Semua Bab The Cruelty of Tenderness: Bab 1 - Bab 9

I picked up the promissory note. Braxton sneered at me, "It's right there in black and white. You can't just pretend the debt doesn't exist!"When her stepfather died, he left behind a mountain of debt. I was the one who dealt with the debt collectors. I gave her food and a place to live, and I paid for her education. She promised she'd pay me back once she started working."Now she's dead, and you were her fiancé. That makes the debt your responsibility!"Evelyn's biological father had died of an illness when she was ten. When she was thirteen, her mother remarried and took her to live with her stepfather. Two years later, her mother and stepfather were killed in a car accident.The Cobb family had always told people that Evelyn survived because her stepfather's older brother, a man who was not related to her by blood, had generously supported her after she became an orphan.However, I was the only one who knew that his so-called generosity had never come from the goodness of h

My heart lurched, but thankfully, one of the officers reacted quickly, grabbing Macy's wrist and wrenching the old phone from her grasp before sealing it in an evidence bag.Even with her arm twisted behind her back, Macy continued struggling and screaming, "It's right there in black and white! She owed my dad three million dollars! The Cobb family gave her everything, even her life!"You're not even married to her! What right do you have to interfere? You're not family. You have no say in any of this!"Braxton scrambled to his feet and straightened his torn collar. An icy smile tugged at his lips."Her father is dead, and so is her mother. I've been the one supporting her all these years. I have a debt settlement agreement signed in her own handwriting! Her studio, her money, everything she owned belongs to me now!"Keep getting in my way and I'll make sure the entire Jenkins family is disgraced in Nexus City!"Patrick could not take it anymore. He rushed forward and shouted, "Y

On the screen, Evelyn took a deep breath and wiped away her tears. Her expression hardened, becoming icy and resolute."You gave me 500,000 dollars to start my studio. With that money, I finally had the means to fight back."Seth, I knew how much influence your family had in Nexus City's business world. So, I deliberately let Braxton find out that you were pursuing me. I even showed him the bank records for the five hundred thousand dollars you'd given me."Braxton is greedy by nature. He thought I'd managed to climb into the good graces of the Jenkins family, and that he could use my studio to gain access to your family's connections."Once he saw an opportunity to make even more money, he let his guard down completely. He began using my studio as the central hub for moving money around and issuing fraudulent invoices, without even bothering to hide what he was doing."In just one year, he used the studio's company seal to cover up more than ten million dollars in fraudulent acco

Braxton opened his mouth and roared, "Seth! Why do you have to destroy us completely? Evelyn was just your fiancée! You weren't even married! Was any of this really necessary?"That girl was nothing but bad luck! She has ruined my entire family!"I pressed my hand against the glass. "You're the one who destroyed your family. Eight years. You know better than anyone what Evelyn went through during those eight years!"I will make you and your daughter pay a thousand times over for everything you put her through."You think death would be an escape? The prosecution has recommended the death penalty. However, because your stroke has left you paralyzed, the judge may sentence you to life in prison instead."I want you to live until you are eighty, rotting away in a dark, airless cell, fully conscious every day of what it means to wish you were dead."Braxton's face turned deathly pale. He gasped for air, his mouth hanging open. Suddenly, he clutched his chest and toppled out of his ch