The Billionaire Who Saved Me - Chapter 69: Chapter 69

"I get that Richard uses Joey like a pawn, but Helen's her own mom. Helen wouldn't use her," I said.
"Right, she wouldn't. You just haven't been burned yet," Mason said, then went to the bathroom to shower, and didn't say another word to me.
I thought back to how mad Joey had been when she first showed up.
I had to give it to him. He was right again.
The next morning, after breakfast, I asked Helen if I could go out. "Helen, a friend wants to meet me to talk about something. Can I step out for a bit?"
"Oh, honey, you don't need to ask me to go out. Go on, then." Helen was really easy about it. As she turned away, I caught a little smile on her lips.
I knew what that meant, but I acted happy and headed out.
I didn't take a driver or a bodyguard. Mason said Joey alone would be enough. With her there in front, Elena wouldn't dare do anything to me.
Joey could really hold her own, and I trusted her to handle it.
When I drove to the neighborhood gate, Joey was already waiting, looking annoyed. She got in the car and said, "What took you so long? I've been waiting for ages."
"Sorry, I had to ask Helen if I could go," I said.
"Uh-huh," Joey said.
When we got to the hotel, I could see Elena standing at the entrance, looking around.
"You two women meeting at a hotel? Isn't that weird?" Joey said, in her usual way. I was used to it by now.
I teased her, "I figured I'd bring you along as a witness. That way, there's no mix-up."
Luckily, Joey didn't flip out. By the time we finished talking, the car was at the entrance. I got out, tossed the keys to the security guard, and stood in front of Elena. "Why are you standing out here?"
Elena's big smile vanished the second she saw Joey behind me.
Clearly, she hadn't expected us to show up together. I'd said plenty of bad stuff about Joey to Elena before, and now here Joey and I were, acting like close friends. It must have thrown Elena.
"Kate, y-you brought her?" Elena asked.
"You said you wanted to explain the wedding dress thing, right? Joey's the other person involved. Why not get it all straight with both of us here?" I said.
"When did you two get so close?" A little flash of jealousy crossed Elena's eyes, but it was gone in a second.
We started chatting right there at the entrance, and finally, we used up what little patience Joey had. "Elena, if you've got something to say, say it. If you've got... whatever, just get it over with."
"This isn't the place to talk. Let's go inside. I booked a room," Elena said.
Before I could even react, Joey shouted, "What's wrong with you? Booking a hotel room in broad daylight? Aren't you..."
As she spoke, Joey pulled me back two steps, watching Elena warily. "Don't you ruin Katherine's reputation. Otherwise, I'll never let you get away with it."
Joey fired off those words in one go and then said to the security guard, "Bring the car back. We're not going in."
Elena was so angry that her face turned livid. Joey had let all those words out in a rush, slapping a big label on Elena. Even the security guard next to us was looking at Elena funny now.
"Kate, I thought you hated her the most," Elena said. "You even said she was unreasonable, impossible to deal with. When did you two get this close?"
That was a smart thing to say. It sounded like she was accusing me, but really, she was spilling all the things I'd told her when I trusted her.
"You've been talking trash about me behind my back?" Joey pointed at my nose, and sure enough, she blew up.
"Why talk trash behind your back when I do it to your face all the time?" I had no choice but to stand up to Joey. If I let her get the upper hand, I was done.
"Fair enough," Joey said. Then she turned to Elena. "Elena, you're so shameless. Katherine trusted you, and you betrayed her? You're such a lowlife."
By then the car was back. Joey pulled me into it, got in the driver's seat, stepped on the gas, and drove off.
At that moment, I really admired Mason. No wonder he told me to bring Joey. She was so effective.
She didn't play by any rules and just did whatever she wanted with no plan. But it left Elena with no way to fight back. It really was like a wild, unorthodox fight taking down a seasoned pro.
But once that first rush of excitement faded, I felt sad for myself. Elena had been my only best friend since we were kids, and now we'd fallen out.
I regretted it now. I shouldn't have hired Elena to work with me. If we'd never stayed in touch, I could've kept some nice memories in my heart. But now there was nothing left.
Noticing I was in a low mood, Joey got annoyed. "Who are you scowling at like that?"
My first instinct was to snap back, but she'd just helped me out. That would've been unfair like kicking someone after they'd done you a favor.
"Joey, let's go shopping," I said. "I'll get you a gift."
"Really? Can I pick anything I want?" Joey's eyes lit up right away.
"Yep, anything you want."
"Alright, let's go."
Joey was like a force of nature. When she was in a good mood, she was as warm as a spring breeze. Just looking at her made the world feel nice.
When she was in a bad mood, she was like a typhoon, totally destructive.
And it switched in a second, all depending on her mood.
Joey got 15 thousand dollars a month for pocket money, which was nowhere near enough for her spending. Delilah refused to give her more.
Helen slipped her a little extra on the side, but she was scared Delilah would find out if she gave too much. So Joey was always short on cash.
My offer put Joey in a great mood. Beaming with excitement, she eagerly took me to YoreMall, the fanciest mall in the city.
I regretted it as soon as we walked in. Even though the prices weren't as crazy as custom-made clothes, the tags still made my stomach hurt.
I followed her, nervous as anything. This money-wasting girl hadn't even glanced at me since we got in. Her eyes were glued to all the clothes, jewelry and bags like she couldn't tear them away.
First, Joey picked out a set of Chanel cosmetics on the first floor, costing me over ten thousand dollars.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief. Okay, I could handle that price.
But clearly, I'd celebrated too soon. After buying that one thing, I thought we could head back. But Joey was just getting into it. No way she'd leave.
Then she spotted a Swarovski necklace, told the salesperson straight, "Wrap it up," and turned to me with a big smile. "Thank you, Katherine."
Once she'd thanked me the first time, there came a second, a third...
Anyway, by the time we left the mall, Joey was loaded down with shopping bags, and I was fuming.
Joey had gone way too far. That little spree cost me nearly 300 thousand dollars. My entire savings. It was so unfair.
Thank goodness I hadn't brought a credit card. Otherwise, she'd have maxed it out, and I'd have been broke and felt like jumping off a building.
The truth was, I never wanted to spend this much. But after a while, I just couldn't stop Joey. Later, she even snatched my card and swiped it herself. What could I say?
I'd already spent all that money. If I'd lost my temper right then, it would've been for nothing. And I still wouldn't have gotten any thanks.
Joey walked a few steps ahead, all excited, then turned back and looped her arm through mine. "Katherine, let's not go home for lunch. I'll treat you."
I believed she meant it, but I didn't believe she had the money. With her spending habits, her pockets were probably cleaner than her face.