Then, she strode back into the mansion, went to the room, and grabbed Thaddeus' car keys. Since the driver dared not drive her, she would take Thaddeus' car out herself. Aunt May did not dare stop her anymore. She threatened Mona she would inform Thaddeus, but even that did not slow Mona down. Mona strode to the garage that housed a dozen expensive cars and walked to the most low-profile car he had in his collection—a Bentley. She opened the door, got into the driver’s seat, and started the car. The car slowly drove out of the garage, then out of the mansion. Aunt May watched as the car drove off and disappeared from her sight. She sighed helplessly before she called Thaddeus using the landline. Meanwhile, in France, Thaddeus stood up in the messy meeting room. He loosened his tie and sighed heavily. His sexy Adam’s apple moved as he gulped. “Meeting postponed. We’ll continue tomorrow morning at 9 o’clock.” Thaddeus tossed the documents on the table before he grabbe
Marcus scratched his head awkwardly, looking conflicted. He trusted Mona. Based on their limited interaction, Mona did not seem like a person who would leak the company’s important data to an outsider. However, viewing it from a general perspective, every piece of evidence pointed at Mona and every suspect and allegation had solid foundations. It was difficult to trust her just because she looked trustworthy. In addition to the evidence, Susan was part of a hacker group, and hacking was easy for her. On top of that, she met with Victor. It was difficult for others not to suspect her of teaming up with Victor to sabotage the company. Even if Mona was innocent, she used the computer and the problematic thumb drive, so the damage was done. “Sir, what about the board? What should we tell them?” The board back at Worchester was furious because of the data leak. If Thaddeus did not calm them down, Mona would have been arrested by the police. Thaddeus stood by the window and g
The workers were afraid that Chad might frighten Mona, so they helped him up and got someone to send him away. Mona watched from the side. It was depressing as if a rock was crushing her chest. The psychiatric hospital locked up the patients like prisoners. There was no such thing as freedom, and even the air they breathed was filthy. Knowing that her father might have to spend his entire life here crushed her. “Mrs. Fontaine, are you alright?” Mona recollected her thoughts and looked at the worker. She forced a smile and nodded. “I’m okay.” “Let’s go up then.” The worker brought Mona to the elevator and went straight to the highest floor of the hospital. Unlike the other floors which held many patients in a single ward section, the highest floor was specifically for Oliver. The worker told Mona to wait at the parlor. A while later, the worker brought a man in patient’s garb in. “Mrs. Fontaine, this is Oliver Mayers.” Mona looked at the man at the entrance. He
The moment ‘Dad’ escaped from Mona’s mouth, Oliver trembled more and more. “Why are you crying? No one is beating you. Tsk. You were laughing a moment ago, and now you’re crying? Have you really lost your mind?” Oliver broke down in tears. He lost control of his emotions and sobbed in silence. One of the workers was annoyed and punched Oliver in the stomach. “Stop acting funny!” “Hey!” Mona strode over immediately and pushed the worker away. She bellowed, “Is this how you treat the patient? He’s having a breakdown and you’re punching him? It’s fine if you don’t want to take care of him but resorting to violence?!” “Mrs. Fontaine, you have no idea what he has done. He deserves a lot worse than a punch.” Mona looked at Oliver’s back. The man refused to turn around as if he dared not look her in the eyes. The worker got nervous and continued, “Mrs. Fontaine, you have no idea how terrible his man was when he was younger. He abused his wife, abandoned her, and cheated on her m
“Mrs. Fontaine, do you want anything to drink? I have some water and milk here.” Mona ignored his question and walked over to the man. She stared at his swollen face and found it amusing. “You rather slap yourself and pretend that you are crazy just so I won’t recognize you. You went through all that just because you don’t want to acknowledge me as your daughter.” Oliver’s expression froze. His eyes flickered nervously and averted her gaze. Mona shut the refrigerator door and stared at him. She said in disdain, “You are my biological father, am I right?”There was no way she was wrong. She could spot the resemblance between the eyes, and no matter how he denied it, he could not deny the fact that they shared the same genes. She could even feel a sense of familiarity at first glance. “Mrs. Fontaine, I think you’re mistaken. I have a daughter, but she’s long dead. I don’t know you either, so how could we be related?” Oliver finally looked at Mona. His eyes were blank and a
Oliver cried like a baby. The commotion in the room attracted the attention of the workers outside. Knocks came from the door. “Mrs. Fontaine, are you alright? Do you need any help? What happened in there?” Mona was drowned by mixed feelings when she was in Oliver’s arms. She did not know how to express herself in front of her father. She had been alone for so many years. She once fantasized about having a family and being a little girl with loving parents, yet the more she thought about it, the more it felt ridiculous. She no longer held on to that outrageous dream of hers. Now that the father that she wished for day and night was in front of her, hugging her tightly, she could not feel a tinge of warmth or love. “It’s okay. I’ll call you guys when I need help,” Mona said as she left Oliver’s embrace. She opened the door to assure the workers that she was fine. The workers had a peek inside the room and spotted the spilled beer and broken bottle. They were worried,
Mona looked down and suddenly thought of her mother. “Is my mother’s name Miranda Flocken?” “Yeah. Why do you ask?” Oliver reacted strongly to the name. “I haven’t heard from her ever since she left with Thaddeus’ father. I have no idea where she is or how she is doing now. Let’s just hope she’s doing well.” “You’ve never looked for her?” “Your mother left, you fell into the sea, and my business was in a mess. The loan sharks were at my door, so all I could care about was fleeing for my life. I did try looking for her, but I got nothing at all…” “Then, how did you end up here? What does Thaddeus have to do with this?” “Thaddeus got to me and helped me pay off my debt. As an exchange, I have to stay here as a patient for life.” Oliver looked around the room. Despite the luxury he was enjoying, it felt like a prison to him. “Thaddeus isn’t a philanthropist. If he paid your debt and kept you here as a prisoner, he must have a use for you. It’s just that the time isn’t righ
After leaving the psychiatric hospital, Mona drove Thaddeus’ car to the kindergarten. It was time to pick the children up. Her thoughts worried her on the way. She thought about the things her father had told her, and the more she thought about it, the more she realized how much Thaddeus had been hiding from her. Samantha was right. Only by entering the Fontaines’ lives could she learn the truth about what happened back then. It was as though she had fallen into a maze. Her current position prevented her from learning the truth, and the things she saw and heard were all fabricated lies that the man showed her, an illusion to deceive her. She gripped the wheel tightly. No matter what happened or what she learned, she had to be patient and strengthen her foundation so that she could equip herself for what was to come. A while later, Mona arrived at the kindergarten entrance in Thaddeus’ Bentley. The kids came out from the gate and saw Mona driving the expensive car. “Mommy,