Chapter 536 Plummeting

"You're just too much like your mother, indecisive," Justin said mockingly. "Do you realize that if Thalassa had died before getting married, all her assets would go to Maria, and what's Maria's is mine, and what's mine is yours! Idiot!"

If she had died early, Fiona might have considered her bond with Thalassa and taken even better care of their family.

These troubles wouldn’t have happened.

"So, is that how you got all these assets?" Chris asked word by word. "When my grandparents died, their wealth went to my mother, and after she died, it all went to you."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Justin's face changed instantly. "Are you suggesting I had something to do with the deaths of your mother and grandparents?"

"You know what you did," Chris said, emphasizing each word.

Perhaps it was because he was so angry.

Justin's head started to throb again.

"I don't have the patience to discuss this with you. Where's the phone you were supposed to bring me?" he said impatiently.

Chris fished a phone out of his pocket and tossed it to Justin.

Justin swapped his SIM card into the new phone from his busted one. He had been too scared to even think about it earlier.

He had completely forgotten to check the stock market.

The international markets must have opened by now.

As Justin logged into the trading platform, he nearly keeled over in shock. "What in the world could plummet sixty percent?"

"What's down sixty percent?" Chris asked urgently, frowning. "What have you gotten yourself into now?"

"It's all your fault! We should have taken care of that jerk Thalassa earlier! Now, her lunatic husband thinks we wronged his little ingrate. He set me up months ago, luring me to pour all my worth into this, and now he's shorting me!"

Chris was dumbstruck for a moment.

Kenny did play the game better.

"Go to Thalassa right now, tell her what's happening, and get Kenny to back off! He's practically putting a hit on me!"

Chris snapped back to reality. "I can go see her, but you have to tell me, what photo did you show Kenny?"

Justin hesitated. "It was just a picture of the two of you kissing, in a crystal frame..." He had gambled his entire fortune on it; there was no point in hiding it now.

Chris knew how to play his cards. He wouldn't let a trifle like this jeopardize his relationship with such a well-connected family.

"Who gave it to you?" Though Chris had an idea, he wanted confirmation straight from Justin's mouth.

"Crystal," Justin replied irritably. "Now hurry up and talk to Thalassa; I've already lost a bundle!"

"So, Crystal knows about my past with Thalassa?" Chris inquired.

Justin frowned. "I told her Thalassa was the one clinging to you, that she cleaned you out. Don't worry."

Chris nodded. "Either your head got whacked, or you should stay in the hospital and get a thorough check-up tomorrow."

"That's the plan. If it turns out I've got nerve damage, I'll use it to negotiate with Kenny."

Chris inwardly mocked Justin's foolishness. To think he could stand up against a top-tier tycoon with his pitiful strength—after being so used to ruling the roost.

As he left the hospital, Chris looked at the darkening sky and felt an immense relief that Thalassa had finally escaped the quagmire of the Shaw family.

He was also grateful that Thalassa had married into such a powerful family. They had the means to protect her; otherwise, she could have become another of Justin's victims.

The thought sent a chill down Chris's spine.

He thought, ‘This can't happen. Even if the opposition held enough power, it couldn't outlast the cunning of the wicked. He thought for a moment.’

Pulling out his phone, he scrolled to his previous call history with Fiona and sent a message. "Ms. Fiona, I've given it a lot of thought. There are indeed many suspicious aspects surrounding my mother's death. I'd like to join forces with you to ensure Justin faces the consequences he deserves."

Fiona and Thalassa had just reached the garage when the message came through.

She glanced at it and handed her phone to Thalassa.

After reading it, Thalassa's expression grew serious. "Could it be that Justin has sensed something and is using Chris to deceive us?"

Fiona was taken aback, but then she laughed, "Do you really dislike Chris that much? At this point, your instinct is to cast him as the villain?"

Thalassa playfully punched Fiona's shoulder. "Stop teasing me. What should we do now?"

"What do you mean, what should we do? If he wants to team up with me, let's team up. I'm curious to see how he plans to take on his own father."

While they were talking, another message from Chris arrived.

"If you're interested, meet me at the funeral home where Mrs. Maria's body is being kept tomorrow at ten in the morning."

"Why go there?" Thalassa immediately furrowed her brow.

She didn't want any member of the Shaw family disturbing her mother's peace.

"Who knows." Fiona's gaze was somber. "I'll go by myself tomorrow."

"No way!" Thalassa was very alert. "We should go together. I know him—if he's lying, I can tell at a glance!"

Seeing Thalassa's reaction, Fiona could tell he had truly lost all other feelings for Chris. She smiled and nodded. "However, you have to tell your husband about this."

Thalassa nodded.

Then, as if something else just occurred to her, she hesitated.

"I don't want to tell him now."

Fiona looked puzzled. "Why?"

"He went to see Justin, didn't he? But he didn't tell me," Thalassa muttered.

"What could Justin possibly tell him?" Fiona rubbed her forehead. "He probably thought it wasn't necessary to bother you with it."

That seemed to make sense.

At that moment, there was a knock on the car window.

Fiona looked over to see Darwin standing with a bent back, staring at her with a resigned expression.

He had been out all day and hadn't come upstairs after returning.

Fiona opened the car door and got out.

"Haven’t you gone to bed yet?"

"I was worried you'd been kidnapped," Darwin replied, taking her bag off her shoulder.

"What good is a bodyguard if she can be kidnapped? By who, Mike Tyson?" Thalassa got out of the car, grumbling.

Fiona immediately burst into laughter.

"What's the use of a bodyguard if you've been swept away by him all day?" Darwin shot back mercilessly.

"We were handling important business!"

"Enough already, it's the middle of the night. You guys trying to wake the elderly or the kids?" Fiona glanced around, clearly annoyed.

At this point, it's hard to say whether Thalassa grew bolder, or if Darwin's temper improved. But the two were actually bickering. Fiona's house wasn't exactly small, but it wasn't that spacious either. Once Carey arrived, even the last guest room was occupied–not counting the one Darwin kept empty but no longer slept in.

Entering the house, Fiona and Thalassa could smell something delicious. The day had been insanely busy; meals had been simple and hasty.

"Welcome back," Kenny said, wearing an apron as he came from the kitchen, greeting Thalassa with a warm and gentle smile.
The Substitute's Revenge: From Secretary to Queen
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