Chapter 307

Polly quickly recovered, straightening her back. "What, am I wrong? You treat strangers better than your own family. That Yesenia girl, that mute... you treat those two women like treasures. I'm telling you, if you don't get Renata out, don't blame me for what I do."

Clifford just stared at her silently. After a moment, he spoke. "And what do you plan to do?"

Polly snorted. "Cut the nonsense. Get your sister out. I might not be able to get her out of prison, but I can certainly put a couple of other people in."

The threat was clear.

A cold smile touched Clifford's lips. "Then by all means, try."

Without another word, he turned and walked away.

Polly was left fuming, nearly jumping in frustration. She stared at her son's retreating back, her nails digging so deep into her palms they nearly drew blood. From his attitude, it was clear he had no intention of helping Renata.

The realization sent a chill through her heart. She couldn't believe this was the son she had raised.

...

Meanwhile, Latisha waited a long time before she was able to hail a cab. She sat in the back, distractedly scrolling through her phone. Her mind felt empty, hollowed out. Her eyes scanned the screen, but nothing registered. Her focus was gone.

Then, an entertainment news alert popped up: *Stunning Newcomer Yesenia's Secret Backer Revealed!*

Latisha's heart skipped a beat. Before she knew it, her finger had already tapped the notification.

P.ne

The article was filled with photos of Yesenia. There were two candid shots: one at an airport, and another on a film set, with Clifford's arm around her. Another photo showed Clifford at Yesenia's home, her arm linked with his his head bent as if he were whispering something to her. Even though the picture was blurry, it screamed one thing: a perfect match.

Latisha scrolled down past photos of Clifford alone-in a suit, hands in his pockets, surrounded by a crowd at some business event. Despite the numbe of people, his face was the immediate focal point. Below that was a brief bio: CEO of the Lambert Group, became the designated successor at age 23...

The news had caused an explosion online. Clifford rarely appeared in public, so most people didn't know who he was or what he looked like. The world had no shortage of fich men or young entrepreneurs but a young, handsome one was bound to become a topic of intense discussion.

Though the article was meant to expose Yesenia's rumored relationship, the comment section was filled with people swooning over Clifford.

The top comment read: [I finally understand the difference between a boss and a CEO from a romance novel.]

Another one: [Damn, with a face like that, forget being his mistress, I'd be happy to be the dog chained to his front gate.]

Latisha scrolled through the comments, a bitter smile on her lips. People were always like this. When they had nothing, they wanted the simplest, most insignificant things. But then greed took over, and they wanted more and more.

Latisha turned off her phone and opened the car window. A light rain was falling, and the wind blew cold droplets onto her face, seeping into her skin, bone-deep.

Suddenly, the car lurched violently. Latisha's head slammed against the window, the pain so sharp that her vision went black.

The driver cursed, forced to stop. He got out to check the damage.

Latisha rubbed her head and looked up. Their taxi had collided with a white van.

The driver came back and leaned in. "Miss, this car isn't going anywhere for a while. You should get out and call another one."