Secrets 285
hapter 285 Broken Ties
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“I must have been blind before. Did you hear him on the phone just now? Stammering, shrinking, not a single honest word in his mouth. A man like that – when the Joyner family was strong, he hovered around me. When the Joyners fell, he hid faster than anyone else. And now that Scarlett still has value to him, he runs to her pretending to be devoted. Mom, do you think that kind of man deserves my love?”
Rebecca picked up a perfume bottle from the table and sprayed it twice into the air.
The sweet, heavy floral scent spread out, but it couldn’t cover the stale mildew that lingered in
the room.
“I only like things that are useful now. Connor? Once Scarlett pulls the patent, his company won’t last three days before collapsing. What use is a ruined man to me?”
Martha stared at her daughter in shock, as if she were seeing her for the first time.
The timid girl who used to blush at the sight of Connor calculating?
–
when had she become so cold, so
Was it the day the Joyners went bankrupt? Or the day she was sent to prison?
“But…” Martha started, but the doorbell suddenly rang.
Mother and daughter exchanged a look. Rebecca gestured for her to answer.
Nervously, Martha peeked through the peephole. To her surprise, Connor was standing outside.
His hair was a mess, his suit rumpled, his face etched with exhaustion and desperation. Gone was the polished, confident man he had once been.
“It’s… it’s Connor,” Martha whispered, her voice trembling.
Rebecca’s eyes chilled, her lips curling into a mocking smile. “Ha. Speak of the devil. What’s he here for – to beg?”
“Should I… open the door?”
“Open it.”
Rebecca sat back on the sofa, picked up a fashion magazine, and began flipping through the pages as if the man outside meant nothing.
“Let’s see just how pathetic this ‘Connor‘ looks now.”
8:31 Sat, Sep 27
Chapter 285 Broken Ties
Her address was supposed to be a closely kept secret.
That meant someone must have arranged for him to come.
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Maybe the people watching wanted to see how she would react.
If she failed this test, she might be discarded too.
So Connor had to come in. And she had to make her choice now.
Martha hesitated, but opened the door. Connor stumbled inside at once, reeking of alcohol.
“Rebecca! I need Rebecca!” His eyes were unfocused, his voice frantic, like a drowning man clawing for air.
Rebecca closed her magazine and lifted her gaze. “Mr. Jude graces us with his presence. What brings you here?”
Connor staggered to her, his voice nearly begging. “Rebecca, help me! Scarlett is pulling the patent. Jude Group can’t collapse! Go to her, tell her you have nothing to do with me. Ask her to forgive me!”
So he thought she could help.
He wanted her to beg Scarlett for him?
“Beg her?” Rebecca laughed bitterly.
“Connor, you want me to beg her? Where were you when the Joyner family fell? Where were you when I was thrown into prison? Now that you’re about to go under, suddenly you remember me?”
He froze, unable to answer, only repeating himself.
“Rebecca, I know I was wrong, just help me. If you talk to Scarlett, then from now on-”
“From now on?” Rebecca shot to her feet, closing in on him, her eyes blazing with hatred.
“What can you give me from now on? A bankrupt company? That worthless life of yours? Do you think I’m still that naive little fool? You lied to me once- said you were only using Scarlett for her patent, that once the Joyners stabilized you’d marry me. And what happened?The Joyners collapsed, and you ran straight to her. Now that she’s cutting you off, you come crawling back to me?”
Her voice rose, shaking with long–buried fury and resentment. “What do you take me for? A backup? A pawn? Garbage you can toss when you’re done?”
8:32 Sat, Sep 27
Chapter 285 Broken Ties
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Connor flinched under the venom in her eyes, stumbling back. “Rebecca, listen, that’s not what I meant-”
“Get out.”
“Rebecca-”
“I said get out!”
She snatched up a vase and nearly smashed it at him. At the last second she stopped, only pointing toward the door.
“Connor, remember this. From the day the Joyners collapsed, you and I were finished.Your downfall is your own doing. Don’t drag me into it. And don’t ever show your face to me again. Just looking at you makes me sick.”
Connor stood frozen, staring at her in disbelief, hearing her words strike like knives.
On the phone before, even though she had sounded hurt, her voice had been filled with longing.
She hadn’t seemed like someone who could cut him off so cruelly.
Could it be… because of what he’d said in the livestream?
But he hadn’t had a choice.
If he hadn’t chosen, the crowd of viewers would have ripped him apart.
Send Gifts
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