Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 172: Donating in Her Name

Chapter 172: Donating in Her Name

"Teacher, I have a small favor to ask," Damien Sterling said with utmost politeness and courtesy.

It was fortunate that this man didn’t choose to show a sour face in front of her high school teacher.

With a smile spreading across his face, the teacher responded, "Go ahead."

Damien continued, "Could you possibly give us a tour of the campus? Emma has been reminiscing about her high school days quite a bit."

Emma Hart, standing beside him, cast a puzzled look at Damien Sterling. When had she ever made such a statement?

The teacher, still smiling, agreed, "Emma is truly thoughtful. I’ll take you inside."

"Emma is also a grateful child. In her honor, we will make a donation of half a million dollars to the school," Damien announced.

Half a million? Emma Hart looked at Damien Sterling in shock.

He had agreed to such a large sum so casually.

While she felt grateful to the school, such a large donation seemed unnecessary.

Emma Hart discreetly reached out to tug at Damien Sterling’s arm. He had said the donation would be in her name; wouldn’t this mean she would be accountable for it?

As the teacher stood there, baffled, Emma Hart whispered an apology, "I’m sorry, but there’s been a misunderstanding. We meant to donate fifty—" The jump from fifty to half a million seemed excessive.

Emma Hart steeled herself, "Five thousand..." This was already her limit. And she still had no idea how much she already owed this man!

"Half a million!" Damien Sterling reiterated firmly.

Emma Hart frowned and glared at the man. If he wanted to donate, he shouldn’t do it in her name. What was the point of using her name?

It took a moment for the teacher to recover before he eagerly agreed, "Yes, yes, yes, I’ll speak to the principal right away. Come on, follow me inside..."

After hearing about the donation, Emma Hart’s high school teacher became even more excited, hurrying them through the door.

Damien Sterling walked ahead confidently, always appearing nonchalant, while Emma Hart trudged behind with her arms swinging by her sides, boringly moving forward, glaring at the man ahead in annoyance!

"Hey! This money is on you!" She hadn’t suggested this, nor had she spoken those words. Essentially, this had nothing to do with her.

Seeing Damien Sterling remain indifferent, Emma Hart quickened her pace.

The man’s strides were too long, almost making her run to keep up, "I’ll pay the five thousand!"

After all, she was making this donation out of a sense of humanitarian duty since he had used her name.

With a smile curling at the corners of his mouth, the man knew all too well that this woman was once again preoccupied with those trivial financial concerns.

Throughout their acquaintance, Damien Sterling had never once entertained the idea of asking her to repay the money he spent on her.

To him, such expenses were insignificant, merely a playful jest on his part.

As he turned around, Damien Sterling’s gaze fell upon Emma Hart, who was walking towards him with her head down, visibly upset.

Abruptly stopping, Emma Hart, without looking up, walked straight into the man’s embrace.

This was not their first encounter of this kind.

Rubbing her head, Emma Hart protested, "Can’t you consider not working out anymore?"

She had never encountered a man of such discipline—someone who, despite his hectic schedule flying between three countries in a single day, still managed to carve out time each week for physical exercise.

His physique was certainly not attained effortlessly, feeling akin to running into a wall upon impact.

"Who else will protect you if I don’t work out?" Damien Sterling looked down at Emma Hart with a teasing tone in his voice.

Each time he provoked her, Emma Hart found herself unable to meet his gaze directly.

Did she really need protection from anyone else when the most significant threat to her was the man standing before her?

"All this money, consider it yours," he declared.

What! Shocked yet unsurprisingly, Emma Hart looked at Damien Sterling. True to form, he was just as contemptible as she had anticipated. She knew it!

A part of her had hoped against hope that he wouldn’t be so heartless, but it turns out she had given him too much credit.

As they walked past the shaded paths of the campus, past the academic buildings and the library, heading towards the basketball court, Emma Hart was oblivious to the drastic changes around the campus.

Whether it was the scenery or the new structures, the only thought occupying Emma Hart’s mind was that she couldn’t possibly bear the burden of this debt.

"Were those your words?"

"Was this your idea?"

"Half a million? Do you even comprehend the value of that amount?"

Emma Hart prattled on relentlessly behind Damien Sterling until, finally losing his patience, he halted, "Emma Hart, are you quite finished yet?"

"Far from it!" she retorted.

Half a million! To Emma, even fifty thousand would not justify such a prolonged dispute.

Yet, upon reflection, even that sum was substantial for her.

Damien stared at Emma’s pouting lips, marveling at her audacity.

No woman had ever dared to be angry with him; they always sought to please him.

Was it the novelty of her anger that he found so endearing, her upset demeanor so charming to him?

It seemed he deliberately sought to provoke her just to savor this satisfaction.

Lifting her chin, Damien teased, "Since when did this little mouth of yours become so formidable?"

Emma met his gaze, her deep eyes flickering with a tender emotion.

Had he always possessed this gentle side?

Standing close to him, Emma tensed, her body trembling under the force of his imposing presence.

"What are you doing?" she whispered, acutely aware of their setting.

A schoolyard encounter like this could scandalize onlookers, a stark contrast to the strict decorum expected, where early romances were scrutinized and boys and girls were kept strictly apart in the cafeteria.

"I’m going to kiss you," he declared earnestly.

"You..." Emma, momentarily taken aback by her own cunning, looked at him with an air of innocence.

"If you kiss me, does that mean the half million is on you?" Closing her eyes and tilting her head back, she braced herself as if facing an ordeal, her eyebrows knitted tightly, eyes trembling slightly.

Damien burst into laughter, affectionately tweaking her nose. "Since when did you become such a proficient accountant?"

After a moment, Emma opened her eyes, only to find Damien, that infuriating man, had walked away.

The ground was covered with fallen leaves, and as he casually stepped on them, moving forward, his tall figure was enveloped in a black coat, highlighted against the warm glow of the autumn sun, making him a captivating sight.

"Come with me for a walk over there," he called back.

Odd, she thought, how he suddenly took an interest in her campus.