“I'm going to give you the last chance,” Mickle said. “I'm not going to repeat myself.”“Mikeal!” I blurted out. “I want him to lose everything.”“You hate him,” Mickle whispered. “Like you hate me?”“Whatever deal you made with him, he knows your history with my mother,” I said. “He's a time bomb for you, too.”“Aren't you?” Mickle squinted at me.“But he's not my family.”“We're family,” Mia interjected. “You should trust your daughter more!”“Daughter?” Mickle laughed sarcastically. “And my daughters are negotiating with their father.”“Because we're a family of politicians,” Mia said hastily.I waited in silence for an answer. When the tension subsided, Mickle tapped me on the shoulder.“I can give you what you want. But you have to give me what I want.”“Deal!” I subconsciously clenched my hands when I agreed.Mickle walked to his desk again and held the receiver up to his ear.“Ian, come in.”Less than two minutes after Mickle hung up, Ian pushed the door open and entered the ro
“Can you be more specific?” Ian looked at me. “I mean, do you want your foster father to go bankrupt or...”As Ian spoke, he put his hand on the front of his neck and made a killing posture. I knew what he meant. So I said to him.“I hope he goes broke.”Leaving Mikeal with nothing is more painful than ending his life.“It's tricky.” Ian frowned. “But there's nothing in this world that a consultant can't solve, especially a good one like me.”“I'm listening.”“In fact, we investigated your husband and found out that he and Mikeal were secretly manipulating the stock price.”“My ex-husband,” I corrected him.“Oh, your ex-husband,” Ian said, pretending to be surprised, “Of course that's not enough to bankrupt Mikeal. Mikeal will be charged with your ex-husband's involvement in the drug business by some means, but the process is complicated and may require you to provide evidence to the police. But you can rest assured that we will make arrangements in advance.”“I believe you can do it,
I took a peek at Frade, who was fast asleep, and slipped out of bed with my bare feet on the carpet. I carefully pushed open the door and went into the living room to reply to a text message from an unknown number.I need to talk to you about the recording of my mother. (Eva)A second later, Daley sent me a URL.Open the computer and paste the link. (Daley)So I turned on my laptop, and when I clicked on the link a dialog box appeared.This is the only way we can talk to each other without being watched. (Daley)I need the recording of my mother. Tell me where it is. (Eva)Whatever you need it for, I can get you a copy of the file. Trust me, the originals are safest with me. (Daley)Then he transmitted a file, and I clicked receive. The file was downloaded onto my computer.Are you and the baby okay? (Daley)We're fine. Are you in Mexico? (Eva)I can't tell you where I am, but I'm safe. Did you get my divorce papers in the mail? (Daley)Yes. (Eva)All right. Good luck with Frade. (Dal
“Have we met before, sir?” I looked at the man in the wheelchair. He had Mickle's face and pale blue eyes. I can't remember where I saw him.“Are you dressed, Eva?” Ian came over and urged me. “We're ready for the photo.”“I've already changed.”“Iverson, what are you doing here?” Ian noticed the man in the wheelchair. “It's not your turn to take pictures yet. You can rest in your room.”“So, this woman is my father's other daughter?” The man looked at me with a half-smile. “I'm Iverson, Mickle's loser son.”This disabled man is Mickle's son? I've never seen him on the news. No wonder he looks like Mickle.“Iverson, you'd better not say that to the press.” Ian looked serious. “You should know very well why you're here.”“I cooperate with you, I understand that,” Iverson said as he pressed the button on the electric wheelchair, which immediately turned around.“Let me know when it's my turn to perform.”As I watched the man in the wheelchair leave, I couldn't help but ask Ian, “Is his
“That's enough! Somebody stop them!” Catherine hurried down the stairs, calling for two servants to spear the two women apart.“See what you're doing?” Catherine glared at her daughter and Mia. “Margaret, I told you to stay in the room.”“This mongrel broke your favourite vase!” Marguerite said, pointing her messy hair at Mia's face. “She provoked me!”“Margaret! As a lady, you shouldn't make a scene here!” Catherine went to her daughter to check if her face was hurt. After confirming that she wasn't hurt, Catherine's tone softened.“It's just a vase! If your dad sees you fighting over a vase with someone who's not worth it, he'll feel sorry for you!”“I don't understand why dad wants these two mongrels in our family,” said Marguerite in the wayward voice of a little girl, “Now my classmates know that my dad has two illegitimate daughters outside, and they all sneer at me! Mom, I hate them!”“Shh!” Catherine coaxed her daughter. “Didn't your father discuss this with you? Stop making a
“Can I help you?” I looked at his wheelchair as it approached the car.“I just want to take a ride,” he said, opening the door and climbing swiftly from his wheelchair into the car seat.“Please put my wheelchair in the trunk of the car. Thank you,” he said from the back seat to me standing outside. “Press the red button and the wheelchair will automatically be folded.”I don't know how to refuse his easy-going attitude. Through the glass, he kept urging me, “Hurry up!”So I reluctantly moved the wheelchair into the trunk of the car according to his request. When I sat in the passenger seat, he could not wait to say to the driver, “Go to the starry sky bar.”The driver started the car at once, and I happened to see two servants running out of the manor as if they were looking for something.“They're looking for you, aren't they?” I looked sideways at Iverson.“Those two fucking idiots wanted to send me back to the sanitarium,” Iverson said unhappily. “I told them I needed some free ti
I sat in the driver's seat and peered through the window as Frade and the bartender dragged the intoxicated Iverson out of the pub with his head hung low. On their way to the car, Iverson even sprayed vomit on Frade's suit.Frade and the bartender worked together to put Iverson on the back seat, and he couldn't help complaining, "This guy is really heavy."I scowled as I saw the intoxicated man. He smelled like alcohol, which made the air in the car disgusting. I'm beginning to regret my involvement. Mickle should be the one to clean up this mess.“Wait, there's his wheelchair,” the bartender says, hurrying back to the bar. Soon, he's carrying Iverson's wheelchair and putting it in the trunk of the car.“Can we go now?” I asked.“Where?” Frade asked, fastening his seat belt. “Should we send him back to Mickle's estate?”Just as I was about to say yes, Iverson yelled at us from the backseat.“I'm not going back to that old man's house. I'm not going back!”“Shut up!” I scolded him. “We
“Oh! I forgot to tell you my little secret about Margaret,” Iverson thought, shaking his head, “Her first love was with a gardener when she was in high school. I remember one night I saw her and the gardener...”“Shut up, Iverson!” I yelled at him. “I don't want to hear any more of your nonsense!”“It's true, I'm not lying.” He looked up at me intently. “I saw the gardener fucking her!”“All right!” I couldn't help it. “Even if you're telling the truth, you can't just divulge people's secrets. Margaret is your sister, too.”“She's not my sister, she's just a little bitch from that old bitch!”“Can you be quiet for a while?”“Quiet! Quiet!” He said, putting his index finger between his lips.“Can you get me some beer?” He whispered.“Of course. You'll be in bed waiting for me until I get back.”“Just like this?” He said as he lay on the bed with his hands open.“Yes, that's right. If I catch you making a noise, I'll pour all the beer down the toilet!”“Yes, sir!” He said, covering his