C230 Joint Account

Natalie looked at Ben curiously. "What kind of plan?" Ben leaned forward, unable to hide the excitement in his eyes. "I've decided." "I'm going to start my own business." Natalie smiled. "I thought you already had one in mind." "I do." Ben nodded confidently. "A casino." Natalie's smile immediately faded. "A... casino?" She frowned innocently. "Honey... aren't casinos just places where people lose money?" "Isn't that... taking advantage of others?" "Are you planning to scam people of their money."

Ben chuckled and shook his head. "No." "That's what most people think." "I'm not planning to scam anyone." "I want to build a proper entertainment business." He slowly reached her hands and hold her. "I've already done the research." "My idea is to purchase an existing bar." "Then renovate it." "Keep the bar running..." "...and add a legal casino section." "Customers who only want drinks can enjoy the bar." "Those who enjoy gambling can stay in the casino." "One business supporting the other."

Natalie slowly listened though her mind was on how she could get Ben to give him the money she needs. "You really prepared all of this yourself?" Ben smiled proudly. "I stayed up the whole night thinking about it." "I don't want to depend on Wood IT forever." "I want something that belongs to me." Natalie looked at him differently. For the first time... She wasn't looking at the ruthless Ben everyone feared.

She was looking at a man who genuinely wanted to build something with his own hands. "Your plan is actually... impressive." Ben smiled. "My father agreed to invest." Natalie nearly jumped in excitement. "He agreed?" Ben nodded. "He'll give me five hundred thousand dollars." Natalie's eyes widened. "Five hundred thousand..." She had never imagined such an amount of money. Even if she worked for years... She would never save that much.

A thought quietly crossed her mind. She looked at Ben. "Honey..." "When your father transfers that money..." "Where will you keep it?" Ben answered without hesitation. "My personal account." Natalie immediately shook her head. "No." Ben blinked. "No?" She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "You've only recently been released from prison." "The authorities are still watching you." "If half a million dollars suddenly enters your personal account..." "The bank may flag the transaction." "They could delay it." "They could even report it for investigation."

Ben slowly frowned. He hadn't thought that far. "You think so?" Natalie nodded seriously. "Money of that size always attracts attention." "The last thing we need is unnecessary questions." Ben rested his chin on his hand. "Then..." "What do you suggest?" Natalie hesitated. She lowered her eyes before speaking softly. "You once told me..." "...that you wanted us to get married."

Ben smiled. "I still do." "You also said..." "...that you wanted us to build a family together." "I meant every word." Natalie looked directly into his eyes. "Then..." "Why don't we open a joint account?" Ben looked surprised. "A joint account?" She nodded. "If we're really going to spend the rest of our lives together..." "Then this business shouldn't belong only to you." "It should belong to our family." "Think of our future children."

She looked at Ben smiling shyly. "We'll deposit the investment money into that account." "We'll use it only for the casino." "We'll purchase the property." "Renovate it." "Pay suppliers." "Cover emergencies." "And whatever remains..." "...will become the foundation of our future." She smiled gently. "Our future home." "Our future children." "Our future dreams." Ben stared at her silently. His heart warmed.

For so long... Everyone around him had only spoken about what he had done wrong. Only Natalie spoke about tomorrow. About building something together. He slowly reached across the table and held her hand. "Honey..." "You really think that far ahead?" Natalie smiled shyly. "Someone has to." "You always think about winning." "I have to think about protecting what you build." Ben laughed softly. "You know..." "You're smarter than I expected."

She pouted. "So you thought I wasn't smart?" "I didn't say that." "You implied it." "I definitely didn't." She folded her arms dramatically. "I've changed my mind." "I'm no longer helping." Ben quickly raised both hands. "I surrender." "My girlfriend is the smartest woman in Scotland." Natalie laughed. "That's more like it." Their food arrived. As they ate, they continued discussing locations, renovation costs, staff recruitment, and licensing.

By the time they finished breakfast... Their plan had become much clearer. Ben looked at his watch. "The banks should be open now." Natalie nodded. "Then let's go." Ben stood first before naturally extending his hand. Natalie smiled and placed her hand in his. Neither of them noticed the man seated quietly in the far corner. Hidden behind a newspaper with a professional camera resting discreetly on his lap, the reporter carefully adjusted the lens and captured several clear photographs of the intimate moment.

A satisfied smile spread across his face as he reviewed the images on the camera screen. "So this is what Miss wanted," he muttered under his breath. "She said she'd pay me handsomely if I got convincing evidence. These photos are more than enough." Without attracting any attention, he quietly took a few more shots from different angles before slipping the camera back into his bag. Standing up naturally, he left the café with a calm expression, already imagining the headline that would spread across the city before the day was over and ignite another storm around Ben Wood's already crumbling marriage.

Ben and Natalie walked out of the café. Standing beneath the morning sunshine... Ben looked at her seriously. "Honey." "Thank you." She looked confused. "For what?" "For believing in me." Natalie smiled gently. "I've never stopped believing in you." She squeezed his hand. "Now..." "Let's go build our future." Ben nodded firmly. "Our future." The two of them walked side by side toward the nearby bank, both carrying hopes and dreams of a new beginning completely unaware that fate had already begun setting another storm in motion elsewhere.