Chapter 24 My Father Had Changed
My father was getting worked up and started to say something, but I cut him off, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the exit.
Once we were outside, he wheeled around on me, furious. “What was that about? I had him right where I wanted him. If I’d just asked, Charles would’ve handed over the cash.”
“And why would he do that?” I shot back, my temples throbbing. “He’s done with our family. He’s not into me anymore. Why would he just give money to you?
“And why did you come make a scene at his office and even hit the woman he loves? When did you turn into this kind of person?”
“Watch your mouth,” my father snapped. “I’m here causing trouble because my own daughter would rather see me get hurt than ask her ex for help.”
“I said I’d figure something out,” I replied, my voice tired. The fight drained out of me as I looked at him, realizing how much he’d changed. “I’m your daughter. Do you really think I’d leave you hanging?”
My father looked at me with a mocking laugh. “Figure something out? Then tell me, how much money have you actually managed to put together?”
The truth was, aside from the $1.1 million my brother had literally risked his life for, I hadn’t scraped together a single dollar, When I stayed quiet, my father snorted. “So nothing, huh? I told you to ask Charles for the money, but you had to go and get all proud. What’s pride even worth these days?”
He glanced back at the office building and muttered, “He can ignore us in private, but not in front of a crowd. I’m still his former father–in–law. He’d be too ashamed to turn me down in public.
“I can’t just drop this–I need to talk to him again.” He shook his head, already turning to storm back into Charles’s office building.
Pure fury shot through me. I grabbed his arm, yanking him back roughly.
He whirled on me, his face a mask of wounded outrage. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he snarled, his voice a low, vicious whisper. “You’d rather see me end up being a cripple than ask your rich ex for help?”
“Nobody wants to see you get hurt, but why did you have to keep gambling and put our family through all this trouble?” I snapped.
“Enough!” my father shouted as he pushed me away forcefully.
I was already feeling unwell and dizzy today, and his push sent me stumbling to the ground, where my forehead struck the edge of a nearby flowerbed.
Seeing this, my father panicked and rushed to help me up while saying, “Annie, are you okay? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to
do that.”
My forehead hurt terribly from the impact, and the fall made me feel even dizzier.
Through my dizziness, I saw Charles and Cheryl coming out of the building.
Cheryl glanced in my direction and seemed prepared to come over, but Charles called her back before she could.
Charles barely looked toward me as he got directly into his car.
My father still made a move like he was going after them.
I held tightly to my father’s sleeve while looking at him with pleading eyes.
Watching my dad humiliate himself like that would have been worse than begging Charles myself.
I could feel blood trickling down my forehead from a cut. My father glanced at it but made no move to help me.
Cheryl looked at me with genuine concern, and she only entered the car after Charles called out to her.
The car sped away into the distance, and I stood watching until the taillights disappeared, feeling my eyes begin to sting.
“What are we supposed to do now?” my father demanded angrily. “You just ruined our best chance.”
He clutched his head in desperation as he added, “The loan sharks will come at me the day after tomorrow. What are we going to do about that?”
I looked him straight in the eye and promised, “If you stay away from Charles, I give you my word that I will get you the money by midnight tomorrow.”
He stared at me with obvious disbelief and asked, “Do you really mean that?”
“I’m your own daughter,” I replied with bitter resignation. “Did you honestly think I would let those debt collectors hurt you?”
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Chapter 24 My Father Had Changed
He continued to stare at me with a complicated expression, choosing to remain silent.
A wave of sadness washed over me as I remembered how happy our family used to be and how much my spoiled us, but everything changed after the bankruptcy.
father had
When I returned to the villa, Bella gasped at the sight of me. “Oh my, Ms. Thompson, what happened to your forehead?” The bleeding had stopped, but there was already a nasty–looking bump forming.
Bella immediately went to get some ice to help with the swelling.
The genuine concern on her face just made my heart ache even more,
It hurt to think that our housekeeper showed more care for me than my own father.
After I promised I’d get the money, my father just took off without even asking if I was okay.
Earlier at the hospital, my brother had told me that our father had completely changed and now only cared about money rather than our family. I didn’t want to believe it then, but now I knew he was right.
I laid my head down on the table, the throbbing in my forehead nothing compared to the ache in my heart.
“Ms. Thompson, maybe I should call Mr. Bennett back for you,” Bella suggested, her voice full of concern.
“Please don’t,” I said, quickly stopping her.
Charles had made it pretty clear how he felt about me. He was probably with his precious Cheryl right now, so I saw no reason to disturb them.
But thinking about the promise I made to my father earlier made my chest feel tight, like there was a heavy weight pressing down on me.
When I got back to my room, I noticed that the previously disheveled bedding had been neatly arranged.
I continued to wonder why Charles had been intimate with me last night when his heart clearly belonged to Cheryl.
If his intention was truly to hurt me, then his hatred must run deep enough that he would risk upsetting Cheryl just to humiliate me.
Feeling completely exhausted, I lay down on the bed and opened my text message conversation with Charles.
I didn’t want to call and interrupt whatever was going on, so I just sent a quick text asking if he was coming home tonight.
I was running out of time. If he came home tonight, I’d have to ask him for the money.
If he refused to help, then I would need to find another solution.
A long time had passed since I sent the text, but he still hadn’t replied.
I tossed my phone aside and finally fell into an uneasy sleep.
I felt absolutely awful–my whole body ached with a heavy, cold weight pressing down on me.
I groaned and opened my eyes to find a tall figure standing by my bed in the dim light.
As my eyes adjusted, I realized it was Charles. Struggling to sit up, I whispered, “Charles? You’re… you’re home?”
Charles responded with a cold snort but said nothing.
Figuring he was still mad about my father hitting his beloved girl, I quickly apologized, “Look, I’m really sorry about what happened at your office today. My dad didn’t mean to cause trouble, honestly. Please don’t be angry. I’m apologizing for him.”
Charles continued to stare at me coldly without saying a word.
I tried to read his expression but couldn’t decipher his thoughts. After swallowing nervously, I asked cautiously, “Mr. Bennett, would you possibly be able to lend me three million?”
He responded with a short, derisive laugh.
My ears grew warm with embarrassment as I quickly added, “I will find a way to repay you, I promise.”
“Really?” He grabbed my collar and pulled me closer, his smile turning cruel. “How do you plan to do that? You’d have better
luck getting naked and begging than making empty promises.”
His fingers started working at my collar.
I woke up screaming “No,” bolting upright in bed.
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