C2 Buy It!

Twenty minutes later, Zoie and her mother Tracy hurriedly arrived at Propitious Hall.

Upon entering, Zoie caught sight of Hasten and blurted out with concern, "Dad, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Hasten replied with a scowl. "It's just this vase incident. They're demanding eight million in compensation."

Tracy, Rollins's mother-in-law, went pale at the mention of the eight-million-dollar debt. She rounded on Rollins, who was standing by in silence, and lashed out furiously.

"Rollins, you good-for-nothing! Is this your idea of looking after your father-in-law? Just watching him get into this mess? What good has it done us to support you all these years?"

Caught off guard by the accusation, Rollins stammered, "Mom, Dad told me I was too much of a failure to even lay eyes on such a valuable piece. He insisted I wait outside, so I didn't have a choice."

Tracy's voice rose in anger, "So you just waited outside? What are you, a dog? Since when are you so blindly obedient?"

Zoie, ever the voice of reason, knew her mother was picking a fight. She quickly interjected, "Mom, how is this Rollins's fault? What's the point of berating him?"

"I'm just furious!" Tracy snapped back. "I get livid every time I see him! If it weren't for him, maybe your father wouldn't be in this predicament!"

Rollins chose to remain silent, well aware of Tracy's tendency to be irrational.

As Tracy continued her tirade, Hasten grew increasingly worried about the urgent matter at hand. He couldn't help but interject, "What good does yelling do? Go and get the money together. Do you want to see me end up in jail?"

Tracy felt her world spin at his words and collapsed to the floor in tears, wailing, "Oh my God, why is my life so hard? This is going to ruin us financially!"

The manager of Propitious Hall then intervened, "Mrs. Ramirez, you have 24 hours to come up with the funds. If you fail to do so within that time frame, we'll be forced to turn the matter over to the authorities."

Outside Propitious Hall, Tracy was beside herself with worry, tears streaming down her face as she clutched at Zoie. "Zoie, where on earth are we going to find eight million? We only have two million in savings—that's not even half!"

Zoie, after a moment of frantic thought, said, "I've got two hundred thousand in my private Alipay account."

But Tracy was inconsolable. "It's still nowhere near enough! Even if we sell the house and cars, it won't cover it!"

Biting her lip, Zoie had a sudden inspiration. "I'll call Grandma. Dad's about to be imprisoned; she won't just stand by and do nothing!" Without hesitation, she pulled out her phone and dialed her grandmother's number.

Old Madame Ramirez, the matriarch of the Ramirez family, held the reins of all family affairs. Though the Ramirez clan wasn't among the country's wealthiest, coming up with six million was well within their means.

To Zoie's shock, as soon as Old Madame Ramirez heard the predicament, she unleashed a tirade over the phone, berating not just Zoie but her parents and her husband, Rollins, as well.

After venting her anger, Old Madame Ramirez issued an ultimatum. "We're about to partner with Wandos Company. If you have any regard for me, divorce that good-for-nothing husband of yours and marry the son of Wandos's chairman. Agree to this, and I'll provide the money."

Appalled, Zoie blurted out, "Grandma, Rollins has nothing to do with this!"

With a cold huff, Old Madame Ramirez retorted, "Then this has nothing to do with me, either!"

Desperate, Zoie pleaded, "But Dad is your son! You can't just ignore this and let him go to jail!"

Unmoved, Old Madame Ramirez replied with scorn, "I can do without a son who's a failure and a granddaughter who won't listen!"

With those final words, she brutally ended the call.

Tracy had been eavesdropping the whole time. When Old Madame Ramirez abruptly ended the call, she shot Rollins a venomous look and lashed out, "You're nothing but a jinx and a burden! You've brought nothing but misery to our entire family!"

Rollins, seeing the defeat in Zoie's eyes, knew she felt powerless to face this challenge alone. He offered gently, "Zoie, let me try to figure out a way to get the money."

Tracy's eyebrows furrowed in disdain. "You?" she sneered. "You're a complete deadbeat. Where would you even get that kind of money? The best thing you could do for my daughter is to divorce her and spare us all."

Zoie let out a weary sigh. "Rollins, don't trouble yourself with this."

Tracy shot Rollins another withering look. "Zoie, why don't you call Young Mr. Wilson for help? A few million is just pocket change to him!"

At the mention of his name, Zoie's brow creased with concern.

Young Mr. Wilson, whom Tracy referred to, was none other than Wensel, the son of the Wandos president and the company's vice president. With his father's status, Wensel wielded his influence in Lincrin with impunity, notorious for being a profligate playboy with a trail of ruined girls in his wake.

Lately, Wensel had been doggedly wooing Zoie. He bombarded her with daily flower deliveries and expensive gifts, all of which Zoie consistently returned.

But Wensel's determination only seemed to grow with each rejection. The more Zoie turned him away, the more he persisted, even approaching Old Madame Ramirez with a marriage proposal.

Zoie, fully aware of his vile nature, had always kept him at arm's length. Now, faced with Tracy's suggestion to seek financial aid from Wensel, she found herself wrestling with indecision. Could this really be the only solution?

Just then, Tracy's phone rang out of the blue. She glanced at the screen and lit up with joy, "It's a call from Wensel!"

She eagerly answered, "Hey, Wensel! What made you think to call me? Zoie and I were just talking about you."

Wensel's voice came through with a chuckle, "Auntie, Uncle Ramirez just called me about some trouble he's in. I tried to reach out to Zoie right away, but it seems she's blocked my number. So, I had no choice but to call you instead."

Tracy was taken aback, then quickly chastised Zoie, "Zoie! How could you block Wensel's number? That's no way to treat someone!"

She softened her tone as she reassured Wensel, "Don't worry, Wensel. I'll have a word with Zoie. She won't be so impolite in the future."

Wensel replied with a forgiving tone, "It's okay, Auntie. Zoie has always been strong-willed, and I respect her for that. Besides, I can assist with Uncle's situation. Could you send Zoie to my office? I'll write her a check so you can settle the debt with Propitious Hall right away."

Tracy was overjoyed at the prospect of a solution, "Absolutely! I'll send Zoie to Wandos Company to see you immediately!"

Once the call ended, Tracy excitedly relayed the news to Zoie, "This is fantastic! Wensel is ready to lend us the money. He's asked you to pick up the check from his office."

Rollins, overhearing the conversation, interjected with a grave tone, "Hold on. Zoie, it's common knowledge in Lincrin that Wensel has a reputation for taking advantage of young women in his office. You simply can't go!"

Tracy, fuming with anger, lashed out at him, "And what good are you doing standing here? If Zoie doesn't get the loan from Wensel, can she turn to you for the money?"

Turning back to Zoie, her face etched with sorrow and urgency, she pleaded, "Zoie, think of your father. He's not young anymore. The hardships of prison could break him. If he's incarcerated, do you think he'll ever make it out alive?"

Zoie paused briefly, then blurted out, "I need to think this through. I'll go see an old classmate for advice. Wait here for me."

Before Rollins could respond, Zoie was already in her car and driving off.

Rollins, aware of Zoie's distress, mulled over the situation before reluctantly making his way to a secluded corner to make a call.

The phone was answered instantly by an eager voice, "Third Young Master! You've finally called!"

It was Flinn, the Lewis family's chief steward, who had been waiting four long years for Rollins to reach out, hoping he would return home.

Rollins cut to the chase, "I'm in a bit of a bind."

Flinn didn't miss a beat, "I'm aware of your predicament. It's not just your father-in-law facing trouble; the Ramirez family is on the brink too. Securing a partnership with Wandos Company is your wife's only shot at steering through this crisis."

Stunned, Rollins realized there was no escaping his family's scrutiny. He said through clenched teeth, "If you're so informed, then lend me eight million, fast."

"Third Young Master, eight million might tide over your father-in-law's issues, but it won't ease Young Madam's future struggles with the Ramirez family," Flinn pointed out.

Rollins, resolute, demanded, "Then help me acquire Wandos Company. It's a drop in the bucket for the Lewis family, isn't it?"

"With absolute certainty, Wandos Company is a trifle. We can take it off its parent company's hands in no time and gift it to you," Flinn assured him.

Seizing the opportunity, Rollins instructed urgently, "Do it! Buy it now!"