Chapter 27
“Sir, are you really Lola’s brother! And you’re here to take her back?” Xander’s voice wavered, his hands nervously rubbing against his thighs. Thinking of the moment Daxon had walked in when Ivy had been beating Lola, Xander was gnawed by guilt
His eyes drified over Lola, who was wearing clothes so worn and faded, with patches scattered across the fabric. If he had known Lola’s brother was coming, he would’ve made sure she was dressed better. He just hoped this didn’t mess up their chance to discuss “compensation”
Xander said. “Well, that’s good. As you can see, our place is so umall. Lola’s been living here, and, well… it’s been tough. It’s probably best for her to go with you..
Seeing Xander beating around the bush, Ivy grew frustrated. She yanked him up and shoved him aude, but when she faced Daxon directly, her courage faltered. She pulled Xander back beside her for support.
Daxon watched them pull and tug at each other in silence before suddenly asking “Who did you buy her from back then?”
Annie was
his sister.
bui bringing her back wasn’t the end of it. The people who had sold her? He’d hunt down every last one.
Xander and Ivy froze on the spot, their minds blank for a second ‘Why is he asking about that all of a sudden they thought.
Getting no response from them. Dason repeated himself, Tell me who you bought her from, and I’ll let this go.”
“Uh… it’s been, what, over ten years? H–How am I supposed to remember that?” Ivy forced a smile, trying to play it off. She was greedy, sure, but even she knew the rules of the trade–never snitch on the seller.
Dustin sensed Dason’s rising anger and quickly chimed in, “say it out. You wanna keep stalling? You want me to deal with you, huh?” Dustin was built like a tank, his face rough and thick with muscle. Just a glare from him could make a kid burst into tears..
Xander and Ivy, always quick to bully the weak but back down when faced with strength, trembled under his glare. Xander stammered, “Sir, I swear, I really don’t remember that.”
Ivy was desperate, and she switched to a more emotional tactic “Sir, we’ve got nothing to do with Lola going missing. Over the years, we’ve raised her from a little three–year–old girl into the teenager she is now. We never let her go hungry or go clothless. We’ve done right by her.”
She grew bolder as she spoke, and her eyes shifted to Lola. “Lola, tell him, isn’t that true?”
Lola froze under Ivy’s gaze. The fresh pain from her recent beating throbbed through her body, and now, as Ivy’s “kind” eyes bore into her, all the years of fear and trauma came flooding back, overwhelming her.
“Y-yes. Mom has been… very good to me,” she muttered, forcing a smile.
Duson, of course, saw right through the lie. He wasn’t the kind of man to be fooled by empty words spoken out of fear.
“Relax,” he murmured, gently ruffling Lola’s hair, his deep voice calm and reassuring. “I’m here now. From now on, no one
on, no one will ever hurt you again.”
The warmth of his large hand on her head gave Lola a rare sense of safety. For the first time in a long while, her foggy mind began to clear, and reality finally set in. Tears spilled from her eyes, and she buried her face in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
Daxon said nothing but only quietly patted her back as she cried.
b
With his boss comforting his long–lost sister, Harry knew it was time for him to do something.
Harry took a step forward and drew Xander and Ivy’s attention. He glanced at the chubby little boy standing in the corner, well–fed and spoiled, and a sly simile tugged at his lips. “The boy looks healthy,” he remarked casually,
Handling families like this, who clearly favored their son over their daughter, wasn’t difficult–just use the kid as leverage.
“What do you want?” Ivy’s face turned pale, and she rushed to scoop Rolland into her arms and held him tight. “If you lay a finger on my son, I
I’ll never let you get away with it, even if it kills me.”
Xander stood by, his face twisted in anger. Roland was their only son, the one who’d carry on the family name. Nothing could happen to him.
Harry said with a chuckle. “No, don’t get the wrong idea. We live in a civilized society–we’re not going to do anything rash.” His next words, though, made Xander and Ivy’s hearts leap with joy. “I just think the boy deserves a better environment to grow up in. It’s a shame he has to live in a place like this?
What does he meant Xander and Ivy exchanged a glance. Could it be they are going to give us some money! I
It makes seuse. We’ve raised Lola for over a decade and put in all that effort. If her brother wants to take her away, surely he dund offer us some compensation”
Seeing that Xander and Ivy were hooked, Harry shified gears. “Xander, Ivy, you both work at Gracewater Industrial Zone, right? I just have a feeling… if you lose your jobs, I’m not sure little Roland’s gonna be rocking those designer sneakers anymore.”
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Chapter 27
Living in a mundown, dump but eventhing
[ managing to buy Roland brand–name shoes–it was clear as day that Xander and Ivy gave their son the best of
slow, deliberate tone. “maybe you’ll even have trouble putting food on the table”
raised Lola for over ten year-
who knows” Harry added
vy’s eyes blazed with fury, her whole demeanor like a mother wolf protecting her cub. “You can’t threaten m
ou think you can
and take her without paying a dime?”
thousand dollar-
you handle the bad press
practically spitting with anger. Ive memorized all your faces. If you don’t give me 190 thousand dollars–no, 300 he hell at your compa I’ve got nothing to lose, anyway. You rich folks care about your reputation, right? Let’s see ho
She wain 1 pulling any punches now. She knew these rich types cared more about their public image than anything
arry’s smile didn’t waver, and he said, “If that’s the path you want to take, we’ll just have to press charges for child abuse. You’re looking at a
nimum of two year in prison”
A flash of fear flickered in Ivy’s eyes as she heard that. Deep down, she knew exactly how she’d treated Lola over the years.
But greed makes one reckless. She clenched her fists and retorted, “You think you can scare me? If I hadn’t bought her, that little brat would’ve died in the streets and you wouldn’t see her now. I fed her, clothed her, and put up with her for years. If I don’t get 600 thousand dolları, you’re not taking her anywhere”
Within a minute, the price had jumped from 300 thousand to 600 thousand dollars.
“And if you don’t pay up. I’ll call the cops myself! Ivy, knowing these people weren’t to be messed with, cast a nervous glance at the stone–faced bodyguards. Hugging Roland tightly, she took a step back, afraid they might get rough.
“Go ahead, call them. Who’s scared of your A female voice came from the doorway
Lola wiped her tears with her hand and turned toward the door. At some point, a crowd had gathered, all familiar faces from the neighborhood. The woman who had spoken was Sophia, the kind neighbor who often gave Lola food
Outside, the crowd was buzzing with whispers
An old man said, “I can’t believe it–Lola was bought? I knew something was off. No one treats their real kid like that.”
“Ivy’s been horrible to that girl, and now she’s got the nerve to demand money from her brother?” another woman said with a sneer.
“Oh, gross. Her shamelessness really has no limits,” a woman with a baby in her a
arms commented.
