Chapter 29
“Samantha, enough!” Dexter interrupted his daughter, his tone disapproving
Jewel was my daughter before, and this home will always welcome her back Samantha stood frozen, disbelief written all over her face. Didn’t they say the opposite before? Didn’t they say I was their only biological daughter? How could this be happening?
Seeing Samantha’s disappointment, Lorelei wanted to comfort her, but remembering they needed Jewel to save the company, she kept silent.
Samantha stood defiantly in the doorway, glaring at Ash. She had taken over my life for over twenty years, and now she wants to come back and fight for my place?
“There’s only room for one daughter in this house, and that’s me. You’re not getting in, Samantha spat.
Ash remained unfazed. She crossed her arms and glanced at Lorelei, noticing no signs of illness on her face. “If this house doesn’t welcome me, I’ll just leave,” she said coolly, turning to walk away.
Dexter shot Lorelei a look, and she quickly stepped forward to grab Ash’s arm. “Samantha doesn’t understand. Don’t take her seriously,”
Without waiting for Ash’s response, Lorelei pulled her into the living room, ignoring Samantha entirely.
Ash wanted to pull away, but seeing Samantha’s furious expression, she smirked slightly and followed them inside.
To prevent any outbursts from Samantha, Dexter leaned in and whispered, “This dinner is specially for her. Keep your comments to yourself, okay? Don’t ruin this for us.”
Samantha clenched her teeth, her eyes filled with resentment. But in that tense moment, Dexter was too preoccupied with the company’s issues to care about Samantha’s feelings. All he wanted was to placate Jewel and secure investment from Shadow Ventures.
Watching her parents fawn over Jewel as the dinner progressed made Samantha feel increasingly uneasy. Listening to their conversation, she quickly realized their sudden change was all about the company.
Isn’t it just because some old guy is supporting her? Frustrated, Samantha grabbed her bag and said her goodbyes, leaving early,
Meanwhile, Ash sat at the table, staring at the dishes she used to love but feeling no appetite.
Dexter, oblivious to her feelings, carefully said, “Jewel, talk to the company again about investing. I promise I’ll work hard to make it thrive and give Shadow Ventures a good return.”
Ash set down her fork, fixing her gaze on Dexter. Her voice was icy. “I’ll remind you one last time: you’re not cut out for this business. If you sell the company now, you’ll still have enough to retire comfortably.
Dexter’s expression darkened. “I didn’t invite you here to hear you kick us when we’re down.”
Ash didn’t respond further. She had long realized that Dexter had no business sense; he had only succeeded early on because of favorable circumstances, while she had been the one propping them up in later years.
But he refused to listen.
Lorelei chimed in, “Jewel, this company raised you. You wouldn’t want to see it go under, would you?”
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Chapter 29
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Ash’s eyes narrowed slightly. She wondered who had really raised whom. If it weren’t for her, the company would have been gone long ago.
Seeing her remain unmoved, Dexter’s smile vanished. “I’m begging you here. Will you at least consider it?”
Ash stood up. “If this is why you invited me today, then I’m sorry.” With that, she turned to leave. She never made bad deals, and if it weren’t for the fact they were family, she wouldn’t have lost so much money to them.
Realizing their last hope was slipping away, Dexter stood up too. “If you agree to talk to Shadow Ventures, you can come back to us.”
Ash couldn’t help but laugh, almost incredulously. ‘Do they really think I’m some homeless orphan? Even if the Turner family hasn’t taken me back, I can still live well.‘
Why don’t you focus on your real daughter? I never planned to come back,” she said dismissively, thinking of the doting parents of the Turner family toward her.
Suddenly, she pulled out a bank card from her bag and handed it to Lorelei. “This 700 thousand dollars is for your retirement. We’re done here.”
Dexter was furious and anxious. “Isn’t that money just from being supported by someone? What’s there to be proud of?”
Ash turned, a hint of a smile on her lips. “Of course, you can choose to refuse it.”
Before she could finish, Lorelei snatched the card from her hand, looking a bit uneasy. “Thank you, Jewel.”
Ash walked away, her steps steady and unwavering. She thought the Moreno family parents had finally found some conscience, but it turned out they just wanted her to keep being their cash cow.
As she stepped outside, she took one last look at the room she had lived in for so many years, then turned and left without a second thought. She would never set foot in that house again.
At the Turner family home, Jade was dropped off by the Snider family’s car.
Caspian, seeing Jade lying in the backseat, was furious. “What happened? What did you do to her?”
Calvert’s expression was dark, his voice icy. “So this is the good daughter the Turner family raised.”
In the café, he thought everything was clear and was ready to leave. But to his surprise, Jade had pretended to agree to be just friends while secretly drugging him. She even faked feeling unwell to get him to take her to a hotel.
He could have fallen for her trick if he hadn’t noticed something was off in time.
Caspian didn’t understand how Jade could go out with him and return like this.
Calvert’s anger was palpable, and his gaze was intense enough to intimidate Caspian. He quickly turned to look at Jade.
Just then, the Turner parents came out, drawn by the commotion.
Dean stepped forward, struggling to find the right words. “Ms. Turner drugged Mr. Snider, and it ended up affecting her
instead…”
“No way! She’s not like that.” Caspian immediately shot back.
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Chapter 29
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“What do you mean by that?” Dean retorted, not backing down. “Are you saying Mr. Snider is that kind of person?”
Caspian fell silent; as far as he knew, Calvert had some integrity.
“Once she wakes up, you can ask her yourself.” With that, Calvert turned to leave, his face dark with anger.
Caspian moved to lift Jade from the backseat, but Josh sharply interrupted, “Get the house staff to do it.”
Brooke watched the scene unfold, her anger simmering. But Jade was completely out of it, flushed and starting to act strangely.
Frustrated, she shot a glare at the staff carrying Jade and retreated into the house.
in her way home, Ash was suddenly blocked by a car.
Frowning, she looked at the person getting out and felt an inexplicable irritation. It was him again.
