Chapter 16
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When Jona found out that Steven had made Sharon abort the child, she was so furious that she slapped him.
“Steven, that was your child! How could you be so heartless?” she yelled at him.
Steven stood there with an expressionless face, coldly watching, lona rage like a shrew. “Mom, my wife can only be Yvonne, and she is the only one I’ll have children with. I won’t consider anyone else,” he said,
Hearing this, Jona became even more enraged. She grabbed a few glasses from the table and smashed them onto the floor with all her might.
The sound of shattering glass mingled with her angry curses. “Now you know that she’s your wife? Why didn’t you say so when you were cheating on her?”
“Steven, if you weren’t my son, I would have destroyed you for what you’ve done to Yvonne,” she went on. “You’re lucky that Yvonne’s parents are gone, Otherwise, they would have definitely killed you,”
Steven hung his head, clenching his fists tightly, his voice hoarse. “Mom, I know I was wrong. All I want now is to win Yvonne back, no matter the cost”
Jona sneered, “Win her back? Why bother? Just divorce her. Besides, she can’t have children anyway-”
“Mom!” Steven suddenly raised his head and shouted loudly, “It’s all my fault that Yvonne is like this!”
“Don’t yell at me!” Iona retorted fiercely. “You have to divorce her anyway!”
She paused for a moment, then her eyes lit up as she remembered something. “Ruth Wyatt, the woman I play cards with, has a niece, I’ve seen her. She has a big behind–she looks like she can have lots of children.
“I’ll go ask Ruth to bring her over for you to see–Hey, I’m not finished talking yet. Where are you going? Steven, get back here!”
But Steven stormed out, slamming the door in anger.
He wandered back to the marital home he shared with Yvonne, where he had been living recently. It was only now that he realized how long it had been since he last set foot here.
The flowers he had planted for Yvonne in the garden years ago had long withered away, unnoticed and unattended.
He had never imagined that Yvonne would truly leave him. In his mind, people always came and went, much like his fleeting relationships that were nothing more than casual flings.
He thought he was just sowing his wild oats while he was young, convinced that no matter what he did, Yvonne would always be waiting for him quietly at home. But he was wrong–terribly wrong.
Now Yvonne was really leaving him. The house had become so desolate, not a single photo of her remained, no trace of her presence at all, as if she had never lived here.
Steven walked into the house and sat on the cold sofa, unable to hold back the sorrow that overwhelmed him. He burst into
tears.
However, he had already lost the one who would hold him and comfort him.
Early in the morning, Iona had made numerous calls to Steven, all of which he ignored. He figured his mother was either going to scold him or pressure him into getting a divorce. He found it annoying.
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Chapter 16
But at noon, Steven’s phone unexpectedly received a photo of a bloodied finger. His heart sank, and he was thrown into a state of panic. Without hesitation, he called back,
“Mr. Chapin, you sure are a busy man. It’s not easy getting you on the line, came the raspy voice of a man on the other end.
“Where’s my mom? What have you done to her?” Steven shouted anxiously,
“Your mom owes us money and hasn’t paid up. We couldn’t reach you, so I had to cut off one of her fingers, the man said. “And I’m planning to cut off another one.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Steven heard lona’s scream from the other end of the phone. It was like a knife piercing his ears, causing his heart to contract sharply.
“Stop it! I’ll pay her debt right away. Name your price. Just let my mom go!” Steven’s voice trembled with anxiety, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.
“Mr. Chapin, your mom lost 3 million dollars gambling,” the man said. “That’s pocket change for you, right? Transfer the money.”
He added, “I heard your company is going public the day after tomorrow. Your gambling–addicted mom might have an impact on that, don’t you think?”
Steven gasped and gritted his teeth. “I won’t call the police. But don’t hurt my mom anymore.”
“Don’t worry. We know the rules,” the man said.
“How can I trust that you’ll let my mom go once you get the money?” Steven asked.
“Believe it or not. If we don’t get the money, maybe we’ll cut off another finger of hers,” the man said.
Steven hung up the phone. After some thought, he transferred the money to the account the man had provided.
Not long after, he received a call from Iona, who was sobbing uncontrollably. “Steven-”
“Mom, are you okay? Are you safe now?” Steven asked urgently.
“They let me go,” Iona choked out.
“Where are you?” Steven asked, grabbing his car keys and rushing out the door.
Iona gave an address, and Steven drove over immediately. When he saw Iona, his heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled. He let out a huge sigh of relief.
He quickly walked over to his mother and anxiously examined her fingers. He saw that all her fingers were still there, but two of them were broken and severely swollen, looking gruesome.
Steven took her to the hospital first, and then they went home.
Iona was still trembling, but she kept cursing, “Steven, I was set up. They were working together to cheat me out of my money. I have to get back at them! Give me some money, I—”
Steven could no longer contain his anger and slammed his fist onto the table. The coffee cup on the table jumped violently, rolled off, and shattered on the floor, spilling coffee everywhere.
His eyes bloodshot, he glared at lona. “Mom, can’t you just quit gambling?”
Iona was startled by his sudden outburst. She flinched slightly, then reacted with anger and embarrassment, retorting, “Mind your own business! My affairs are none of your concern.”
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Chapter 16
Steven trembled with rage. “None of my concern? Look at what you’ve done! You almost lost your life today because of gambling. Are you still unrepentant?”
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Iona turned her head away, avoiding her son’s gaze. “I just had bad luck. I could have won the money back. Those people tricked me. I can’t swallow this.”
Her voice was firm, but her slightly trembling hands betrayed her insecurity.
Steven took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “Mom, let’s drop it this time. But you have to promise me that you’ll go to a rehab center to quit gambling,” he said.
“I won’t go. I heard people get beaten there. Steven, you can’t send me-” Iona tried to argue.
“I’ve already arranged for a rehab center. Someone will take you there tonight,” Steven said.
Iona’s eyes widened in horror. “No. Steven, you can’t do this to me. I don’t want to go to a place like that. I’ll go crazy.”
Undeterred, Steven turned and went upstairs to pack her things.
Yvonne received a message: [Ms. Stark, the 3 million dollars has arrived. As previously agreed, we split it 50/50.]
Yvonne smiled, and after receiving the money, she logged into another account.
The response came almost instantly, as if the person on the other end had been waiting for her: [Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it for you.]
Yvonne deleted the messages. There was one more act to play tomorrow, and then it would all be over.
A message from Reid slipped in like a ghost: [Are you avoiding me?]
Yvonne deleted it again.
Before long, there was a knock on the door. Yvonne thought it was the takeout she had ordered and was about to open it when she suddenly became alert. She peered through the peephole.
To her surprise, she found herself staring into Reid’s long, deep eyes. His eyes were like a profound lake, as if they could see through everything, causing Yvonne’s heart to jolt.
Yvonne stood there, stunned and filled with astonishment. She had deliberately switched hotels, choosing one in a remote location, thinking she could escape Reid’s pursuit. But he had still found her.
Reid seemed to know she was standing behind the door. He knocked a few more times, slowly and deliberately, then pointed to the expensive watch on his wrist. He raised his hand and held up three fingers in front of the peephole.
A second later, he lowered one finger, then another. His movements were unhurried but carried an intangible sense of pressure, as if he were counting down.
When he lowered the last finger, Yvonne gritted her teeth. After weighing the pros and cons in her mind, she opened the door.
Reid’s lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. The smile blossomed on his handsome face felt somewhat annoying to Yvonne.
“Well, I was half–expecting to have to pay for a broken door,” Reid said.
“Mr. Simmons, what on earth do you want?” Yvonne truly didn’t understand why this man was always so persistent with her.
Chapter 16
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Reid didn’t answer. He walked into the room as if he owned the place and casually scanned it. The furnishings were rather shabby, with peeling paint on the walls and even some dust in the corners.
He walked over to the bed, sat on it, and tested its springiness, which creaked loudly. Turning to Yvonne, he said, “Pack your things. I can’t sleep on this bed.”
“I never asked you to sleep here,” Yvonne retorted. As she passed by him, Reid suddenly hoisted her up over his shoulder.
“Hey! Reid, what are you doing? Put me down!” Yvonne struggled and shouted, pounding her fists on Reid’s back, but he stood as still as a mountain.
“Stay still. Do you want to be trending on social media tomorrow?” he said.
Yvonne immediately understood. She knew that with Reid’s fame and influence, it would be incredibly easy for him to make something a trending topic.
If he didn’t want to be discovered, not even the most persistent paparazzi could find a single clue. But if he wanted to be discovered, he could definitely make it happen.
Yvonne dared not move anymore. She wasn’t yet divorced from Steven. If someone were to capture her in such an ambiguous situation with Reid, the consequences would be unimaginable.
“Put me down. I’ll walk by myself!” Yvonne shouted helplessly.
Reid paused for a moment, as if thinking, then let her down. He held her hand tightly, as if afraid she would run away.
Yvonne glared at him, trying to shake his grip. “Why are you acting like a scoundrel?”
Reid looked deeply into her eyes, his profound gaze flickering with complex emotions–affection, helplessness, and a hint of desire hidden beneath the surface.
He spoke slowly, “If I were a scoundrel, you wouldn’t be Steven’s wife anymore.”
His voice was soft, but each word felt like a heavy blow to Yvonne’s heart.
Reid wished he had known earlier how much Steven would hurt her. He truly regretted not taking her away from Steven
sooner.
This time, Reid had only brought one bodyguard. The bodyguard raised a partition, and the back seat became like a separate, private world, shutting out the noise and chaos of the outside.
As the car drove out of the city, Yvonne couldn’t help but ask, “Where are you taking me?”
Reid replied half–jokingly, “Since you’re not being obedient, I thought about finding a remote wilderness and burying you there.”
Yvonne snorted. “Childish.”
After speeding along the highway for a while, the car pulled into a quiet hot spring resort, nearly deserted of people. Reid navigated the resort like he owned the place, driving smoothly to a private villa.
He took Yvonne’s hand and led her inside. As soon as they entered, Reid tugged off his tie and undid his belt buckle.
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