Chapter 2

After Ryan ended the call with Claire, his pride returned. "Don't worry, Jack. No one is taking this award from you today. It belongs only to you."

Then, he gave me a provoking look.

I simply sneered.

A moment earlier, Ryan and Claire had openly put their affection on display over the phone. They spoke so intimately that everyone around them felt embarrassed.

My phone soon rang, and Claire could be heard barking at me the moment I answered. "Irvine, what's wrong with the card you gave me?! Call the bank and unlock it now! Then, raise the limit to five million dollars."

I remained calm instead. "What do you need that much money for?"

"Business negotiations and client entertainment, naturally. Stop asking questions and just do it!"

I lowered my eyes, hiding the icy fury in them. I had controlled the company from behind the scenes for more than a decade. Everyone who knew me understood what that look meant. Someone was about to lose everything.

How ridiculous. A woman who owed everything to my family had taken a lover right under my nose and still thought she could order me around. I had clearly been too merciful and lenient to the point that she had forgotten who the real ruler of this family was!

When I said nothing, Claire sent several angry voice messages before falling silent.

Meanwhile, Ryan raised his phone and showed everyone a bank balance of exactly five hundred thousand dollars.

He had a polite smile on his face, but there was also a triumphant satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. "Is that enough for you? I told you five hundred thousand dollars is nothing to a wealthy family like mine. Even five million dollars is just pocket change. Unlike people who live on salaries, we don't have to worry about something small like ten thousand dollars."

He shot me a look, then gave Lily a fake, sincere smile. "Remember to choose better parents in your next life if you have the chance, little girl. Then, no one will be able to steal the fruits of your labor."

Lily smiled at him. "No one can take what's mine, Sir!"

I stepped forward, still smiling, and spoke without hurry. "That's right. No one can take what belongs to my daughter. It's only five hundred thousand dollars."

A kind teacher came over and held my arm. "Mr. Irvine, five hundred thousand dollars isn't a small amount. It may be the price of a handbag for a wealthy family, but it's an astronomical sum for a normal family. The advanced training opportunity is rare, but you shouldn't gamble away your family's future over it."

Several concerned parents also urged me not to act recklessly while Ryan's bootlickers mocked me.

"How much could he possibly earn in a year? He wants to imitate the rich? He might even lose his house over this!"

"Some people will do anything to show off without considering what they can actually afford!"

I had always taught Lily to keep a low profile, so everyone assumed we were an ordinary working family and that her grades were the only reason she attended the international private school.

I scanned Ryan's bootlickers. The companies connected to each of them immediately came to mind, and I already had a plan hatching inside of me. Then, I smiled politely at the teacher. "I'll do what Ryan does and transfer the money into the school's account."

A chime sounded from the teacher's phone.

"You have received five hundred thousand dollars."

The area fell silent as the mechanical voice came out from the teacher's mobile phone. Then, someone shouted, "Holy moly... Lily's father really just donated five hundred thousand dollars!"

Ryan's expression darkened. He gritted his teeth and tapped rapidly on his phone. Another automated announcement followed.

"You have received one million dollars."

The whole place went wild as the parents stared in disbelief. "One million dollars? Has he lost his mind?!"

"You don't understand. This is what real wealth looks like! Jack's father clearly has the money! There's really no way not to be impressed by this!"

After three large donations arrived in rapid succession, even the teacher had to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

Jack puffed out his chest. "Dad, you're the best!"

Ryan soaked up the praise and patted his son's head. "Don't worry, Son. Your mother said she'll support anything you want, no matter what it costs. What's one million dollars to her?"

True. What was one million dollars?

She was a cheating wife who was using her husband's money to finance her lover while they bullied her daughter! They had no idea what was coming for them! However, I was curious to see how far Claire would go for this father and son, and how much money she had siphoned off behind my back.

Under Ryan's arrogant gaze, I spoke unhurriedly. "Two million dollars."