After Serenity accepted the check, she left the store with Lisa.

"Serenity, don't you think that was a little strange?" Lisa said as they exited the store. "Zeke actually handed you seven hundred and twenty thousand dollars without any hesitation, and Jenny was right there! Wasn't he afraid that she would misunderstand?"

"It really is strange," Serenity agreed.

"Do you think it's because Zeke still has feelings for you?" Lisa wondered.

"No. He's afraid. It's as if he was afraid that I might get angry at Joy, and that would be detrimental to the Shaw family," Serenity said, expressing her thoughts honestly.

Lisa found her statement somewhat absurd.

"Maybe he's overthinking it."

"Who knows what goes on in his mind?" Serenity said with a shrug before looking at the check in her hand.

"What are you going to do with this? Tear it up?" Lisa asked, knowing her friend well enough that she wouldn't cash in the money for herself.

"Why waste it by tearing it up? I'll just donate it to t