Andrea was fuming, but she had to keep things civil. She couldn’t tell if Jeffrey had sent someone after Ben, or if somebody else was sniffing around.
She said. “Give me some time to get the cash together. Once I pay you, keep your mouth shut and send me a photo of whoever reached out to you.”
Ben agreed, “No problem.”
Andrea said, “This money is a one–off buyout, not some installment deal. Even if someone waves more cash at youter, you’re not allowed to breathe a word about this.”
Ben said, “Understood.”
Andrea hung up the phone. She stood in her room, her face etched with worry. She pondered, ‘I can’t just ask Jeffrey for 1 million. If he starts digging into where the money goes, he’ll definitely figure out what happened
back then.
And even if I pay Ben, there is no guarantee he won’t sell me outter if someone offers him more. After all, I’ve already given him 3,000 dors to keep quiet once before.
Without warning, memories of the hospital fiasco flooded Andrea’s mind. She thought, ‘Jessica swore she wouldn’t dig any further, but who’s to say she hadn’t already let it slip? If the investigator is part of Reba’s crew, this secret has to stay buried–silenced for good.
At this thought, Andrea sent Ben a location and texted: [Come here this weekend, and I’ll hand over the cash. Since you broke our agreement before, I need to keep some proof this time.]
Ben replied: [No problem.]
Andrea closed the chat with Ben and shot a text to Jessica: [Did you forget what you promised me?]
Jessica was on the phone with Reba when she got the message. She immediately told Reba about the
text.
“Why’s she suddenly hitting you up?” Reba asked.
Jessica replied, “Who knows? My guess? Ian probably unearthed something, and now she’s panicking.” She suddenly sat up straight and eximed, “That’s it.”
Reba asked, “What do you mean?”
Jessica said, “It has to be Ian. He must’ve dug up some major dirt, and now Andrea’s freaking out. That exins why she’s reaching out to me–she must be really rattled.
“I’d better check in with Ian, see what he’s uncovered. You go ahead and do your thing.”
Reba replied, “Alright.”
<b>11:01 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Oct </b><b>2 </b>
Not long after the call ended, Samuel came out of the bathroom, freshly showered.
Reba coaxed him to sleep.
<b>80 </b>
66 vouchers
Before Reba even hit the shower, Jessica fired off a voice message. She said, “Ian says the doctor he found is the type who fixes scars. Did Andrea ever mention having any scars?”
Reba shot back: [Not on her arms or legs. No idea about the rest.]
Jessica asked, “Does she have a scar on her stomach or something?”
Reba paused, then dropped her own voice reply. She said, “Honestly, if it’s just getting rid of a scar, Andrea doesn’t need to freak out about Jeffrey knowing. It doesn’t matter what kind of scar she’s got–he wouldn’t give a damn.”
Jessica said, “Well, that’s just odd. Let’s drop it for now and wait till Ian figures things out. Sitting here guessing won’t get us anywhere.”
After wrapping up the chat, Reba hit the shower. That night, she crashed in bed with Samuel.
In the middle of the night, Jeffrey quietly slipped into bed, but neither Reba nor Samuel stirred.
The next morning, when Reba found out, she didn’t even bat an eye. Maybe it was because she was about to leave, and her mindset had shifted. Or maybe she just didn’t have the energy to get worked up over someone who didn’t really matter.
“Do you want me toe with you to the hospital?” Jeffrey asked while they were having breakfast.
Reba replied, “No need. You just take care of your own stuff.”
Jeffrey didn’t insist.
After that, neither of them said another word. It wasn’t until Reba and Samuel got in the car to head to the hospital that Jeffrey finally said, “Call me if you need anything.”
On the way to the hospital, Samuel snuggled up to Reba. He called out, “Mommy.”
“Yes?” Reba responded.
Samuel tilted his head up and said, “I have a little request.”
Reba replied gently, “Go ahead.”
“Can I sleep by Daddy’s side tonight?” Samuel asked. Since he would be gone soon, he wanted to share a little warmth before he left.
Reba replied, “Of course you can. That’s your choice–you can decide for yourself.”
But Jeffrey didn’t want any part of the warmth Samuel hoped to offer. When Samuel zoomed over to Jeffrey’s bed in his adorable pajamas, Jeffrey shooed him away without a second thought.
<b>11:01 </b>Thu, <b>Oct </b><b>2 </b>
Samuel tried to protest, but Jeffrey tapped his little head and said, “My bed’s for my wife only. Anyone else,
time to scoot.
And just like that, the warmth Samuel wanted to give disappeared–poof–gone. <fn3e14> ??? ????? ???????s ??? ?????s??? ?? find?novel</fn3e14>
<b>180 </b>
Jeffrey knew exactly why Samuel was acting strange–it must be because he and Reba had worked out some n to leave together. Sure, Samuel was trying to patch things up, but that was not what Jeffrey wanted at all.
Truth was, he was never going to let them walk out of his life, no matter what. He thought, ‘If they want, they can go out and have fun for a couple of days. In the end, they still have toe home.
Over the next few days, Reba spent her days at the hospital, helping Amelia with her recovery exercises. Meanwhile, Jeffrey was working overtime at thepany. Without even realizing it, their lives started to feel just like they used to–no yelling, no fights, no drama.
Everything was perfectly normal until Reba hit Jeffrey with her resignation notice.
Jeffrey called and asked, “You’re quitting?”
Reba was still at the hospital with Amelia, helping her through her rehab. Once the doctor finished up, Reba ducked into a quiet corner to take Jeffrey’s call.
She replied, “Yeah, I’ll cover any contract breach fee. Honestly, I just want to be there for my mom.”
Jeffrey asked, “You don’t want to finish the first game you ever worked on?” Jeffrey’s voice was low and somber.
Reba said, “I do. But you can’t have everything–sometimes life is just full of regrets.”
She’d always nned to divorce Jeffrey, put her head down, and work hard at Primey Technologies. But when life threw her off track, she didn’t have much choice but to walk away.
Jeffrey knew she was hinting at something. He said, “Look, we agreed–give it a month—”
Reba interrupted, “I sent you a resignation notice, not a request. When the time’s up, I’m out of here.”
She’d already reached out to Eric and Jason, but they both told her just to go talk to Jeffrey. So in the end, she had no choice but to deal with him directly.
Jeffrey said, “Come in tomorrow to handle your resignation. You still haven’t handed over your work.”
“Okay,” Reba agreed.
After hanging up, Reba let out a sigh of relief. She was about to head back to the rehab center to check on Amelia, but just as she turned around, she spotted Richard striding down the hallway. Instinctively, she tensed up, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
She demanded, “What brings you here?”
“Your mom asked me toe,” Richard said casually.
11:01 Thu, Oct <b>2 </b>
Reba was a bit skeptical.
“So, where’s your mom?” Richard asked, sounding oddly at ease–just like the old days, back before the Jensen Group fell apart.
That was when Reba realized Richard had actually bothered to clean himself up today–freshly shaven, looking surprisingly sharp, and his mood was miles better than she’d ever seen before..
Reba wondered why Amelia had asked Richard toe.