Chapter 485 A Painful Past
Steven hadn't been on the run from the hospital for long when he got a call from the town.
He learned that Clarie and Bettie Baker had just left with a few people, carrying bags large and small.
Steven had mentioned it himself.
As Daren was not yet eighteen, a parent’s signature was needed for a bone marrow transplant.
Steven was certain that Clarie must have followed the unscrupulous couple's folks to Bay City.
Hiding in a filthy alley, Steven hastily dialed Clarie's number.
Clarie, worried about her son Daren's condition, felt a sudden jolt in her brow when she saw Steven's call come in.
Glancing up, she saw Bettie engaged in the check-in process, alongside the escorts taking them to Bay City.
Steven, the absolute scum. He was treacherous and cunning, never acting with a shred of decency.
Daren had gone to Bay City with him.
Even though Daren had repeatedly assured her he was safe and nothing had happened, Clarie answered the phone.
"Hey, I thought I'd have to call like a dozen or twenty times before you'd pick up!" Steven exclaimed in surprise.
"Steven, you better stop eying my son and daughter," Clarie hissed through clenched teeth. "You monster, how could you be so heartless to think about selling your own flesh and blood to cover your gambling debts."
By all accounts, Steven should have been spewing obscenities by now.
However, he wasn't.
Instead, he chuckled on the other end of the line.
"Honey, why do you think I gamble? Isn’t it because of you? Your illness is costing a fortune, and I just wanted to win a bit more to pay for your treatments. And it would be a shame if our boy, who's such a bright student, couldn’t go to college just like you couldn’t. What a waste that would be!"
Steven knew exactly where to twist the knife.
Clarie gritted her teeth.
The painful memories that she wished to forget resurfaced in her mind.
That year, she worked a summer job at a shoe factory in town to save up for college tuition.
At the time, Steven drove trucks for the factory.
When the incident happened, it was during a hurricane; the factory was closed, and that beast Steven sneaked into the small room she had rented.
The storm raged for three days, and Steven tormented her for three years.
Afterward, when she wanted to go to the police.
Steven threatened to kill her family. So, she swallowed her disgust, moved out overnight, and got another part-time job.
She had thought.
If she just didn’t think about those days, they would eventually fade away.
However, just before school started, she broke down when she discovered she was pregnant...
"Steven, you are truly repulsive!" Clarie snapped out of her agonizing memories and spat out the words with venom.
Steven was unfazed as usual.
It wasn’t the first time Clarie had cursed at him, and this wouldn’t be the last.
"Believe it or not, I really wanted us to have a good life together. Do you even know why you came to Bay City this time?"
Clarie stayed silent.
She had a vague idea it involved donating bone marrow for a kid with leukemia.
However, she wasn't sure what game Steven was playing, so she kept her mouth shut.
"I bet my heartless brothers and their wives wouldn't tell you," Steven sneered. "My half-brother is the one who contacted you. Ever heard of the Solomon Group?"
Clarie knew about Solomon.
Her son in Chicago always said he wanted to study finance and work at Solomon after graduation.
"My brother Darwin is the president of Solomon, and his wife is even more remarkable – the heiress of the Rhoads family fortune, a centuries-old financial dynasty, worth billions. Our Daren is donating bone marrow for their kid!"
Clarie scoffed.
"So what?"
Steven's lies were getting more and more outrageous by the minute.
"People were originally looking to donate to me, you know how much they offered?" Steven didn't wait for an answer, just went ahead, "Fifty million!"
Clarie was shocked.
Steven continued, "But I've got some health issues, so I couldn't do it. I had to let Daren take my place, but now that conniving couple have brainwashed him. He’s not taking a cent from them! Babe, we're talking about fifty million here! With that money, we could take care of your illness, and the kids’ education, and even buy a beachfront villa..."
"Who’s your babe? Gross!" Clarie snapped impatiently. "They helped save my Bettie; Daren is right not to take the money!"
"What did you say?" Steven's tone changed instantly over the phone. "Clarie, you looking to get yourself killed? Did I not hit you enough before? Let me tell you, once you get to Bay City, you tell Daren, not a penny less than fifty million! And when he talks to them, record everything, I want them to say it in their own words that Darwin is my half-brother with the same mother."
"In your dreams!" If Steven had been in front of Clarie right then, she would’ve spat in his face. "I won't let my Daren to be your dupe!"
"Clarie, you want to die? You think my little brother can protect you for long? Once the bone marrow transplant is done, you'll be useless and kicked back. And then, I'll make sure you and your precious Daren from Bettie regret it!"
Clarie turned pale.
Her memory took her back to that night Steven threatened her using her family.
"Fine!" Clarie ground her teeth. "If that time comes, Steven, I swear we’ll go down together!"
Daren had changed completely since finding out that Steven was his father.
He used to be so upbeat, always had endless things to talk about with her.
However, now, Daren seemed to walk in a perpetual fog, unsure of what lay ahead.
This time, if she hadn't been spotted in advance by an overseas client, who knows what those lowlifes would have done to her.
Her tolerance had only emboldened Steven.
No more backing down.
If Steven continued to mess with her children, she was determined to take him down with her.
After all, she didn’t have long to live.
Taking Steven down with her before she left this world.
It would be worth it.
Clarie hung up the phone.
"Hello? That damn woman dares to hang up on me!" Steven cursed furiously.
Steven was seething, his head buzzing with anger. Opting for another approach, he thought it was crucial to reach out to the media. As long as people knew he was Darwin's brother, they would surely throw wads of cash his way.
As he mulled this over, footsteps suddenly encircled him from behind. Steven wasn't on guard, after all. However, his peace was abruptly shattered when he found himself confronted by several burly men with tattooed arms.
"What do you..." Steven glanced around at the intimidating figures.
These guys were far more menacing than anyone from his hometown, someone like Bonnie. The tattooed leader, without a word, lifted a hand and delivered a hefty slap across Steven's face.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
