can forgive the nonsense. What’s your excuse? You’re a grown man.”


    “I’m your protégé!” Lance said proudly, as if it were a divine truth.


    “Living with my mentor will totally boost my learning curve!”


    Elliana snorted. “Since when did I take you in?”


    Lance’s face crumpled. “Hey, you did! You said so the other day—you epted me, and you even let me treat you to dinner at Ublento Hotel! You can’t just take it back after my treat!”


    Elliana shot back mercilessly, “I didn’t even get to take a bite. You passed out face-first into your soup before I could lift a fork. You didn’t show a speck of genuine dedication. Honestly, let’s just pretend that whole ‘mentor-protégé’ conversation never happened.”


    Lance turned scarlet, humiliated. He still couldn’t exin what had gone wrong. He hadn’t been tired—he’d been wide awake, alert, and excited for the meal. But the moment they sat down, a wave of sleep hit him like a tranquilizer dart, and he cked out right there at the table. By the time he came to, Elliana was long gone. After a heavy pause, Lance muttered, “I can still fix this.”


    Elliana shot Lance an amused look, one brow arched. “So, what’s your grand n for fixing this?”


    “I can pay for learning from you,” Lance said, dead serious.


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    Elliana’s smile curled into something far more intrigued. “Oh? And how much were you thinking?”


    “How much do you want?”


    Elliana leaned back, eyes gleaming. “How much do you have?” She hadn’t forgotten. That day in the Evans Group’s AI R&D Department, Lance had puffed out his chest and dered he’d give up his entire fortune if it meant training under River. Now, she was giving him the chance to make good on that promise.


    Without a flicker of doubt, Lance pulled out his phone, opened his banking app, and showed her the screen.


    Elliana didn’t even blink. She took the phone from his hand, studied the bnce—$260 million—and, without an ounce of hesitation, began tapping away. After a few swipes, she handed the device back to him. “Enter your password.”


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