CHAPTER 122
The next day.
Arianna carried a black leather suitcase and walked into the Larssons’ residence.
Simon and Margaret were already waiting on the sofa in the living room. As soon as they saw her walk in, Simon asked impatiently,
“Where’s the money?”
Arianna did not answer him. She walked over, sat on the sofa opposite them, and placed the black leather suitcase on the coffee table. She opened the lid to reveal the one million dollars in cash that she had withdrawn from the bank.
Simon rubbed his hands excitedly. “I knew you had a way to get money, Arianna.”
He stretched out his hand and wanted to touch the money, but before his fingers could reach the cash, Arianna snapped the lid shut.
Simon’s hand was nearly caught in between, and he shrank back subconsciously before lashing out at her. “What are you doing, Arianna?”
After closing the suitcase, Arianna placed her hand gently on it and looked up at Simon and Margaret. She said coldly,
“I can give you the money, but….”
Arianna paused for two seconds before continuing the rest of her sentence. “…I have conditions!”
Simon and Margaret had already expected that Arianna would not hand over the one million so easily. Simon was not surprised and even spoke ahead of her,
“You just want to see Charlie, don’t you? Alright, I agree!”
He turned to the butler at one side. “Bring Corey out.”
The butler nodded. “Yes, Sir.”
They soon returned with Charlie.
Arianna’s attention immediately went to Charlie. Although she could see that his face was pale and his breathing was weak, her anxious heart managed to calm down slightly when she saw that there was no obvious injury on him.
When Charlie saw Arianna, he called out weakly, “Ari.”
He wanted to walk toward Arianna, but the butler grabbed his arm and prevented him from moving further.
Arianna’s gaze turned cold and she tapped her fingers lightly on the suitcase while she said sullenly,
“Come here.”
Simon did not know whether he felt that victory was within his grasp or whether there was another reason, but he seemed quite magnanimous and gave the butler a look.
The butler understood and immediately released Charlie’s arm.
Charlie walked slowly toward Arianna, who asked him softly, “How are you feeling, Charlie?”
He nodded with some difficulty, “I’m fine, Ari.”
Those two sentences had already made Simon run out of patience. He began to urge,
“We’ve given him to you, Arianna. Now give us the money!”
A hurt expression surfaced unknowingly in Charlie’s eyes. Although he had been imprisoned by his parents the past few days and knew their attitude firsthand, it stung painfully to hear such indifference from them.
When Arianna saw that, she raised her head and gently rubbed his hair to comfort him. No one else could understand him better than she could.
It wasn't too big a deal because there was a silver lining in letting him have a clear view of their true nature. At the very least, it would save him from continuously misplacing his affection and wasting time on people who didn’t deserve it. Otherwise, he would just end up with scars all over him.
Arianna pulled Charlie behind her and looked right at Simon’s greedily eager eyes again.
“I have one more condition!”
She then took out a document from the bag she carried with her and threw it on the coffee table, cutting straight to the chase.
“Sign this and the money is all yours!”
Simon and Margaret looked at the document together and saw the words written clearly on it: “Relinquish custody of Charlie!”
Simon’s face turned dark and his expression became hostile. “What’s the meaning of this? You want Charlie to sever ties with his own father?”
Father...
Arianna could not help but sneer, “You call yourself Charlie’s father, but what have you done for him? Not caring for him is bad enough, but you went so far as to bargain his life for money. What makes you think you have the right to call yourself a father?”
“You!” Simon was stunned by her rudeness, his face turning all shades of blue. He had nothing to refute her.
Margaret was unwilling to show weakness and immediately screamed, “You’re an unfilial child, Arianna, and now you’re dragging your brother along with you. What sins have I committed to deserve such a heartless child!”
She wailed and shouted, beating her chest and stomping her feet in dramatic frustration.
Arianna watched the charade coldly and exposed the whole act without hesitation,
“You’d be more convincing if you managed to squeeze out a tear or two. All you do is scream, and your eyes stay dry. Do you really expect me to feel something with such poor acting skills?”
“Arianna, you…” Margaret's face turned crimson.
Arianna uncapped her pen and tossed it onto the document. “Sign it. Let’s stop wasting each other’s time.”
Since Charlie was under 18 and had a severe heart condition, his parents, Simon and Margaret, held custody and made all decisions for him.
That was why they could sign for Charlie and demand his release from the hospital. They could take him away at their own discretion, regardless of the hospital's recommendations.
Simon and Margaret understood that Charlie was her vulnerability. As long as they held control over Charlie, she had no option but to comply. It was akin to her previous marriage, where they wielded the same power over her.
Their demeanor would only worsen once they tasted the benefits!
To prevent future complications, she needed to gain custody of Charlie. This would prevent her parents from exploiting Charlie and using him to manipulate her.
Simon was visibly agitated, but suddenly, a smirk crept onto his face. "Well, well, Arianna. You've grown quite bold to think you can threaten us now!"
His eyes turned icy as he pounded the table and stood up abruptly. "Do you honestly believe you and Charlie can walk out that door without handing over the one million?"
Simon never intended to let Arianna take Charlie away that day. The boy was too valuable as leverage against her, and Simon wasn't about to relinquish that advantage easily.
With Arianna now openly at odds with them, Simon didn't bother appealing to familial ties.
"Guys, come in!"
Simon's command brought several burly bodyguards rushing in from the yard, quickly encircling Arianna and Charlie.
