He sneered. “You can find her life story online. Why would you get that from me? I know nothing about her!”
As he seemed reluctant to reveal anything, I tamped down my irritation and offered, “If you give me what I want, I’ll take care of your daughter for the next ten years. The Featherstones and the Stanhopes will protect her. As long as she’s hardworking enough, she’ll have a bright future. Think about it.”
Savini glanced at me hesitantly. “Are you sure?”
“You can choose not to believe me. But this concerns your daughter’s future. The choice lies in your hand.”
Pursing his lips, he ran his hand through his hair in frustration, seemingly torn.
After some time, he finally spoke. “Sure. But I need confirmation.”
I nodded. “No problem.”
He fell silent for a while before saying, “Go to Centurion Garden in J City. You can find my wife there. Tell her about my current condition and ask her to come with the stuff I left with her.”
I nodded again. “Anything else?”
He shook his head and said no more.
After coming out of the prison, I looked up at the gloomy skies. It had been over a month since the sun last came out.
The weather had been cloudy all the while with occasional rain and snow. It was horrible.
However, after the new year, spring would arrive soon.
I glanced at my watch and realized it was time to meet Louis at the Irushean restaurant in the southern suburbs.
When I arrived, John was there. He was parking his car when he spotted me. Raising a brow, he remarked, “You’re early.”
I shrugged. “The same goes to you.”
His lips curved up into a smile. “Uncle Louis told me to come earlier to order the dishes so Mr. Bauman could enjoy dinner with us.”
Oh, I see.
We went upstairs and ordered the dishes before entering our private room.
The vintage-themed room was decorated elegantly. There was a wooden screen at the entrance.
As I was staring at the screen, John told me, “This Irushean restaurant is famous for its vintage decoration.”
I nodded in acknowledgment and took a seat. As I seemed disinterested, John asked, “What’s with Savini?”
Ah, right. I’ve nearly forgotten about that man. “Send someone reliable to Centurion Garden in J City to meet up with Savini’s wife. Tell her to come to K City to visit Savini with the stuff he left with her previously,” I told him.
John lifted his eyebrows in silent assent. “I thought he’s useless to you now? Why did you visit him in prison?”
I rest my chin in my hand, feeling slightly exhausted. “I want to ruin Cameron’s reputation.”
He scrunched up his brows and squinted. “Did Cameron come to you?”
My silence gave him the answer he wanted.
Sighing, he suddenly queried, “Letty, have you ever thought of finding your biological parents?”
His sudden question caught me off guard I thought about it and shook my head. “No. It has been years. They abandoned me in the first place, so that means I wasn’t important to them. Besides, Grandma brought me up. I only need to remember her.”
John pressed his lips together and tried to sound me out. “If you run into your biological parents one day, will you reunite with them?”
“No!” It was pointless to reunite with them. After all, all they wanted was to make up for their guilt for abandoning me back then. If they loved me, they wouldn’t have abandoned me in the first place.
He fell silent after that.
I couldn’t stop thinking about what Rylee said that day. She wasn’t a threat to me, but since we had a fallout, it would be a good idea to put my guard up.
As I was staring into space blankly, he asked, “What are you thinking about?”
“John, do you know what my weakness is?”
If Rylee wants to take action, she will target the ones around me. I can’t think of anything else.
His eyes grew wide as he replied, “Me, of course.”
I rolled my eyes in exasperation. “Don’t talk nonsense!”
“Normally, a person’s weakness would be someone or something he cares the most for,” said John with a shrug of resignation. “Think about what concerns you the most. It might be also the person’s reputation, position, or dream.”
Someone I care for?
I knew Rylee wouldn’t be able to hurt Macy and Anthony, so she could only destroy my reputation.
She was capable enough of doing that.
When I was deep in thought, Louis and the Baumans showed up. As it was a casual dinner, we chatted amiably.
Both Anthony and Sophia seemed to have aged a lot after their daughter and grandson’s demise.
After exchanging pleasantries, we sat down and the server started serving dinner. Sophia took one look at me and said, “Sienna, you’ve lost weight. You should eat more.”
I accepted her kind reminder gratefully. “Thank you. I will!”
Louis chuckled. “The new year is about to arrive. I’m wrapping things up at work, so the party can be held next week to celebrate Letty joining my family. You must come to the party next Monday.”
“Sure, we will!” Sophia agreed happily. “When she came to our house with Marc back then, I really liked you. I’m glad you became her godfather. Marc, well…”
Her voice started to waver at that point. Knowing that the mention of her grandson had upset her, Anthony patted her hand. “Alright. We need to move forward.”
The air was thick with sorrow. I rose to my feet and got on my knees in front of the Baumans and bowed respectfully.
“What are you doing? Stand up! Don’t do this!”
Sophia tried to tug me up, but I remained kneeling and sobbed. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Bauman. I was there that day. It was my fault. If it weren’t for me, Marcus wouldn’t have died.”
Anthony stiffened before they both helped me up. “This isn’t your fault. We watched the surveillance footage. He was really emotional back then. He got off the car because of you. Well, it was fate. We can’t blame anyone else.”
I parted my lips and made a solemn promise. “Mr. and Mrs. Bauman, if you don’t mind, I can take care of you on behalf of Marcus.”
“What a thoughtful child. No wonder Marc fell for you,” said Sophia. She sighed and lamented, “I wish Marc is still here. What a pity.”
After a pause, Anthony gazed at me. “Letty, be honest with me. What happened that day? Why did Marc act that way? He wasn’t usually that reckless. Did he have a reason for doing so?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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