“Exactly.”

Nyla’s eyes didn’t leave his face, watching for even the faintest flicker of guilt or knowledge. But there was none. She nodded slowly. “So you really didn’t know.”

Eric shook his head, frowning. “No. I’ve never looked into the family finances.”

Because Nyla had entrusted that responsibility to Linda.

Nyla let out a quiet scoff and turned toward Linda. “So you kept this from him, didn’t you?”

“I…” Linda stammered, her voice catching like a stone in her throat. No words came. The silence said everything.

“I thought as much.” Nyla offered a thin, bitter smile, then shifted her gaze back to Eric. Her voice sliced through the air, sharp and sudden. “If you knew and let her have her way with it, then yes—you’d be a true bastard. After all, Hadley was…”

“Still your wife back then!”

Eric’s eyes widened. “Grandma, what do you mean? Does this have anything to do with Hadley?”

Nyla gave him a pointed look, then picked up the papers again, flipping to a specific line.

“Didn’t you figure it out yet?” she asked, tapping a number circled in red. “That’s Hadley’s overseas account. Look closer.”

As Nyla’s eyes slid toward Linda, so did Eric’s. And just like that, the pieces snapped into place.

That account—Hadley’s—had been empty for years. A chill settled over him.

He turned fully to Linda now, staring at her like she was someone he didn’t recognize.

“What… what is this? Did you do this?” His voice was low, stunned.

“Eric, listen…” Linda’s voice faltered as she shook her head, lips trembling. Her skin had taken on an ashen pallor, her eyes wide and pleading. Fresh chapters posted on

Eric let out a cold, hollow laugh. His chest felt tight, his entire body locked in tension.

gα?ησν?s?c? brings imagination alive

The air seemed to freeze around him as his expression darkened. “I’m standing right here. Grandma’s here. So speak. Where’s the money, Linda? Why is Hadley’s account completely empty?”

Nyla hadn’t just played the part of a doting grandmother when she promised to take Hadley in—she meant it.

She gave Hadley generous monthly support—half a million in household allowance and another half in personal spending money. A million dollars. Every month. That was twelve million a year.

Hadley had been in Blathe for four years. Forty-eight million dollars in total. And that didn’t include birthday gifts, holiday gifts, and other extra support.

Eric’s mouth drew into a hard, grim line. His breathing quickened as fury slowly climbed through him.

He stared down at Linda’s trembling frame, his heart twisting painfully. “So… all that time Hadley was in Blathe, she received nothing?” His voice was little more than a whisper now. The weight of it hit him like a blow. The world tilted.

He had no idea.

The unspoken question rang loud in the air—How had Hadley survived those four long years in Blathe with no financial support? And not just survived… she’d brought a child into the world. She had raised Joy under those conditions.

Eric’s breath hitched. He opened his eyes and fixed Linda with a burning glare. “Why would you do this?” he asked, his voice trembling with rage. “That money wasn’t yours! It belonged to the Flynn family!”

.

.

.