Chapter 112: Trying to Buy Him Off With Money!

Ethan stared at the staff member, his expression slowly changing as the meaning of those two words sank in.

His fingers tightened around the edge of the desk.

"...What did you just say?"

"I said Steve Ashford," the staff member repeated, looking slightly confused by Ethan’s reaction. "That’s the name registered to the account that transferred the money."

Steve Ashford?

Ethan’s mind went blank for a moment.

Wasn’t that his father?

Why the hell would Steve send such a huge amount of money to him after making it perfectly clear during their last encounter that he wanted nothing to do with Ethan unless Ethan could somehow benefit their family?

Ethan stared at the transaction record in disbelief.

His first and last encounter with his supposed family immediately resurfaced in his mind.

They had wanted to force him into a marriage.

That was the reason they had suddenly shown interest in him in the first place, and Ethan had made his position perfectly clear.

So what was this?

Was this their brilliant way of trying to buy him over?

A huge sum of money suddenly appearing in his account so that he would feel indebted to them?

Ethan almost laughed.

Did he really look that cheap?

First Drey.

Now his family.

And apparently, whoever his supposed future spouse was.

"Hah!"

Ethan couldn’t help scoffing.

Was everyone suddenly determined to throw money at him and expect him to obediently accept whatever they wanted in return?

Absolutely ridiculous.

He turned back to the staff member.

"Is there a way to refund the payment back to the sender?"

The staff member looked at him in surprise.

"Refund it?"

"Yes." Ethan’s expression was firm. "As far as I know, my family has already cut ties with me, and I’m perfectly fine with that. I don’t want anything to do with them either. I don’t know why they sent me this money, and I can’t accept it. Is there a way to send it back?"

The staff member shook her head.

"I’m afraid you can’t make a transfer from a student account."

Ethan frowned.

"What?"

"There are certain restrictions placed on student accounts. Students cannot independently operate their accounts for transfers or withdrawals. The account can only be used for purchases within the academy and its affiliated branches."

She gestured toward the records.

"You can receive money into the account, and you can spend the money within the academy, but you cannot transfer the funds to another account yourself."

Ethan’s expression darkened.

"Then how do I return it?"

"The only option is for the sender to request a withdrawal of the money they transferred."

Ethan’s face immediately fell.

So they had known.

His parents must have known about the restrictions on student accounts.

That was why they had sent the money directly to him.

They had deliberately placed it somewhere he couldn’t simply return.

Ethan slowly nodded, though his irritation only continued to grow.

"Then please make a note that the money doesn’t belong to me. I don’t want it used for anything."

The staff member nodded.

"That is fine. However, there’s something you should know."

"What?"

"If the sender manages to withdraw the money before the academy makes any charges against your account, then the money can be taken back without a problem. But once even a portion of the money is used or deducted, the entire amount can no longer be withdrawn or returned to the sender through the account."

Ethan’s eyes widened.

"Why would the academy make any charges against me?"

He stared at the staff member as though she had just said something absurd.

"I’m a scholarship student."

"Yes, but your account now contains a very large amount of money."

Ethan’s expression slowly changed.

The staff member continued explaining.

"When the next tuition fee, academy fee, practical fee, or any other applicable academy charge becomes due, the required amount may be deducted directly from your student account if your balance is sufficient."

Ethan’s eyes widened further.

"Wait. Why would they deduct anything from me? Didn’t I just say I’m a scholarship student?"

"You are," the staff member replied calmly. "But with this amount of money sitting in your account, the academy may soon determine that you’re financially capable of paying your own fees. If that happens, your scholarship could potentially be revoked."

Ethan stared at her.

For several seconds, he couldn’t even speak.

Then he felt like pulling his hair out.

Just look at the problem his parents had created for him!

He couldn’t afford to lose his scholarship.

Not now.

He didn’t have enough money to continuously pay his academy fees himself, at least not yet, and he certainly couldn’t afford to have his scholarship revoked over money that wasn’t even his.

Money he had already decided he was going to return.

His jaw tightened.

He was going to have a one-on-one talk with those fucking parents of his.

"Alright," Ethan finally said through gritted teeth. "I understand."

He thanked the staff member before turning around and leaving the accounting department.

By the time Ethan returned to his room, his mind was still filled with anger.

The moment he stepped inside, he reached for his phone.

There was something he had never thought he would do anytime soon.

He searched through his contacts for Steve’s number.

His father’s number.

Ethan stared at it for a moment.

Then, without giving himself time to reconsider, he pressed the call button.

The phone rang.

Once.

Twice.

The call connected.

"Ethan?"

His father’s voice came through the phone, and before Ethan could even say anything, Steve’s tone suddenly became loud and irritated.

"So you finally thought to call us now? Did you only remember that you have parents after receiving the money? You couldn’t even call the moment you saw it and say thank you?"

Ethan immediately snorted.

"Who told you I wanted to thank you?"

There was a brief silence.

"If anything, I want you to withdraw the money you sent to me. Now."

"What?"

Steve’s voice rose instantly.

"You ungrateful, unfilial—"

"Didn’t you already know that from our last encounter?" Ethan interrupted coldly. "So why did you proceed to send money to an ungrateful son?"

Steve cursed under his breath.

"If not for my spouse, who specifically requested that the money be given directly to you, you wouldn’t have seen even a penny from us!"

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

His suspicion immediately turned into certainty.

So it really did have something to do with the arranged marriage.

He tightened his grip around his phone.

"I don’t care who requested it. I’m not accepting anything from anybody, because I’m not marrying anyone."

His voice became colder.

"And if you and Mom know what’s good for you, you should start paying back every single thing, every single penny you’ve collected from my so-called future spouse, because I am not marrying anyone."

Steve immediately began insulting him again.

Ethan simply listened for a moment before his father suddenly laughed.

It wasn’t a kind laugh.

It was the kind of laugh that made Ethan’s irritation rise even further.

"You really think you can do anything about it?" Steve said. "The money is already in your account, and I’m not withdrawing it."

Ethan’s eyes widened.

"You—"

"You can complain all you want. It doesn’t change anything."

Ethan took a slow breath, forcing himself not to explode.

"Fine."

His voice suddenly became dangerously calm.

"Then let me tell you what your decision has caused."

"What?"

"My scholarship has been revoked."

Silence.

Ethan continued.

"Because you decided to dump that money into my student account, the academy now sees me as financially capable of paying my own fees. So congratulations. Now I’ll have to pay for my academy fees myself."

Steve didn’t sound particularly concerned.

"In that case, everything is fine."

Ethan’s brows furrowed.

"What?"

"If you agree to the marriage, you won’t have to think about money ever again. Something as little as academy fees won’t even be a problem."

Ethan felt a wave of disgust wash over him.

There it was again.

The same thing.

Everything came back to the marriage.

The money wasn’t generosity.

It was another attempt to push him toward something he had already rejected.

"You really are unbelievable."

"Ethan—"

"If you’re not going to withdraw the money, then I’ll find a way to send it back to you one way or another."

Before Steve could respond, Ethan ended the call.

He stared at his phone for a moment, his chest still rising with anger.

Then his expression slowly changed.

He had said he would find a way.

And he would.

But first, he needed to know exactly how much money he could make on his own.

Ethan immediately entered his dungeon.

The familiar environment appeared around him, but he didn’t spare anything else a glance.

His eyes went straight toward the place where his money maker was growing.

Please.

Please let it have bloomed already.

He was going to prove every single one of these people wrong.