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I didn’t want to respond, but Robert stepped in.
“Don’t worry about me. I’m not living with the Hughes family, and whatever happens to
em has nothing to do with me. Maybe instead of worrying about me, you should focus on
yourself. I heard several major projects for your company suddenly got pulled–aren’t you a
little nervous?”
Christian’s face turned a shade of purple.
“That’s just because they’re short–sighted and unethical, making money off the Torres
family and then bailing. But I, Christian Torres, couldn’t care less. I’ve already secured new
projects that will be far more profitable than those.”
Gianna chimed in with a smug smile.
“Exactly. Christian’s business acumen is top–notch. Unlike you–a bastard and a fraud. If
you humble yourselves and beg us, maybe I’ll consider finding you both a position so you
can at least afford to eat.”
I looked at Gianna as if she were an idiot. She hadn’t read many books but seemed eager to
blindly worship Christian just because he had money.
“Gianna, is that how you behave the moment we sit down?” Jacob stepped in to scold her.
I smiled lightly.
“Thanks for your concern, but even if I’ve left the Barnes family, I’m far from being unable
to afford a meal.”
Gianna’s expression shifted as if she’d realized something. She held out her hand toward
me,
“Hand over the black card. You’re no longer a Barnes, so you’re not entitled to use our family’s money.”
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I laughed. Did she really think just because she got a black card after returning homb everyone else relied on family handouts?
“Sorry, I’m not like you. I haven’t used money from the family in years.”
“Who are you trying to fool? If you didn’t use family money, where did all your designer bags, jewelry, and cars come from? They’re obviously paid for with our family’s money!”
glanced at Jacob without a word, and he explained,
“Margaret is telling the truth. She stopped using family money after she started university. When she returned from her studies abroad, she even managed our family business so well that we wouldn’t have the Barnes Enterprises we have today without her. Honestly, if I gave the entire company to Margaret, it wouldn’t be too much.”
Gianna’s eyes filled with tears, her voice trembling.
“Dad, you’re so biased! Just because you’ve lived with her for over twenty years, you’re favoring her now.”
Christian frowned and added,
“Exactly, Mr. Barnes. Gianna is your biological daughter. She finally returned home, and you should be cherishing her. If it weren’t for Margaret, Gianna wouldn’t have suffered all these years. By always siding with Margaret, aren’t you worried about breaking your daughter’s heart?”
Jacob’s expression darkened. I knew he was struggling with guilt.
real
“Dad, you don’t need to feel guilty toward me. You’ve raised me for so many years, and I owe you that much.”
Jacob looked relieved but chose not to say more.
At dinner, Christian suddenly mentioned an investment plan with Gianna in the development of South District land.
I knew about the project. Recently, every major company had been eyeing it. Rumor had it that the government planned to heavily develop the area. Whoever secured the land could potentially dominate the market and even knock Butler Group out of the top spot.
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The project was tempting to anyone, but it required substantial investment, Christian was likely involving Gianna because he didn’t have enough funds on his own.
I wasn’t one to meddle, but since this concerned my adoptive parents, I kindly warned them against blind investments.
Christian scoffed.
“What do you know? This is insider information I worked hard to get. Once we invest, it’s
aranteed profit. You talk about not blindly investing–what evidence do you have that
this isn’t worth it?”
