Leah was digging through the cabfor the family registration papers and remarked, "You weren't singing this
tune when you decided to sever ties."
Jacob's expression turned stiff at the mention. "Let's not dredge up the past. Besides, you've been nothing but
frosty to her these last three years, not a hint of warmth. How do you even have the nerve to callout?" Leah
laid the document on the vanity. "I might've been cold, but | never expected to gain anything from her."
Reflecting on the past three years, Leah was riddled with regret. She acted that way to make it up to Lisa, to
even the scales for her. That's why she was so hard on Chloe. She never imagined it would cause Chloe such
irreversible pain.
Leah felt she didn't deserve to be called Chloe's mother. Whether Chloe climbed to the top or lived a modest life,
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtLeah had cto terms with it. As long as Chloe was okay, Leah had no intention of interfering anymore.
Dealing with Lisa alone was headache enough, leaving her too worn out to worry about anything else.
Lately, Lisa had been demanding money every other day. At first, it was a few thousand, then it shot up to tens
of thousands, even hitting a hundred thousand, with requests coming thick and fast. If Leah refused, Lisa would
accuse them of neglecting her. Leah was nearly at her wit's end.
Jacob brushed off Leah's concerns. "We raised Chloe for twenty years. Isn't it fair to expect a little something in
return? Besides, she's going to be the future Mrs. Sartori, the lady of Sartori Corporation. Even a tiny bit from her
could make the Meadows family flourish in Riverbrook."
Jacob was full of hope. "Chloe's not the type to forget what people have done for her. That fallout was just a spat.
And hey, | wasn't playing favorites. | gave her twenty percent of the company's shares. I've been fair, right?"
Leah couldn't help but retort, "Are those shares even worth anything now?"
That struck a nerve with Jacob.
Since Lisa's plagiarism scandal
broke, Belle Epoque got slapped with the copycat tabel and even faced a lawsuit from Missy. Although Chloe
managed to smooth things over later, the tarnished reputation was beyond repair. Belle Epoque's stock price
kept nosediving, sinking to an all-tlow. If it went on like this, the company would soon be on the brink of
bankruptcy. That's when Jacob started pondering about Chloe.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
Jacob continued, "That's why we've got to hold onto Chloe, our lifeline. Lisa just brings trouble, utterly useless,
while Chloe's done us proud, finding such a strong ally. Once the Meadows and Sartori families are tied by
marriage, who'd dare to disrespect us? Yesterday, Mr. Taylor, the bank manager, gavea call. The loan that
had been stuck for six months suddenly got approved with a low-interest rate. Do you think he did it for me? No,
it's because he knows Chloe's marrying into one of the top families."
Jacob grew more and more excited, oblivious to the fact that Lisa, standing outside, had already made a shallow
groove in the wooden door with her nails. Lisa turned and stormed back to her room,
vene
slamming the door with a bang. Then, in a fit of rage, she started smashing everything in sight.
Chloe, always Chloe! Why did she have to cback, and in such style?