Chapter 217 – 218
Chapter 217
“How did it go, Dad? Is anyone willing to help us?” Matt asked tentatively.
“Fuck those bastards! They come wagging their tails as soon as they have something they want and call themselves my friends, but the moment they find out that our family is in trouble, they start running away! Those fucking fakes!” Phineas‘ face contorted with rage. He never thought that he, the head of the Laney family, would end up like this.
“Dad, everyone always says that misfortune shows you those who are not your real friends. Stop hanging out with them from now on. I’ll make them regret their choice after we pull through.” Matt swore solemnly.
“Matt, my contacts are useless now. You’re the only one I can rely on.” Phineas suddenly thought of someone. “Aren’t you close with Edwin Hummer’s daughter? Why don’t you ring her up and see if she can lend us some money?”
“Oh, right! I nearly forgot! The daughter of the wealthiest man in Swinton should be able to spare us three billion dollars easily. I’ll call her now.”
Matt pulled his phone out and dialed a number.
“My, my. If it isn’t Mr. Laney? How did you find the time to call me?” Someone grumbled over the phone.
“Don’t put it like that, Tina. I’ve been busy at work recently. I called you the second I got some free time,” Matt said with a smile. He was a professional when it came to coaxing women.
“Humph! At least you remembered to call me. So, why are you actually calling?” Tina smiled.
“Because I miss you so much, of course! Why else?” Matt teased.
Tine chuckled mirthlessly. “Right. I’m hanging up if you won’t tell me the truth.”
“Hold on, hold on. I do have a favor to ask you.” Matt cleared his throat. “My business ran into some financial issues recently, so we need some money to turn things around. Would you like to invest in us?”
“How much do you need?” Tina asked back.
“Not much. About three billion dollars.” Matt answered with a smile.
“Three billion isn’t a lot? You’re Joking, right?” Tina’s voice went up an octave.
“To others, it may be a lot. But you’re the daughter of the Hummer family, the prettiest and most talented woman in Swinton. Three billion can’t be much for someone like you.”
Tina was pleased with all the flattery. After all, who didn’t like to hear their lover praising them?
“I don’t mind getting you the money, but you have to tell me why.” Tina stated.
“To tell you the truth, someone ruptured our capital chain, and I have a feeling that the Harmon family was the one who did it,” Matt answered bluntly.
“You and the Harmon family had always kept a wide berth. Why would they do something like that to you?” Tina asked curiously.
“Because of Dustin Rhys!”
Matt briefly explained everything to her.
“What? You threatened that psychopath?” Tina shrieked.
“That’s right! That shameless bastard tried to humiliate our family, so I had to teach him a lesson. I’ll destroy his family with your investment!” Matt fumed.
“Are you a fucking idiot? Why would you try to piss that psycho off?”
“Why are you so afraid? He’s just a country bumpkin. I’ll get rid of him easily.” Matt declared confidently.
“In your dreams, you moron! Don’t drag me along your death quest!”
With that. Tina hung up the phone.
Chapter 218
“Hello? Hello!” Matt held his phone by his ear with a dumbfounded expression. All he did was mention Dustin’s name. Why did Tina sound so frightened?
Matt had no idea that Tina was still traumatized from the time Dustin slapped her. What’s worse was that instead of getting her revenge, she had been forced to grovel for Dustin’s forgiveness, which was nothing less than an utter embarrassment and a terror for her.
Although she was bitter about it, she couldn’t lay a hand on Dustin because her family didn’t dare seek revenge before her brother returned.
Dustin was someone who could defeat a martial arts master like Mr. Milfroy with ease. If someone like him were to go crazy, he could destroy the entire Hummer family in a heartbeat! Because of this, they didn’t dare seek revenge, and Tina shook in fear every time someone mentioned Dustin.
“What did Ms. Hummer say, Matt?” Phineas saw his son in a daze and asked.
“Fuck! That bitch is terrified of Rhys. There’s no way she’ll lend us money.” Matt scowled.
“The daughter of the Hummer family is scared of that brat? Is it because of the Harmon family?” Phineas pondered aloud.
“Possibly.” Matt nodded, thinking hard. He couldn’t think of any other reason.
“This is bothersome…” Phineas frowned. “Our family is doomed if we don’t get any money soon. We might have to beg for that brat’s forgiveness.”
“Beg for his forgiveness? Fuck, no!” Matt yelled. “Why should we lower our heads to someone like him?
I’d rather suffer than beg!”
“Don’t be rash, Matt!” Phineas warned gravely. “He has the Harmon family to support him, and now, he has Roderick Brooks‘ support as well. We’ll sink further if you do anything to him!”
Alas, those words failed to reach Matt, who has lost repeatedly to Dustin recently. Today’s incident only fueled his anger, and his hatred toward Dustin peaked.
“Matt, leave this matter to me. You should take a break for the next two days. Just don’t get into any trouble.” Phine as instructed his son seriously, who didn’t reply as he began to plot his revenge.
Soon, night fell.
Inside Midnight Rose, Dahlia downed shot after shot in a corner.
Lyra sat beside her, her face full of worry. This was the first time she saw Dahlia like this.
Dahlia refused to return to the company or care about
what was going on, completely abandoning her strong woman character and letting herself go.
Lyra heard that it was because of Dustin, but was it worth it?
“Please stop drinking, Ms. Nicholson. Let’s go back. Your mother is worried about you.” Lyra implored.
“Leave me alone. I want to keep drinking. All my worries disappear when I’m drunk.” Dahlia chuckled humorlessly before chucking another shot down her throat.
She didn’t know what to do. She was under constant pressure because of her family and had to fight her feelings for Dustin at the same time.
Dahlia knew she misunderstood him, but she didn’t know how to explain herself. Actually, it’d be more accurate to say that she was terrified of seeing Dustin’s heartless expression, so she decided to use alcohol to numb herself.
She may be a capable leader in the business world, but when it came to her personal feelings, she realized she was an utter failure. Even though she knew that she had been the one who misunderstood
Dustin, her pride wouldn’t let her apologize. Instead, she expected Dustin to step forward and request a reconciliation.
“So this is where you are, Dahlia.”
Matt entered the bar and spotted the two ladies immediately.
“Mr. Laney, you’re here. Please stop her. Her body can’t take it if she drinks so much!” Lyra quickly stood up and greeted Matt, whom she called. She felt that Matt was a much better option than Dustin.
“Please get her some water, Lyra. I’ll talk to her,” Matt assured with a smile.
“Thank you, Mr. Laney.” Lyra nodded and darted off.
“Why are you drinking so much, Dahlia?” Matt asked with a concerned expression.
“It’s none of your business. Go away!” Dahlia’s eyes were hazy, but her tone was colder than ever.
Matt’s smile froze for a second before he recovered himself.
Without anyone noticing, he slipped a pill into her wine and smiled. “You still want to drink, don’t you. Dahlia?
Let me join you.”
He poured another glass for Dahlia. Dahlia, who was already tipsy, didn’t notice anything wrong and downed the glass without a word. Soon, her head became heavy and her vision blurred, making her sway.
“Mr. Laney, I think Ms. Nicholson is drunk.” Lyra returned just then.
“It’s a alright. I’ll send her home now. Her family’s worried sick.” Matt promised with a kind smile.
“Alright. Thanks, Ms. Laney.” Lyra didn’t think too much about it and helped carry Dahlia into
Matt’s car. Since the car only had two seats, she could only watch as the car’s headlights disappeared.
“Humph! You’re finally in my arms. You like acting high and mighty, don’t you? Well, I’ll have some fun with you tonight.” Matt smiled sinisterly and headed straight to the hotel.