C8 Despair

Aimee glared back defiantly, her fighting spirit undimmed.

Olivia, perhaps feeling guilty, avoided Westley's gaze.

"The evidence is right before your eyes. There's no use denying it."

"You two secretly tied the knot three years ago, a union I vehemently opposed. Your dubious background, lack of education, and unsuitable family history make you unworthy of my daughter.

Even Rodin was adamantly against me. He insisted my daughter would find happiness with you. That's why I stopped speaking to him and spent three years at the Lingyin Temple, fasting and praying.

And to think you'd betray my daughter?"

Lauren's words flew at him rapid-fire, like bullets from a machine gun.

In a surge of emotion, she rose to her feet and flung her cup of black tea at Westley.

In truth, Westley could have easily dodged the assault.

But he hesitated, choosing instead to let the scalding tea splash across his face.

The liquid trickled down his cheeks, staining his clothes.

Westley's heart grew incrementally colder.

Aimee, ever the instigator, watched the scene unfold and enthusiastically gave her mother a thumbs-up.

Olivia's brow furrowed slightly, her lips twitching. She hadn't expected her mother to douse Westley with tea.

Her mother's actions seemed overly harsh.

To everyone's surprise, Westley licked the tea from his lips and said with a grin, "Not a bad brew. It's certainly on the pricey side, isn't it?"

"You really are garbage," Lauren spat out through clenched teeth.

"Waste of space! You have no spine," Aimee added insult to injury.

Westley calmly wiped the tea from his face, pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and drew one out.

Ignoring the crowd's scornful looks, he lit up and took a drag.

After exhaling a plume of smoke, Westley coolly inquired, "So, mother-in-law, what exactly do you want from me? Just come out with it."

"Get a divorce, now! I can't stand the thought of you with my daughter for another moment," Lauren declared, her contempt undisguised.

"That's not going to happen," Westley replied, shaking his head.

"Why not? Is the settlement in the contract not generous enough for you?"

Lauren settled into her chair, elegantly crossing her legs. The long, slender limbs peeking out from her cheongsam's high slit were so dazzlingly white they could blind someone.

"Yes, it's not enough," Westley chuckled, confirming her suspicion.

He was in it for the money after all!

Olivia shook her head, the last shred of guilt she harbored toward Westley evaporating in an instant.

"What a stroke of bad luck! How on earth did my daughter get tangled up with a scoundrel like you?"

Lauren's arms folded across her chest as she demanded, "So, how much are you after?"

If money could fix the problem, then it was no problem at all.

"Let's see... the indignities and disdainful looks I've endured from the Rogers Family over the past three years, not to mention the toll on my youth, my looks, and the emotional distress," Westley began tallying on his fingers.

Watching him, Olivia felt an urge to lash out.

How could he be so utterly shameless?

'What losses? Your only activities are eating and lazing around. What could you possibly have lost?'

She thought bitterly that if anyone had suffered losses, it should be her.

"Alright, let's not quibble over the details. I'll give you a friendly discount," Westley declared, raising a hand to indicate he was done counting.

"How much?" Lauren pressed.

"Fifty million."

"What? Say that again," Lauren said, thinking she must have misheard.

"Fifty million," Westley repeated, a smug smile playing on his lips.

The women of the Rogers Family exchanged stunned glances.

How could he have the audacity to demand such a sum?

It was an outrageous amount!

Westley nonchalantly took a drag from his cigarette. "For the esteemed Rogers Family, fifty million shouldn't pose a challenge, right?"

"It's not about whether it's difficult or not. You're simply not worth that much. Forget fifty million; I wouldn't give you five hundred dollars," Lauren spat back, her anger flaring.

"Suit yourself," Westley replied with a casual shrug, continuing to smoke.

The Rogers women seethed with barely contained rage.

Especially Olivia, whose opinion of Westley had plummeted to rock bottom.

Westley, on the other hand, reveled in the sight of the three irate women, a self-satisfied grin on his face.

'Do you really think you can outsmart me?' he mused with silent glee.

At that moment, Mr. Ferguson's voice came from the doorway, "Master, have you returned?"

A middle-aged man stepped into the room.

With gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, he was tall and well-built. Age had touched him, but his features remained strikingly handsome—a testament to his younger days as a heartthrob.

As he walked through the door, Olivia and Aimee immediately rushed to greet him.

"Dad!"

"Dad! You're back?"

Rodin responded with a nonchalant nod.

Upon entering, he caught sight of Lauren sitting on the sofa and paused, puzzled. "Madam, what brings you here?" he inquired.

Lauren gave him an exasperated eye roll. "If I hadn't shown up, you'd be clueless about your daughter's ordeal."

"It's not that serious, is it?" Rodin quipped, curling his lip.

Internally, he sighed, knowing full well that Lauren's return spelled trouble. She wouldn't have been so livid over the phone, dragging him all the way back from Europe, for no reason.

"How's it going? Was your trip successful?" Westley chimed in with a lighthearted grin, his demeanor far from solemn.

"All went smoothly."

Rodin's face lit up with a radiant smile upon seeing Westley. "My dear son-in-law, I apologize for any inconvenience you've faced."

The words left the Ye women utterly bewildered.

Westley, inconvenienced?

He was the one who had caused them such anger.

What exactly was Rodin implying?

"Rodin, what are you getting at?" Lauren's face fell instantly.

"Dad, why are you defending Westley? He deceived my sister and had an affair. Here's the proof," Aimee said, thrusting a stack of photos at her father, eager to expose Westley's true, monstrous nature.

Rodin merely glanced at the photos before casually tossing them aside.

"Things aren't always as they seem," he remarked coolly.

Westley responded with an approving thumbs up.

"We have photographic evidence. How can you deny it?"

Aimee's frustration grew, wondering if her father had lost his senses.

"Besides, it's natural for a man to have passions and desires. If he's willing to change, he can still be trusted," Rodin said, still smiling.

Westley enthusiastically gave two thumbs up, thinking to himself, 'Father-in-law, your support means the world to me.'

"Rodin, have you lost your mind? What are you rambling about?" Lauren burst out, unable to contain her anger any longer.

"Yes, Dad! I know you've always favored Westley, but he's the one who wronged my sister first," Aimee argued vehemently.

Meanwhile, Olivia bit her lip, remaining silent but shaking uncontrollably with emotion.

Olivia was overwhelmed by a chilling sensation that seeped deep into her bones.

But even more so, she was consumed by a profound sense of despair.