Free Web NovelChapter 162: Chapter 162: You Have No Right to Choose
After all this, she still had the nerve to play dumb with me?
Mrs. Vaughn truly regretted not bringing a second handbag—she should have just used it to beat her to death on the spot!
"Would I have tracked you down without any proof? You’ve got the guts to spend the money, but not the guts to admit it. Weren’t you supposed to be so tough? Is this all you amount to? Evidence? You’re asking me for evidence, are you? Fine. Here you go."
Her face dark with fury, she picked up her handbag, yanked out a stack of bank statements, and threw them in Cecelia Archer’s face.
"Take a good look! This is irrefutable proof, and you can’t deny it! Didn’t you claim you weren’t a gold-digger? Are you going to pay him back? Give me a date. When do you plan on paying it all back?"
Cecelia Archer caught the papers, unfolded them, and read through them line by line.
She recognized the first few transactions, but she was stunned when she saw one for forty million.
The transaction was with Vaughn Properties, a subsidiary of the Vaughn Group. Damien Vaughn had personally purchased two properties there.
’Wait, aren’t these the properties she and her brother got from selling their old family home recently? This...’
No wonder she felt something was off at the time.
Their old family home was remote, far-flung, and dilapidated. How could anyone have spent so much money on it? So Damien Vaughn had deceived her!
In an instant, Cecelia Archer’s face burned with shame.
’She had never mentioned wanting a house to Damien Vaughn. Why would he think of buying one for her?’
’Could it be that he thought her brother’s current place was in too poor of a location? That he couldn’t stand to see it?’
Regardless, Damien Vaughn shouldn’t have done this.
If Cecelia Archer had known he was the one who bought it, she would have died before accepting it! freewёbnoνel.com
But now, it was too late to say anything.
"Mrs. Vaughn, I..."
"What? The proof is right in front of you, and you’re speechless? Feeling guilty? You shameless vixen! Look at the mess you’ve made of my son! If this continues, are you going to bewitch him into selling the Vaughn Group and cashing out all the stocks to spend on you? The nerve you have!" ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Cecelia Archer was at a loss for words.
Before seeing the statements, she thought she had merely accepted a little harmless help from him. But now...
Seeing her silence, Mrs. Vaughn stormed forward, grabbed her by the shoulders, and gave her a hard shove.
"I’m talking to you! Are you deaf or mute? Why aren’t you answering me? Will you only be satisfied once you’ve run the Vaughn Group into the ground and turned Damien into the laughingstock of all of Veridia?"
"No... no, I didn’t..."
Cecelia Archer looked at her unconscious daughter lying in the hospital bed. Other than shaking her head, she didn’t know what else she could do.
Mrs. Vaughn was relentless.
"If that’s not it, then take your bastard child and get out! Scram as far away as you can! And never let Damien see you again!"
"Fifty million is more than enough for someone like you to live on for the rest of your life. As long as you leave as I’ve arranged, I can let the matter of the money go."
"Cecelia Archer, you’re already a very successful gold-digger. Meeting me and my son was the best thing that ever happened to you. You should be grateful."
If Candy’s condition hadn’t worsened these past two days, if her surgery hadn’t been postponed, Cecelia Archer would have left on her own without Mrs. Vaughn having to chase her away.
But there were no ’ifs’. With Damien Vaughn around, it was still uncertain if Candy’s life could be saved. If she left him, her daughter would likely have no way out but death.
Cecelia Archer wasn’t afraid of dying. From the day she was born, she had experienced almost nothing worth being happy about or holding onto. To her, living or dying didn’t matter.
But Candy was different. She was so young. Cecelia Archer couldn’t bear to let her suffer for three years only to have her life end so carelessly. No matter what, she had to fight for Candy.
"I’m sorry, Mrs. Vaughn, but I can’t leave just yet."
"I’m sorry my presence has caused you so much trouble. But... I can promise you, as soon as Candy gets better and leaves the hospital, I’ll find a job. Even if I have to starve myself, I will pay back the money I owe Damien as quickly as possible..."
"You promise? What will you use as a guarantee? Your worthless character, or your scheming heart? I thought you were someone who knew when to quit, that you’d take the hint and leave quietly after I’d said so much. I never thought you’d be this greedy! You’re not leaving, is that it? Fine. Then don’t blame me for what happens next!"
"Mrs. Vaughn, what are you going to do?"
Cecelia Archer knew this hospital belonged to the Vaughn Group. Damien Vaughn had influence here, which meant Mrs. Vaughn did too. She was terrified Mrs. Vaughn would kick them out.
"I’ll pay the money back! I didn’t know Damien paid for the house himself. I haven’t touched a single cent of that forty million. I’ll sell the house right now and return the money to you. Please, just don’t make Candy leave the hospital. Give me a little more time, please?"
"Really! I promise you! As soon as Candy is well, I will stop bothering Damien! If I don’t keep my word, you can do whatever you want to me then, and I’ll accept it!"
Seeing her swear so earnestly and offer to repay the money immediately, Mrs. Vaughn decided to give her a chance to prove herself.
"Alright, then. I’ll give you one last chance, and I’ll even grant you a special privilege. Go find an agent at Vaughn Properties right now. I’ll have them buy back your properties at the original price. Have the full forty million, not a cent less, transferred to my account by 5 PM tonight."
To Cecelia Archer, the houses were just material possessions. She could sell them without a second thought, and she believed her brother would support her decision.
But if she left now, what would happen to Candy, all alone here?
She glanced worriedly back at her daughter.
Mrs. Vaughn sneered.
"I wouldn’t stoop to breaking the law or ruining my own life over people like you. All I want is for my son to be safe and sound. Don’t worry, I won’t lay a finger on her. Besides, you don’t have the right to hesitate."
"Cecelia Archer, you have two choices: take your daughter and get out of Veridia right now, or have the money in my account by 5 PM. You can only pick one."
Cecelia Archer truly had no right to choose. No matter how worried she was, she could only pick the latter option.
"Then I’ll have to trouble you to wait here for a bit. I’ll go right now."
Cecelia Archer grabbed her bag and hurried out of the hospital. She called her brother while hailing a cab to the Vaughn Properties transaction center.
Her brother was shocked when he heard she wanted to sell the houses.
"We’ve only had the houses for a few days! What kind of emergency happened that you need to sell them?"
"Candy is sick, very sick. Just come over first, and I’ll explain in detail when you get here. Brother, it’s too complicated to explain over the phone. Just please, do this for me, okay?"
As soon as her brother heard that Candy was seriously ill and needed money, he stopped asking questions, immediately left work, and went home to get the property deeds.
But the moment he walked in the door, he caught his wife’s attention.
"Why are you back at this hour? Is your leg bothering you again? Did you take time off?"
"I swear, you’re unbelievable. Why is it always something with you? We have a huge mortgage to pay every month, can’t you just tough it out? It’s almost the end of the workday, and all you ever think about is taking time off!"
Her brother didn’t want to argue with her and silently went into the bathroom, but his wife relentlessly followed him in.
"I’m talking to you! Are you mute? What did you really come back for? To use the toilet? There are plenty of toilets outside, you couldn’t use one of them? Are you crazy?"
