Refresh man

Chapter 7

Jane successfully handles the matter at the company with purchasing Arthur's $1,000,000 leftover stock of Venus to have them agree to renew their contract. But, she finds out her father has a million dollar debt.

A phone call comes from her brother of a situation happening at the eatery after Jane tells her colleagues how she managed to have the contract for Venus renewed. When Jane  arrives, she finds the place with furniture tipped upside down and her father and brother speaking to a neighbour-friend and his son of more than ten years.

 She finds out her father had used their eatery as collateral for a $1,000,000 loan from this neighbour-friend to finance the omelette eatery that, unknown to her and her brother, was struggling to thrive after her mother passed away due to her father being unable to replicate the omelette to the taste that brought in patrons.

"Are you going to repay the money for your dad?" the neighbour-friend's son asks Jane, responding to Jane's question of how much they owed. The amount has Jane motionless as she thinks about the one million dollars she took out of her bank account to stop Austin from firing her with the removal of Sales Team 3.

The neighbour-friend tells them he has been more than considerate than called for (he already agreed to give a six month extension previously). With the deed in his possession, he tells them they will have to face the facts and accept an order of seizure by the courts. Jane continues to try change this neighbour-friend's mind.

 She pleads for more time to repay the loan. But the neighbour-friend is skeptical of time being able to help them repay him. "A million dollars is no small amount. Can you gather it?" he replies. "I can do it," Jane says. "Please believe me. I can definitely gather this money." Their neighbour-friend tells his son not to bother saying any further words after his son asks what there was they could believe her words with and leaves, not wanting to waste anymore time on the matter.

Austin had been inconspicuously listening in to the situation outside the entrance. He enters after he hears Jane say to her father she will find a way to make sure the eatery remains with them after she expressed how terrible she is for not having any money to help the family out. When Austin enters, he acts like he hasn't heard anything. He simply goes in wondering what Jane was doing at here at work hours and asks her to head back to the office with him. To further appear like he is someone who just entered into and sees a room with furniture turned over, he asks Jane's father if everything was okay.

 Jane's father nods. Austin taps Jane's brother and tells him to help clean up the place before Austin leaves. Jane  follows Austin out after she tells her father to not worry and say again she will find a way.

Austin and Jane don't head back to the office. Austin takes Jane to his friend's father's shaved ice shop. The conversation between them continues on the topic that filled the silence on the drive to the shaved ice shop: Austin talks about how he didn't expect her to be able to get the renewal of the contract done so fast. And because of her winning him on this, he's treating her shaved ice. Jane is silent. She doesn't make a move to eat the shaved ice. Only after Austin asks for her to have some and why she wasn't eating that she begins to eat—grumpily. She mixes the shaved ice with the toppings in a rough manner and stuffs a spoonful into her mouth. Tears stream down Jane's cheeks. She wipes them as she eats. Austin looks on with a concerned look; but, he lets her be.

After a message comes into Austin's phone from Lily, revealing to Austin the purchaser of the million dollar worth of soap is Jane (he reads an article reporting on Tianxi Group having donated a million dollars worth of beautifying soap to an orphanage); and after Austin asks Jane whether she was going to protect Sales Team 3 forever, Jane expresses incompetence: "I'm not that mighty! I'm not even able to help my family." She then sees herself a loser in life.

 It's with this outburst from Jane that finally Austin attempts to get Jane to speak to him about the matter of the $1,000,000 debt her father owes that he overheard. However, Austin only gets told it wasn't any of his business; and he gets told to give her some space and peace. Austin  does: he leaves some cash on the table to pay for the shaved ice and allows her the rest of the day off.

Austin  helps Jane's father pay the $1,000,000 debt. Jane becomes  Austin's housemaid to pay off the debt.

After Jane's father gets off the phone, he informs Jane and her brother their debt has been paid and it has been paid off by Austin. Jane is surprised. While her brother celebrates, Jane feels the matter appearing to be resolved so simply isn't so. "You are very intelligent," Austin says suddenly appearing before them, answering Jane's cautious response to the news.

Austin and Jane take a walk outside. A hesitant and uncertain expression is apparent on Jane's face as she follows behind Austin who walks with a bounce in his step. It seems it was Jane wanting to express her thanks to Austin, but uncertainty stopped it from coming out straightforwardly— "No matter what your motive is, thank you for helping my family pay back the debt," she comes out with finally. Austin returns a smart response. "You don't even know what my motive is. Why are you thanking me so soon? Aren't you afraid you'll regret it?" He takes a seat and swings on the swing set in the playground before them.

 Jane speeds her steps up to ask Austin how he wants her to repay him. "Who says I want you to pay it back?" he replies. He explains to Jane that he had bought it for the spa resort he is thinking of developing in the future. He pulls out a drawing and demonstrates what it'll house. Jane is horrified by the thought of their family business becoming a spa resort—one she says Austin ate at regularly when he was younger and should have some sort of attachment towards. She pleads Austin to give her three months to gather the money. Austin doesn't believe her capabilities. The way she handled Venus is his reason for not believing her words. However, Jane's persistence has  Austin agree to give her some time to think of a way when her desperate pleas become too noisy for him. He then walks away and leaves with a corner of his lips curling upwards.

A few days pass and Jane still hasn't been able to come up with a way to pay Austin back for the debt he paid off for her family. She only appears at Austin's door, pleading for more time with a threat to continue to ring his doorbell every hour if he doesn't allow it. In his laggardly state, Austin agrees. He then walks back into his house. Jane  invites herself in and becomes a bother to Austin: she sits with her attention on him when he tries to read a book at the sofa; and she follows him to the kitchen counter and stands watching him pour coffee into his cup.

"I will definitely, definitely, definitely pay back the money to you. I guarantee you with my honour," Jane says when Austin turns to her with annoyance. Austin  finds the words ridiculous. They sound as if she was trying to gain his friendship. What he needs is a loan repayment note. Jane immediately goes reaching for paper and pen to write one out—one that states she will pay him $2,000 per month. However, Austin feels the amount is an embarrassment. Ultimately, Austin agrees on Jane paying him back through Jane  being his housemaid. He agrees to write off the million dollars with cleaning chores and demands around the house—each task she does well she receives pieces of puzzles to indicate it being written off.

Austin's vision for Sales Team 3 is a step closer to being realised. Mary becomes active in work. She assists Jane in re-establishing the Venus brand after she finds out Jane used her own money to renew the contract with Arthur Christilo. She also backs Jane up when her Sales Team 3 colleagues attempt to have Jane take charge of the  project that they all don't want to be selected to be in charge of.