Chapter 344

Richard forced a tight smile, struggling to maintain his composure. "Darling, you've already drenched me. Can we call it even now?"

His fingers brushed against Margaret's wrist, seeking any sign of forgiveness.

Margaret's eyes burned with fury, her glare sharp enough to cut glass.

Seizing the opportunity, Richard stepped inside the room. "I've reflected on everything. I was wrong—completely blinded by Evelyn. I had no idea about the baby swap back then. If I'd known, I would have stopped her immediately."

Silence. Then—

Wham.

Margaret shoved the divorce papers against his chest.

"I don't care about your mess with Evelyn. We're dividing the assets. Just sign."

Richard's jaw dropped. "Divorce? Have you lost your mind?"

His thoughts raced. Divorce means restructuring Horizon Enterprises. The financial fallout would be disastrous.

"Yes, I've lost it," Margaret hissed. "Every time I think about what Evelyn suffered because of you, I lose it. You owe us, Richard. You've owed us for years. The fact that I'm not leaving you penniless is mercy. Sign, or walk away with nothing."

Richard Hayes stared at his empty bank account, panic rising in his chest.

With no options left, he dialed Vanessa Hart’s number.

The Whitmore Manor buzzed with activity as the family prepared for their holiday feast.

Vanessa paced the grand hallway, her stomach in knots at the thought of facing Ethan Caldwell later.

When her phone rang, she barely glanced at the caller ID before answering.

"Dad," she said dismissively, "why don’t you just stay with Mom for a while?"

"Absolutely not!" Richard hissed. "Going to Evelyn’s place now would be suicide!"

His mind raced.

After Evelyn Sinclair’s boutique had been vandalized, her address had been plastered all over social media.

If he showed up there, it would only make things worse.

And Margaret Hayes? She’d lose her mind if she found out he was hiding at Evelyn’s.

No, the smartest move was to cut ties with Evelyn completely.

Maybe then Margaret would soften.

Women were sentimental creatures—he knew that much.

Margaret came from old money, something Evelyn could never touch.

Richard wasn’t stupid.

Divorcing Margaret was out of the question, especially with the mountain of debt looming over him.

The financial repercussions would be catastrophic.

"Vanessa, could you wire me some funds? I'll just stay at a hotel for a few nights," Richard said.

Vanessa was stunned. She hadn't anticipated her father would ever ask her for money.

But since he had, she couldn't say no.

After ending the call, Vanessa swiftly transferred the amount to Richard's account.

[Dear Customer, your account has received a transfer of 1000 dollars from Vanessa Hart. Current balance: 1048 dollars.]

Richard blinked in disbelief.

The icy wind howled around him, nearly dislodging his wig.

He thought bitterly, I used to gift Vanessa millions during holidays, and now my own daughter can only scrape together a pitiful thousand?

What kind of joke is this?

This won't even cover the hotel charges I put on that driver's card earlier.

Fuming, he dialed Vanessa again.

"Dad, didn't the transfer go through?" Vanessa asked, confused.

The notification pinged on Richard's phone.

His fingers trembled as he stared at the amount.

"Vanessa," his voice was tight, strained. "Why is it only a thousand? Did you misplace the decimal point?"

For a man of his stature, a thousand dollars wouldn’t cover the valet parking at the places he frequented.

Vanessa sighed through the line, irritation lacing her tone. "Dad, I’m not made of money. Between my expenses here and Mom draining my accounts yesterday—fine. I’ll send more."

Another notification.

Ten thousand.

The wind howled around him, biting through his coat as he stood motionless on the sidewalk.

Two weeks ago, he had wired thirty million without a second thought.

Now, the irony burned like acid in his throat.

All those years of bending over backward for her—his golden child—had turned him into a punchline.

His grip on the phone turned white-knuckled.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Evelyn’s quiet voice whispered: I told you so.

But it was too late for regrets.

The damage was done.