Chapter 27: Secret Crush? Your Dad Used *Methods*! 

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Easy come, easy go. Amy was a prime example. The million dollars hadn’t even warmed up in her account before it vanished. 

Thirty minutes after receiving Lindsey’s transfer, Amy’s first act was reassuring Hanson. She messaged him, 

him, saying she had a million and would bring 

bring it tomorrow. 

His reply was a curt, “No need.” 

Amy pursed her lips. He was always so stubborn, almost to a fault. Thankfully, she knew his softer side and wouldn’t be deterred by his cold exterior. 

Knowing his personality, Amy decided against visiting him. She’d pay the thugs directly and let Hanson get the money back from them. 

Amy had the thugs‘ contact information. Before Hanson’s call at the airport, she had two missed calls from them. After failing to reach her, they’d used Hanson’s phone. Amy called them, arranging to repay the debt tomorrow. All she needed was the IOU after settling with the thugs! 

Feeling triumphant, Amy hummed her way home, even helping an elderly man who’d fallen, guiding him to a nearby bench. She hailed a cab, her good mood undiminished. As she approached her house, she instinctively patted her pocket. 

? 

It was gone! 

Initially, Amy thought she’d misplaced it. After searching, she wasn’t overly concerned; she’d 

ransfer the money to another account. 

Calmly logging into her mobile banking app, she stared, rubbing her eyes. 

Zero?! 

Zero again. And again. 

Damn it! Her card had been hacked! 

Rows of large and small transactions flashed before her. Her eyes widened. The million dollars had vanished! 

Meanwhile, in an alleyway with no surveillance cameras… 

A young man with dark hair, smoking a cigarette, was on the phone. Upon closer inspection, this young man bore a striking resemblance to the elderly man Amy had helped earlier. He was the elderly man a disguise! 

“Dude, I hit the jackpot! I need to lay low for a while. That airhead was on the phone by the curb, mentioning something about meeting someone with a card, password was six zeroes, money inside, so I lifted it. Dude, a million bucks!” 

Amy filed a police report. The investigation revealed that the fraudulent transactions originated from overseas, making retrieval highly improbable. 

Devastated, she accepted her loss. The money was gone. 

The journey home was vastly different this time. Amy was tense, desperate to find another 

7.30 

Chapter 27: Secret Crush? Your Dad… 

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million dollars. She hadn’t figured out a solution by the time she reached home. Seeing John and Lily in the living room, she greeted her father and tried to ignore Lily, heading upstairs. 

“Stop.” 

John’s stern voice, laced with anger, made Amy’s heart sink. She feared this look from him – she always had. 

“Where were you?” 

“Shopping with friends.” 

The terse exchange highlighted their lack of trust. Amy had no idea her father already knew about repaying Hanson. 

While investigating Hanson, Lily’d also looked into the thugs. They were enforcers for a debt collection agency, essentially low–level thugs. Lily had instructed the butler to discreetly contact them, offering a reward for any information regarding Hanson’s father’s debt: repayments, new debts, etc. 

It was a lucrative proposition. The thugs readily agreed. 

Less than five minutes after Amy’s call, Lily received the message. A sudden influx of money into t their daughter’s account was highly suspicious. They were waiting for Amy’s return. “Where did you get 

the money?” John asked, his voice hard. Amy’s face paled. He knew! She burst into tears, sobbing, “The… the money… it’s gone…” 

Overwhelmed by grief at losing the hard–earned million, the inability to repay the debt and the impending consequences for Hanson, she broke down under her father’s interrogation. She couldn’t do anything right! 

In her distress, Amy revealed that she’d borrowed from Lindsey. Finally admitting defeat, she blurted out, “Dad, I wanted to help Hanson. He’s a good person, smart–always top of his class–and kind…” 

She gushed about Hanson’s virtues, completely smitten. 

“You like him?” John asked bluntly. 

Amy’s cheeks flushed. She softly nodded. 

“You’re too young for a 

relationship,” John stated, 

as any father 

would. 

Amy retorted, “You and Mom were also young! And it was a forbidden relationship!” Lily subtly squeezed John’s hand, reminding him to choose his words carefully. Their daughter was giving them a verbal thrashing and making *her* blush too! 

John squeezed her hand back, remembering his whirlwind romance with his wife. His harsh 

Amy, thinking she’d made headway, pressed on.“Dad, give me a million. It’s nothing to you, 

‘ll save Hanson…” 

but 

John wasn’t easily swayed by moral appeals. “Does 

moral appeals.“Does he like you?” he countered. A direct hit. 

Amy stubbornly replied, “It doesn’t matter! Who I 

I like is 

my own business!” 

Chapter 27: Secret Crush? Your Dad… 

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John shook his head, seemingly exasperated by his daughter’s stubbornness. In reality, he was disappointed. How could such a tiger father have such a pathetic child? 

His investigation revealed Amy’s intense interest in Hanson since high school. She was about to enter her senior year–three years of unrequited affection! He was far better at this! 

There had been many boys vying for Lily’s attention! Had he won her over with his looks and grades? 

No. He’d used *methods*. 

John remembered the heartthrob from the neighboring school who’d had a crush on Lily. He was just as handsome and intelligent, but to no avail. John had swiftly dealt with the competition, and Lily never knew about it. What else could he have done? If Lily hadn’t been around, John would have given Amy a lecture on the facts of life!