Chapter 471: Stay

Brandon Jacobs was tireless all night long.

He had held back for so long, endured for so long. Now that the day had finally come, he wanted to pour all his pent-up longing into his actions, to prove it all to Elsa.

So, by the time he woke up the next day, it was already afternoon.

The spot beside him was empty, and the sheets were cold.

‘Don’t tell me last night was all a dream?’

Alarmed, Brandon Jacobs quickly threw back the covers.

There was no one hiding under the covers, but a startling splash of red stained the sheet.

‘What? This is…’

Memories of Donna Thorne slowly surfaced. His brow furrowed as he quickly dressed and got out of bed.

He pulled open the door and, to his surprise, was greeted by the aroma of instant noodles.

He walked toward the kitchen. Inside, he saw the familiar long dress that belonged to Elsa, the jet-black hair—it was all real. Her tall, slender figure stood with her back to him, cooking noodles at the stove.

Brandon Jacobs was ecstatic. “Elsa, it’s really you! You’re back!”

Donna Thorne really didn’t want to turn around, didn’t want to shatter his wonderful fantasy. But the sun was up, and she couldn’t hide the truth forever.

After dividing the noodles into two bowls, she finally turned around slowly.

“Mr. Jacobs, are you hungry? I saw a few packs of instant noodles in the fridge that weren’t expired, so I cooked them. You should eat something.”

As expected, Brandon Jacobs’s expression instantly soured.

“You… How… I… So last night…”

Donna Thorne pretended to be busy, picking at the noodles in her bowl and avoiding his gaze.

“You kept calling out Elsa’s name last night. Is she your ex-girlfriend? I look a lot like her, right?”

“I’m truly honored to resemble this person from your past. If I was able to make you happy for a little while last night, then consider it my way of repaying you for your help.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t cling to you. Let’s just pretend last night never happened. You should eat first. After you’re full, I’ll have to trouble you to give me a ride.”

“Can I wear this dress for now? My own was torn… I’ll mail it back to you once I’m back in Seacliff.”

She had said so much all at once, and Brandon Jacobs was still struggling to process his own storm of emotions.

After a long moment, he regained his usual composure and looked at her.

“You’re going back to Seacliff?”

Donna Thorne nodded. “I’ve accepted my fate. It seems like no matter where I go, the result is the same. Maybe my mom was right, my life is just… I don’t want to struggle anymore. I should just go back. Please move, I need to carry the bowls out.”

The bowls were a little too full of soup and quite hot, so Brandon Jacobs stepped aside.

Donna Thorne used a towel to protect her hands from the bowl. Just as she started to walk out, her ankle gave way, and she nearly spilled the scalding soup on herself.

Brandon Jacobs rushed forward and caught the bowl.

“Careful. What’s wrong with your leg? Did you get hurt last night?”

He was referring to when she jumped in the river, but Donna Thorne’s face instantly turned as red as a tomato.

Then he realized what she was thinking.

He took the bowl from her, placed it back on the stove, and looked at her with a very serious expression.

“Was that your first time?”

Donna Thorne knew how ridiculous it must sound.

Her reputation in Seacliff wasn’t just bad—it was rotten. No one would believe she’d never even had a boyfriend before.

But that was the truth.

Brandon Jacobs was handsome, capable, and treated her with respect. She had no regrets about giving her first time to a man she thought was a good person.

Donna Thorne had no intention of using this fact to get something from him, so she didn’t answer.

“Let’s just eat, Mr. Jacobs. My phone is broken, so I can’t check the time, but it looks like it’s already afternoon. If we delay any longer, I won’t be able to leave today.”

As she spoke, she reached for the bowls again, but Brandon Jacobs pressed his hand over hers, stopping her.

“Do you have any ID? Any money? How do you plan on getting back?”

His questions left Donna Thorne speechless.

She had no ID and no money.

But she believed that when a woman stopped caring about anything and was willing to do whatever it took, she could always earn money.

She had reached that point.

“I always thought you were a man of few words, Mr. Jacobs. Why today are you… I’m really hungry.”

This time, Brandon Jacobs didn’t stop her. Instead, he beat her to it, picking up the bowls himself.

“Leave them. I’ll do it.”

Donna Thorne walked awkwardly to the sofa, and the two of them sat facing each other to eat.

A few minutes later, Donna Thorne finished her soup and gently set the bowl down.

“Can we go now?”

Brandon Jacobs copied her, drinking the rest of his soup before pushing a business card in front of her.

“You won’t need an ID. I’ll take you to buy a new phone later. Tomorrow, call this number and go find him. He’ll arrange a job for you. You’ll continue to live here, and I’ll have someone pick you up after work.”

Donna Thorne was stunned.

‘What is he doing? Is he asking me to stay?’

‘He’s offering a job, a place to live, and even arranging for someone to pick me up…’

Donna Thorne’s beautiful eyes widened as a million thoughts raced through her mind.

But she knew some of it was just fantasy, things she shouldn’t dare to think about.

“Mr. Jacobs, are you… are you trying to ‘keep’ me?”

Brandon Jacobs hadn’t expected to hear that kind of word from her.

‘It’s just an ordinary job and a place to live that couldn’t be more out of the way. And that makes her think she’s being ‘kept’? Is she that easily satisfied?’

Truthfully, Brandon Jacobs didn’t know what he wanted to do with her either.

Let her go? He couldn’t bring himself to do it.

She looked so much like Elsa, and he loved looking at that face. Seeing her, no matter the circumstances, always made him feel a little more grounded and at peace.

But if he didn’t let her go, if he made her stay here, what then? What would he do with her?

Brandon Jacobs didn’t know what to do. He could only take it one step at a time.

“To be honest, you know you look a lot like someone from my past whom I can never see again. So… seeing you is comforting, but that’s all it is.”

“Last night was an accident. I’ll take you to buy the morning-after pill later. It won’t happen again. You can take this job if you want. If you don’t, and you insist on going back to Seacliff, I can give you some money as compensation…”

Willing? Donna Thorne was more than willing.

This offer might have been nothing to Brandon Jacobs, but to her, it was a dream come true.

‘To find a decent job far away from that awful family, to have a place to live, and to be able to see the man she liked—wasn’t this her ultimate goal?’

“I don’t want the money. I’ll stay.”

Donna Thorne hurriedly cut him off.

Since she was willing to stay and would start work tomorrow, he needed to take her out to buy food, clothes, and other necessities.

She didn’t have a car and couldn’t get around easily on her own, so Brandon Jacobs had to go with her.

Brandon Jacobs told her to get ready. While she was busy, he sighed and called Faye Fisher.

Unsurprisingly, Faye Fisher didn’t answer.

‘If I were her, I’d be angry too,’ he thought. ‘It’s understandable.’

Brandon Jacobs was wondering what kind of gift he could buy to apologize to Faye Fisher when, to his surprise, she called back.

“Did you get things sorted out?”

Faye Fisher’s voice sounded perfectly normal, as if nothing was wrong.