pter 60
As soon as Doris heard that, her anger spiked. “Dad, how can you be so unreasonable? One million dollars isn’t pocket change! If you’re expecting Laura and me to repay it, then shouldn’t Rupert’s marital home be split equally between Laura and me to make it fair?”
“That house belongs to Rupert, Doris. Don’t even think about laying a finger on it.” Jimmy retorted, firmly protecting his
son’s interests,
“I couldn’t care less about that house Doris snapped back. “But don’t you dare think you can make Laura and me the scapegoats for this mess. We didn’t borrow that money. Whoever used it should be the one to repay it.”
Her tone was icy, and she stood her ground. After all, she had already been kicked out of the house and had nothing left to lose.
“Bastard!” Jimmy growled, clearly frustrated by Doris‘ defiance. “Fine, if you don’t pay, then Laura will. She’s more obedient than you are, and her husband is far wealthier than yours. I certainly don’t expect that loser of a husband you married to cough up any money”
His tone was filled with blatant disdain.
Doris bristled at the insult. “My husband is not a loser, and you’re not allowed to speak about him like that.”
In her eyes, Lewis was exceptional in every way except financially. He was incredibly good–looking with a perfect physique, a true gentleman, and someone who respected women and held firm moral values.
He was a good person and an even better husband. Doris wouldn’t stand for her father’s disparaging remarks.
Jimmy sneered, “If he can come up with one million dollars and secure Rupert a decent job, I’ll admit he’s not a loser and even recognize him as your husband.”
“He’s under no obligation to do that, nor does he need your approval,” Doris shot back, refusing to take the bait.
She warned her father sternly. “Dad, Laura was humiliated by the Webb family just to scrape together 100 thousand dollars for you. Her life there isn’t as rosy as you think. If you still care about her as your daughter, stop pressuring her for money.”
“Pressuring her? We raised her, didn’t we? Your mother and I worked hard to give her a good life, even found her a husband as well–off as Matteo. No matter how bad you think her life is, it’s still leagues better than ours.
“One million dollars is chump change for the Webb family. Helping the Reed family out of a tough spot is her responsibility. as our daughter. As for you, you ungrateful little brat, I wasted my efforts raising you.
“If I’d known you’d be this heartless, I would’ve strangled you at birth. At least then, I wouldn’t have to deal with you constantly defying me and causing trouble!” Jimmy’s self–righteous tone made Doris‘ anger boil. He was always so self- righteous.
Upon thinking about Laura’s struggles, Doris softened her tone and pleaded. “Dad, please don’t go to Laura for this.”
“If you go to Ryan and beg him today, I’ll leave Laura alone. The choice is yours.” With that, Jimmy hung up, leaving Doris feeling like a heavy stone had lodged in her chest.
Her good mood for the day was completely ruined. Doris couldn’t fathom how she and Laura ended up with such a shameless father.
To Jimmy, nothing mattered more than his son and money. Doris and Laura were nothing but pawns to him, tools to elevate Rupert’s status.
Laura had nothing to do with this situation, and Doris couldn’t bear to see her sister sink further into despair.
1/3
Chapter 60
Unable to sleep, Doris got out of bed. As soon as she stepped into the hallway, the sound of her movement caught Biscuit’s attention. The little dog scampered over to her, tail wagging excitedly.
“Biscuit, be good. Breakfast is on the way,” Doris said gently, bending down to stroke his head.
The fluffy dog nuzzled her palm with his nose, an adorable gesture of affection.
Doris smiled and headed to the living room, with Biscuit trotting after her. In the corner was Biscuit’s cozy little bed. She grabbed a sausage from the kitchen and fed it to him, then poured some dog food into his bowl.
Biscuit barked twice as if to say thank you.
“Eat up, and I’ll make us some breakfast,” Doris said in a soothing tone. “I’ll even give you an apple in a bit.”
Checking the fridge, Doris found the last of the waffles and put them in the toaster. She also washed some vegetables and sliced an apple. She sliced the apple into small pieces and handed some to Biscuit.
After finishing her breakfast, Doris got ready to head to work. Biscuit followed her all the way to the door, his round, expressive eyes filled with reluctance.
Dogs were best friends. Over time, Biscuit had become like family to her, their bond deep and unspoken.
Squatting down, Doris kissed Biscuit gently on the head. “Be good, okay? I’ll be back after work. You’ve got to pace yourself with the apple and dog food, or you’ll end up hungry later.”
As if understanding her words, Biscuit let out a soft whimper.
Although Doris had quit her food delivery side job, she still had her e–bike. It made running errands like grocery shopping and commuting much easier.
She strapped on her helmet, hopped on her e–bike, and headed out. Today, she arrived at work over thirty minutes early.
After changing into her uniform, Doris called Laura to fill her in on what had happened earlier that morning. “Laura, let me say this one more time. Don’t pay a single cent of that one million dollar debt for Dad.
“Talk to Matteo about it and make sure he doesn’t get involved either. Got it?”
“I got it.” Laura nodded firmly. “This time, I won’t cave. I can’t let Doris get dragged down because of me,’ she thought to herself.
At 2:00 p.m., Jimmy called Laura, his tone full of anger. “You ungrateful brat! What did you say to Doris? Now she has the nerve to defy me and outright refuse to pay!
“Ryan is your ex–boyfriend, so this is your problem to handle. After work, you better go see Ryan, or I’ll show up at your hotel and cause a scene, every single day if I have to.
“If Rupert doesn’t have a job because of you, I’ll make sure you lose yours too. I’m standing outside your hotel right now. Doris, it’s up to you what happens next.”
Doris didn’t want to lose her excellent position at Hampstone Hotel. She was already teetering on the brink of collapse under her father’s relentless pressure.
Swallowing her bitterness, she compromised. “I’ll agree to meet him, but I can’t guarantee he’ll listen.”
“You need to handle both the one million dollars and Rupert’s job.” Jimmy demanded without hesitation.
“You’re asking for the impossible, Dad. I can’t control Ryan’s decisions. I can only try my best,” Doris replied helplessly.
“Save your excuses. I only care about results.” Jimmy snapped before abruptly hanging up.
2/3
Chapter 60
+13)
Doris stared at her phone’s darkened screen, overwhelmed with a sense of despair.
She had worked at Hampstone Hotel for five years, clawing her way up to a team leader position. With her recent raise, her base salary was now 3 grand, and with attendance incentives and bonuses, it often exceeded that.
She genuinely enjoyed her job. It was fulfilling and gave her a sense of accomplishment.
But Jimmy had her cornered. He knew exactly how to exploit her vulnerabilities.
To keep her job, Doris reluctantly removed Ryan’s number from her blacklist and dialed him.
Ryan wasn’t surprised when he saw Doris’s name pop up on his screen. He had been expecting it. But he didn’t answer. Instead, he let her stew, deliberately making her wait.
It wasn’t until 5:30 p.m. that Doris finally managed to speak to him. “Ryan, you’ve made your point. Now tell me. What do you want me to do?”
“Doris, I don’t feel any sincerity from you,” Ryan said, his voice dripping with mockery.
“I’ll treat you to dinner. You pick the place.” Doris offered, her patience wearing thin.
“Doris, I’m a busy man. You don’t just get to see me whenever you want. If you want to meet me, schedule an appointment with my secretary first,” Ryan said condescendingly.
Now that he held all the cards, everything was on his terms.
3/3
