Chapter 489 Can't Let Her Get Off Easy
After exchanging pleasantries, Fiona then proceeded to discuss the bone marrow donation with Clarie.
"In any case, I've confirmed with the doctor that donating won't harm Daren's health or affect his life in the future," Fiona said. "You can rest assured."
"Yeah, I know that." Clarie nodded.
"If there's anything else you need, just ask. I'll do everything in my power to help."
Clarie quickly waved her off. "No need. You've already saved Bettie for us and found a doctor. I'm truly grateful."
Fiona could tell that this family of three was genuinely kind-hearted.
"You and your brother should be taking the SATs next year, right?" Fiona inquired.
Bettie nodded and then instinctively glanced at her brother who had been out of school for quite some time now.
"Collecting the bone marrow will take time, and your mom will still need treatments, so you'll likely be staying in Bay City for a while," Fiona remarked. "Daren, why don't you catch up on your missed schooling this summer? I'll get a tutor for you. Education is important."
Daren looked surprised.
He couldn't bring himself to say no and subconsciously looked to his mother.
Clarie, with tearful eyes, turned to Fiona, "Madam... Daren will repay your kindness in the future."
If it had just been about her, Clarie might have refused.
However, the thought of Daren not being able to continue his education had always troubled her.
Last year she even thought about ending her life to resolve everything, hoping that then Daren might be able to return to school.
Her failure to continue her education had confined her to a life of numbness, toiling away like an animal.
She did not want Daren to follow in her footsteps.
With a world so vast and full of possibilities, she wished her children could soar.
"No need to say things like that," Fiona said sympathetically to Clarie. "You've raised your kids well, truly admirable."
Clarie offered a bashful smile. " Perhaps my perseverance has finally paid off."
Fiona didn't linger for too long. After saying what needed to be said, she stood up to leave.
"I'll walk you out," Daren offered.
Fiona nodded her approval. Then, Daren followed her into the elevator.
"Do you have something you want to say to me?" Fiona asked.
"Steven called my mom," Daren said with a heavy tone.
Fiona nodded; her demeanor composed. "What did he say?"
"He was raving like a madman, spouting nonsensical gibberish. I have no idea what kind of wild dreams he's having, insisting your husband is his real brother." Daren frowned in frustration, a visible sign of his sheer loathing for Steven.
"Maybe he's just gone crazy with greed?" Fiona quirked her lips.
"As preposterous as his lie is, you might want to be cautious, madam. What if he goes to your business rivals or colludes with the media to stir up trouble? Could get messy, couldn't it?"
Fiona looked at Daren somewhat taken aback. She had dealt with all sorts of shady characters over the years and hadn't come across someone as naïve as Daren in a long time. She initially thought maybe Daren was probing for something.
"Don't worry, Steven won't get that chance."
Daren paused, taken aback. He'd seen plenty of those old gangster films with plots revolving around silencing someone.
"Are you suggesting that Steven is..." Daren gestured across his throat.
Fiona laughed heartily, "What are you thinking? We're legitimate businesspeople; why would we resort to murder?" At most, they'd ensure that someone who shouldn't speak, can't.
As they reached the parking garage, Fiona gave Daren's arm a gentle pat. "Your teachers will start reaching out to you tomorrow. Take care of your sister and focus on your studies, make it out of that small fishing village."
"Yeah." Daren nodded, his eyes brimming with emotion.
Maria had been uneasy since she answered Thalassa's call. In fact, ever since Thalassa had fallen out with the family, she could feel Justin growing colder by the day. Particularly after the business partners Thalassa had brought in started dropping out, some risking the penalties to break their contracts outright.
In the middle of the night, after being away for two days, Justin finally came home. Maria approached him. Several steps away, she could smell the scent of alcohol, cigarettes, and women's perfume on him.
"Why didn't you answer my calls?" Maria asked gravely. "Where were you last night; you didn't come home?"
"Come home?" Justin peeled off his jacket and tossed it aside. "Why don't you take a good look in the mirror and see the wretched sight you are every day? My business has already taken a major hit because of your issues in Chicago. The company is on the brink of bankruptcy, I'm hounded daily by creditors; I'm sick of it. To come home to your sobbing face, playing the martyr day in and day out? No wonder I don't want to go home."
Maria's lips paled slightly, and her eyes welled up with tears, though she fought to hold them back, fearing Justin's disapproval.
"Honey, Thalassa called me and said someone went to her asking for money again. What's that about?" Maria asked.
Justin glanced at her. "You're asking me? How should I know? Maybe it's those people you took with you last time to ask for money. They might have tipped off some other loan sharks. When they couldn't find me, they went to your sister in Chicago," he said with a dismissive tone.
His current predicament was all because Thalassa, the ingrate, had directly crossed Solomon and the Rhodes family. He was already struggling to stay afloat. Luckily, he had recently found a promising investment opportunity overseas. Vindictive by nature, Justin had already planned not to let Thalassa off the hook, as she held him responsible for his downfall.
After all, he had raised her, and she had betrayed him by meddling with his son and disrupting the harmony of his household. As if that weren't enough, she meddled in his business too.
He wouldn’t let her get away with it so easily.
Justin calculated that once he cashed out and skipped town, his scattered debts would amount to over seventy million—all private debts, payments for goods, construction contracts, and such. He planned to give out Thalassa's number to his creditors before he went off the grid.
They would surely resort to all kinds of extreme measures to pressure Thalassa into paying up. Justin wasn't worried about her ability to fend for herself, especially with a powerful friend at her side. As for retaliation, he wasn't concerned; he had his escape all mapped out. After vanishing, he'd have minor plastic surgery to alter his appearance slightly, then assume a new identity and start a new life elsewhere.
Maria frowned in concern. "I never gave those people Thalassa's number, so how did they get it?"
Justin looked at her with impatience. "Are you implying that I gave it to them? That I purposely set out to screw you over?"
Faced with his aggressive questioning, Maria's certainty wavered. "That's not what I mean." She reached out and took hold of Justin's hand. "Dear, you said last time was going to be the last time we asked Thalassa for money, I just—"
Before Maria could finish her sentence, Justin violently pulled his hand away, causing her to cry out in surprise. Frail and unsteady, she stumbled backwards, taking two steps before falling to the ground, her forehead colliding with the shoe bench.
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