Chapter 463
Chapter 463:
He had expected this. It was always about money.
When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse and low, like a whisper from a weary soul. “I don’t have any money.”
The man’s temper flared instantly. “Don’t lie to me. You think I don’t know how much you’re making? People say your streaming income is huge. You signed a million-dollar deal. Don’t you dare lie to me. Send the money!”
Neal’s jaw tightened. The irony was suffocating. A man who had ignored his struggles and dreams now seemed to know every detail of his finances.
Neal shot back, “Sure, on paper, it looks like I earn a lot. But don’t I pay taxes? Don’t I have to split everything with the platform?”
Neal’s tone was steady, almost hollow. “Do you think everyone lives like you, cutting corners and doing shady deals? Besides, haven’t you already drained every penny I’ve made? Check the transactions—see for yourself how much you’ve taken.”
His words hit home, slicing through the man’s defenses. Like a beast backed into a corner, the man lashed out, spitting curses that slammed into Neal like stones hurled with malicious intent.
Neal dropped his gaze, his lips pressed tight. He stood there in silence, letting the venom pour over him.
His thoughts drifted elsewhere. How had this man, once so refined and gracious, turned into someone so vile, spewing filth with such ease? When the tirade finally ended, the man let out a heavy, ragged breath. “I don’t care how you manage it, but you’ve got an hour to get me fifty thousand. If I don’t see the money, I’ll show up at your school tomorrow and create a scene you won’t forget!”
Neal’s throat tightened, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed the lump forming there. After a long pause, his lips moved faintly, and his voice, barely audible, slipped out. “Why should I?”
“Why?” The man’s sneer dripped with derision. “Because I’m your father, that’s why. Understand? Without me, you wouldn’t even exist. Do you know how much I spent raising you? And now I’m asking for a little back, and you act like it’s a crime. It’s a son’s duty to take care of his father, or are you too blind to see that?”
The line went dead before Neal could respond.
Fresh content available now gαℓησv𝒆𝓁s․com
He stood there for a moment, drained of energy, his hand limp at his side. The phone slipped from his grasp and clattered onto the cold, unyielding floor.
He sat on the bed, then leaned back.
As Neal closed his eyes, the man’s words echoed endlessly in his mind, like a ghost refusing to rest. “I am your father!” The voice cut through the chaos, slicing into his heart.
If this man was his father, the one who had given him life, did that mean he was obligated to endure all this misery?
.
.
.