Chapter 6: Kept Man

Words : 1862 Updated : Nov 6th, 2025

"Come in." Jason stepped aside like he owned the place and walked in first. Margaret was fuming. Not only did he have no intention of leaving, but he moved with the easy confidence of someone who lived there, as if she were just a guest. She'd never noticed him being this shameless before. She almost slammed the door and stormed out, but stopped herself. This was her apartment. If anyone should leave, it was him. Still bristling, the woman followed him in. Margaret headed straight to her bedroom to see if anything had been messed with. When she saw everything was untouched, she let out a breath. At least he hadn't touched her things. Once he was back, Jason holed up in the study with a book. He hadn't had time to wander anywhere else. Otherwise, he'd have noticed how much of the place clearly belonged to a woman. After she came in, Margaret locked herself in the bedroom. Jason ignored her and continued to chew through books in the study. Margaret pressed her ear to the door and listened. She'd barged in on impulse and was starting to regret it. Being alone with him made her worry he might try something. They were as good as engaged, and she'd been in the wrong at the engagement banquet earlier. If he got angry and tried anything, she wouldn't be able to fight him off. She waited. When everything stayed quiet, she calmed down. To be fair, in the five years he'd pursued her, he'd always kept a respectful distance. He'd been decent and straightforward. That alone put him ahead of most other suitors. What she couldn't stand was his relentless hounding and her grandfather making decisions over her head. Once she'd calmed down, Margaret decided to talk. If possible, she hoped Jason would take the initiative to call off the engagement. She was even willing to offer financial compensation. The study was packed with books, shelves overflowing, and stacks piled on the floor. She stopped short at the sight. Jason was a reader? Since starting work, she had read only occasionally, mostly manuals and classics. She didn't graze on every title the way Jason apparently did. She even saw a few volumes of One Hundred Thousand Whys lying open, in the kids' edition, at that. He even read children's primers? Did he know she was coming and stage a bookish persona on purpose? It wouldn't be the first time. Plenty of her suitors liked to reinvent themselves as cultured types who devoured books, tended houseplants on weekends, doted on pets, and traveled everywhere with a camera slung over their shoulder. Many of her girlfriends swooned for that type. She didn't. She never thought a guy got bonus points for reading or lost points for liking video games. People just had different hobbies. The woman studied the books more closely. They were all new. Some still had the shrink wrap on. That convinced her even more that Jason was putting on a show for her. She didn't call him out, though. Margaret dragged a chair over, sat down, and said, "I want to talk." "Mm." Jason didn't look up, flipping pages. The temper she'd just managed to tamp down surged again. He was really overdoing the act. Who flipped a page every second or two? If you're going to perform in front of a woman, at least make it convincing. And hadn't anyone told him it was rude to keep reading while someone was talking to you? She swallowed her anger and kept her tone steady. "We're not a good match. I hope you'll talk to my grandfather and call off the engagement." "No." Jason's answer was clipped. His hands didn't stop moving. Margaret had expected resistance. She tried a softer approach. "I appreciate how you feel about me, and I'm sorry for hurting you at the banquet. But you can't force love. I don't like you. I'm in love with someone else. Do you understand?" "I know. So what? Worst case, you marry all of us. Where I'm from, plenty of top-tier women keep multiple partners." In the Cultivation World, might makes right. The strong eat the weak. It wasn't just male immortals who kept harems; female immortals with harems were common. That whole 'one true love for life' sounds nice, but with different levels of cultivation came different lifespans. You can't expect a partner to wait alone for a whole mortal lifetime after you die. Of course, there were a few who were devoted and single-hearted, but they were the exception. The real heavyweights Jason had seen were either unmarried and lived for the path or had married a whole crowd. Margaret stared, stunned, as if her worldview had been shattered. Had he really started spouting nonsense just to marry her? "I'm sorry. I can't accept that worldview, and I can't make myself like you," she said, her thoughts tangled. "That's on you. Figure it out." What did he mean, her problem? Liking someone wasn't something she could fix with effort. Heat rose again. For some reason, everything Jason said that day triggered her. He hadn't used to be like this. Was he needling her because she bailed on the engagement party? She silently repeated, "Don't get mad, don't get mad," until the blaze faded. "I told you, love takes two. You can't force it. I can't feel anything for you." "That's not why." "Then why?" She couldn't help pressing. Jason finally stopped. Another book finished. He looked at her and said, completely serious, "I checked the cost of living in Anville. A single guy needs about $3000 a month to cover the basics. That's just scraping by. Forget about a house or a car. Average pay in Anville is around $4000 a month." Margaret had no idea why he was telling her this. Jason went on, "The Santee family's net worth is about six hundred million dollars. If I work a normal job, even if I make ten thousand a month, I'd need five thousand years to save up that kind of wealth. If I marry into the Santee family, I won't say filthy rich, but at least I'd never worry about rent or groceries. A house and a car wouldn't be a problem. So, Ms. Santee, you're a clever woman. What do you think I should choose?" Her worldview lurched again. She'd never seen anyone be this shameless with such unblushing candor, wearing the label of kept man like a badge. Did he have no pride? Had the deep affection he used to show been an act to fool her grandfather and get himself into the Santee family? If it were about money, maybe things would be simpler. "If you agree to break the engagement, I can compensate you." Her voice had gone cool. Her opinion of Jason had plunged to zero. The flicker of guilt she'd felt earlier was gone. Jason picked up another book. "Ms. Santee, I know the difference between a one-time feast and a steady meal ticket."

Chapter 6: Kept Man

Comments (0)