<b>Chapter </b><b>56 </b>


    ? <b>36</b><b>% </b>


    “Richard, we don’t have 3 million in liquid funds right now. Can we pay you in installments?”n asked with utmost


    sincerity.


    Richard puffed out his chest. “Of course!”


    “Then, can you stop harassing Reba during this time? Don’te here to bother her or cause scenes at herpany. Let her have some peace for a while,”n pressed.


    20


    Too drunk on his sudden advantage, Richard didn’t question hown already knew about the threat, despite just arriving. Acting like he was granting a huge favor, Richard said, “Agreed.”


    “When will the money hit my ount?” Richard rxed, relieved to avoid dishwashing duty. “I need it urgently.”


    “Anytime.”n finally showed his cards. “But I wonder how much you’ll ask for. Different amounts lead to different sentencing.”


    Richard froze. “Sentencing?”


    “For extortion,”n said innocently, spreading his hands. “You threatened to harass Reba at home and work if we didn’t


    pay up.”


    “This is my daughter’s home!” Richard, who had just calmed down, red up again. “I’ll do whatever I want. An outsider like you has no right to interfere.”


    “This isn’t just Reba’s home.”n lied smoothly. “We’re co–renting this ce. Your disturbance affects all of us.”


    Richard looked around the room. Aside from Reba and Samuel’s belongings, there was no sign of a third person.


    “Want to see the rental agreement? I’ll have someone bring it over,”n continued, bluffing without hesitation.


    Richard turned and red at Reba, his face red with anger.


    Reba met his gaze squarely, not flinching or avoiding eye contact.


    “Great,” Richard hissed through clenched teeth. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll snap and kill you?”


    “If you had that kind of resolve,” Jessica’said coolly, “you wouldn’t be here harassing her. Men used to admiration don’t


    seek their own downfall,”


    Richard might throw tantrums, but every at his angriest, he’d never actuallymit murder.


    Despite being down on his luck, thirty years of luxury had taught him one thing–one sessfuleback could fix everything. This thought matched Richard’s own inner calctions.


    “Go,” Reba said, her energy drained. “Let’s not make a scene in front of everyone.”


    If he had treated her and her mother kindly like before, she would’ve done anything to raise money for him.


    <b>1/4 </b>


    <b>???</b><b>36</b><b>%</b>–


    But after he took off with her funds, cheated her out of property and savings, and forced her into escort work, any affection for him was long gone.


    Richard clenched his fists, feeling powerless after failing to intimidate Reba. His frustrations boiled over, and he asked, “Don’t you want to know why I abandoned you and your mother back then?”


    Reba stayed silent. The answer seemed obvious–he didn’t love them.


    “Did your mother ever speak badly of me when thepany went bankrupt or after the ident?” Richard pressed each word slowly. “Did she tell you not to think about it?”


    Reba paused at his words.


    Richard kept going, “Didn’t you wonder why she wasn’t angry at all?”


    Reba had asked her mother this before, but she said that there was no point wasting energy on irrelevant people.


    Reba asked her mother why he was irrelevant since he was her father. Before she could get an answer, her mother fell into aa. That question remained unanswered.


    “Growing up, you met my side of the family. But have you ever met your mother’s side? Her parents, uncles, or aunts?” Richard bombarded her with questions.


    Reba answered quickly, “Mom said she was an orphan.”


    Richard sneered, “Does your mother act like an orphan?”


    Actually, Amelia seemed more like someone from an intellectual family.


    “Pay off the bar’s debts for me, and I’ll tell you everything,” Richard said, circling back to his original demand.


    Reba stayed firm. “When Mom wakes up, she’ll tell me herself.”


    That day, Amelia promised toe home and tell her a story, but that journey stretched over years without resolution.


    Richard’s chest tightened with anger. “Reba!”


    Reba replied tly, <i>“</i>My friend and I have things to talk about. Please leave if there’s nothing else.”


    Richard fumed, butn’s earlier warning echoed in his mind. Twenty years of failed attempts to uncover Amelia’s


    background had made him cautious. Her mysteriously untraceable identity made him act cautiously.


    “Richard, this way.”n gestured politely toward the door.


    Richard red at Reba onest time before leaving, already scheming new ways to get what he wanted.


    ….


    Downstairs, the Hanson Group’s bodyguards, who had been trying toe up with excuses to go up, snapped to attention when they saw Richard leave. <ol><li>2/4 </li></ol>


    <b>35</b><b>% </b>


    After he got into his car, a bodyguard quickly called to report the news to Jeffrey. “Boss, Richard has left.”


    “What excuse did you use to get upstairs?” Jeffrey asked.


    “We didn’t go up,” the bodyguard answered.


    Jeffrey tensed up at hearing that.


    “We were still brainstorming when Mr. Yeats and Ms. Scott went upstairs first,” the bodyguard exined.


    Jeffrey’s gaze turned icy. “You guys go to Gregory tomorrow.”


    The bodyguard exchanged a puzzled look with others. “For what?”


    “To get him to find you new jobs,” Jeffrey replied tly.


    He thought, ‘I put these guys there because they are skilled and reliable, but I didn’t expect them to be so slow.n took


    advantage of such a simple situation.‘


    After hanging up, Jeffrey received a message right away before he could tell Gregory. [You should fix the problem you caused instead of making my Candidate Dad handle it.]


    Jeffrey’s fingers twitched as he dialed Samuel’s number, but Samuel immediately hung up. When Jeffrey tried calling again, Samuel rejected the call.


    When Reba entered, she found Samuel struggling with his smartwatch. “What’s wrong? Is it broken?” she asked.


    “Nope.” Samuel shook his head and cheerfully greeted the adults. “Hello,n. Hello, Jessica.”


    The two patted his head, praising him for being polite.


    Samuel smiled brightly. Sensing the adults needed privacy, he announced it was his bedtime. Reba helped him wash <ol><li>up. </li></ol>


    As Reba bustled around, Jessica andn exchanged a meaningful nce.


    After a moment, Jessica pulledn onto the balcony. “Come here.”


    “What for?<i>” </in asked, though he followed her obediently.


    Jessica lowered her voice when Reba wasn’t looking. “I ran into Stanley at the airport today. He was hinting around, asking if you liked Reba.”


    Jan asked, “What did you tell him?”


    “I told him to get lost,” Jessica replied.


    <b>3/4 </b>