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    <b>Chapter </b><b>27 </b>


    “I want to beat one of my ssmates,” Emily said, her voice firm despite her youth. “I’m going to prove I’m better than her in every way.”


    Reba was slightly surprised. She hadn’t expected this kid to bo


    sopetitive.


    “Ms. Jensen.” Emily reached out to take her hand, her eyes bright and eager. “Will you be really strict with me? I want to learn as fast as I can.”


    “Okay,” Reba agreed.


    Emily beamed and threw herself into the lesson with intense focus.


    Reba was a true master of ssical dance. In her prime, she had won numerous national awards. Even after marriage, she never let go of her passion.


    As the lesson began, Lucas–watching from the study via monitor–remarked to the mild–mannered man beside him, “Don’t worry. I already talked with Emily. She won’t slip up. Besides, she’s genuinely interested in learning ssical dance


    now.”


    Stephen kept his eyes on the screen, his expression unreadable behind his sses.


    “There’s something I’ve been wondering,” Lucas said, tilting his head.


    Stephen nced his way.


    Lucas leaned in slightly. “Shouldn’t we be more focused on Andrea–the one Jeffrey’s keeping around? Why are you so interested in Reba? Isn’t she about to be divorced anyway?”


    “She filed for divorce, but it hasn’t been finalized yet,” Stephen corrected calmly.


    Lucas looked confused. “What’s the difference? A divorce is a divorce, isn’t it?”


    “If Jeffrey doesn’t want the divorce, it won’t happen,” Stephen replied, knowing his brother all too well.


    Lucas still didn’t really get it, but he didn’t press further. It wasn’t like it was his business anyway.


    The two of them kept watching the surveince feed from the study for a while. Once they were sure Emily hadn’t said anything she shouldn’t, they quietly left the vi.


    Back in the dance room, Reba continued teaching,pletely unaware she’d been watched.


    After three hours of morning lessons, Emily was still full of energy. She invited Reba to stay for lunch, but Reba politely declined, exining she had things to take care of at home. Emily didn’t push.


    Reba gave the girl’s head an affectionate pat and praised her once more before heading out. On her way back, though, a text came in from Richard.


    It read: [Come see me. I want to talk.] Attached was the address of an upscale bar.


    Reba called him right away. This time, the phone rang–instead of the dead silence she’d gotten before.


    Though it only rang about four times, to Reba it felt like an eternity. Her mind raced with memories–him stealing money, disappearing, lying to her face.


    Finally, the call connected. A low, rough voice came through. “Reba.”


    Reba’s hand shook slightly. ‘It’s really him. After all these years, he actually has the nerve to answer my call, she thought.


    “I heard Amelia’s condition took a turn. Is it true?” Richard asked, his voice slow and heavy.


    Reba fired back, “Since when do you care about it?”


    “Of course I care,” Richard insisted, his tone serious. “She’s not just your mother–she’s still my wife.”


    “If you treated her as your wife, you wouldn’t have stolen all the money and disappeared,” Reba shot back, old wounds reopening as she spoke. “You wouldn’t have abandoned us with all that debt and ignored us for years.”


    Silence hung heavily on the other end.


    Reba clenched her jaw, anger still simmering inside.


    “What if I told you… I had my reasons back then?” Richard’s voice sounded weary, older. “If I hadn’t done what I did, things would’ve been worse for you two.”


    Reba let out a sarcasticugh. “You expect me to believe that?” It was like being stabbed and then told it was for her own good–how ridiculous.


    “Juste,” Richard said, his voice growing more solemn. “Let me exin everything. If you still hate me after that, I’ll go beg Amelia’s forgiveness.”


    “Okay,” Reba snapped, ending the call. She hailed a cab and headed straight to the address he’d sent.


    Everything in her warned that this was just another one of Richard’s lies, like all the times before. But a small, stubborn part of her still wondered if there was more to the story.


    ‘I have nothing left to lose. He can’t hurt me anymore,‘ she thought. ‘Even if this is another scheme, so what? But if there is a chance he is telling the truth… Mom and I deserve that apology.‘


    Half an hourter, she found the bar and the exact booth he’d told her about. She pushed the door open without


    hesitation.


    The booth was dim, but she immediately spotted the middle–aged Richard sitting on the couch.


    He rose slowly, aplicated look in his eyes. “Reba,” he called.


    Reba didn’t answer. She stood by the door, watching him closely. The years had not been kind—he’d lost the sharp presence he once had as the boss of the Jensen Group. Now he just looked worn out.


    “Don’t just stand there, silly. Come and sit,” Richard said, stepping forward to guide her toward the couch.


    <b>13:25 </b><b>Wed</b>, <b>17 </b><b>Sept </b>


    Reba didn’t sit. Her eyes stayed pinned on him.


    Complicated feelings swirled in Richard’s eyes. Scanning her from head to toe, he said in a gravelly voice, “You’ve lost weight. Not eating right?”


    “Cut the act,” Reba said, pulling her arm away. She wasn’t the naive girl who’d fall for his fake concern anymore. “You said you had an exnation why you had taken the money and run. I’m listening.”


    “Can’t we just talk for a minute?” Richard said, his voice heavy. “It hurts to see you like this.”


    “If you really cared, you’d tell me the truth,” Reba said tly. After everything that had happened–with him, with Jeffrey–she’d learned not to trust pretty words.


    Richard’s gaze dropped, and he suddenly looked defeated.


    Reba stood still, not moving an inch.


    “I didn’t want to tell you any of this, but you kept pushing,” Richard began, downing his drink with a heavy sigh. “Thepany’s crash wasn’t an ident. We were set up.”


    Reba listened quietly.


    “If I hadn’t taken that money and fled the country, all of us would’ve been targets.” Richard’s voice grew thick with emotion. “By leaving, I bought us a chance to fight back and uncover the truth.”


    “You can dress it up all you want,” Reba said coldly, “but in the end, you still took the money and ran. You left us behind.”


    Richard’s hand clenched around the wine ss, his lowered eyes dark. He’d nned to win her over with a wless


    he was at a loss for words.


    exnation, but after endless rehearsing, he had nothing.


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