Chapter 146 Samwise Negotiates with Fiorello
Adalia bore an uncanny resemblance to a young Maggie. The likeness was so striking that Arya was immediately reminded of the child she had given up to an orphanage years ago. She stood frozen, lost in her thoughts.
"Mrs. Stark? Mrs. Stark?" Adalia called out twice before Arya snapped back to reality. Upon closer inspection, she indeed found a strong resemblance between Adalia and Maggie. Maggie had been in a rush to work and had not fully explained Adalia's situation. All Arya knew was that Adalia was a child from another household in the neighborhood. Seeing the child being mistreated, Maggie had brought her home.
Arya shook her head, dismissing the resemblance as a mere coincidence. After all, children often looked similar before they grew up. "I'll take you to the amusement park, let's go," Arya said, leading Adalia out. Once Arya had grown accustomed to Adalia's face, the likeness to Maggie seemed less pronounced. It was only from certain angles that the resemblance was truly striking. Arya took Adalia to the nearby amusement park. Adalia was timid, even hesitant to ride the carousel. After much persuasion, Adalia finally mustered the courage to ride. It was Adalia's first time on a carousel, and her transition from fear to joy was evident. Arya watched from the sidelines, the sight of Adalia on the carousel stirring memories of when she had taken a young Maggie on a similar ride. The resemblance was uncanny. If Maggie's child hadn't been taken away, they would be around Adalia's age now. A wave of guilt washed over Arya as she thought about her own granddaughter. She had no idea how the child was faring now. Recently, she had been dreaming about the child she had given up. She had inquired at the orphanage, only to find out it had been demolished a year ago and turned into a mall. The children from the orphanage had either been adopted or sent to other orphanages. It would be difficult to track down, especially beyond Arya's capabilities.
Besides, Arya had left the child at the orphanage's doorstep. Going to search now might cause trouble for Maggie. Maggie had a family now, and finding that child could disrupt her life. Arya had sent the child away initially to prevent Maggie from being burdened. It had been over four years now, and it was too late to reunite them. "Mrs. Stark, can I have some cotton candy?" Adalia asked after getting off the carousel, seeing other kids enjoying it. Adalia, despite being mature, was still a child.
"Sure, I'll get you some," Arya said, buying two cotton candies for Adalia.
Adalia smiled happily, saying, "Thank you, Mrs. Stark."
"You're welcome," Arya smiled, realizing that Adalia wasn't as introverted as Maggie had described her. Meanwhile, Fiorello had dropped Maggie off at the company and parked the Chevrolet in a nearby open-air parking lot. As he got out of the car, a Rolls-Royce pulled up immediately.
"Mr. Flores," William got out of the car and opened the door respectfully.
Fiorello asked, "Has Star Bank's President, Aaron Luke, arrived?"
William reported, "Irene sent a message five minutes ago, Mr. Luke is already in the meeting room."
"Alright, let's head to the company."
It was rush hour, and an hour later, Fiorello arrived at the Visionary Futures Group building. As soon as Fiorello stepped out of the car, several executives and secretaries surrounded him, accompanying him into the company. They had all been waiting for Fiorello. As Fiorello walked forward, secretaries and executives briefed him on the work. Just as Fiorello entered the company's gates, a familiar voice sounded nearby. "Mr. Flores, long time no see."
The familiar voice made Fiorello stop and look over. A few meters away, Samwise sat in a wheelchair, smiling at him. Fiorello's expression turned cold, realizing that Samwise knew his identity.
Fiorello's tone was icy, "Quite bold of you to come here."Samwise chuckled, "Mr. Flores goes to bat for Maggie, my law firm closed down, my family's factory was seized, and I'm burdened with millions of dollars in debt. I had no choice but to come to you for help."
Fiorello sneered and walked towards Samwise, looking down at him, "Seems like you've lost your mind." Only someone with a damaged brain would ask him for money. Samwise, however, had a card up his sleeve and wasn't afraid of Fiorello.
Glancing at the people behind Fiorello, Samwise said ominously, "Mr. Flores, since you care so much about Maggie, I'm sure you care about her reputation and wouldn't want the scandal of Maggie having a child out of wedlock to come out, right?"
Hearing this, Fiorello's expression changed slightly. There was a cold edge in his eyes as he asked, "Out of wedlock?"
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