Ma looked utterly stunned.


    He never expected Jarrod to speak to him with such cold cruelty.


    Sweat beaded on his forehead, his face turning even paler. "Fine, you can have them. But I want to see the money in my ount first."


    He was starting to understand-Elodie really did have influence if Jarrod was willing to go this far for her.


    Forcing a stiff smile, Ma tried to y nice, biting back his frustration. "Jarrod,e on, this project was your idea in the first ce. Now that things have gone sideways, you can''t just turn your back on me—professionally or personally. After all, I''m Elodie''s father. For her sake, you ought to help, don''t you think?"


    He was desperate now,pletely out of options.


    The disaster at that project hade out of nowhere, and the repayment deadline was bearing down on him fast.


    If he didn''t fix this soon, The Harcourt Group would be finished.


    Jarrod leaned back in his chair, tapping his knuckles against the desk. "If President Harcourt had shown Elodie any real affection, maybe you and I would still have something to discuss. But since you mean nothing to her now, tell me— why should I clean up your mess?"


    Ma''s face looked sickly.


    But he''d spent years maneuvering in the business world; he could tell that, beneath Jarrod''s hard shell, he was still protecting Elodie.


    Clearly, Jarrod cared about her reputation-hence the demand for the photos.


    Ma didn''t dare push his luck. Instead, he forced another smile. “The photos aren''t a problem. Actually, I''ve got even more-stuff with real bite. Here''s my offer: you wire me eight million, just enough to settle with a few creditors right now. I''m not asking you to cover everything. I''ll hand over all the photos. It''s a fair deal, right?"


    He''d already worked it out in his mind.


    With that money, he could appease his most pressing creditors.


    There were still other loans out there, but once he''d dealt with the urgent ones and had some cash flowing back in, he could handle the rest.


    As long as things didn''t spiral out of control, he still had a shot at turning things around.


    Luckily, the other creditors-localpanies in Eldermere knew he was Jarrod''s father-inw and would probably cut him some ck.


    "Andrea, transfer the money from my personal ount," Jarrod said without hesitation.


    He fixed Ma with a level gaze, his tone steady and unyielding. "As for the negatives, hand them over now. The money will be wired immediately."


    Ma knew he''d gotten what he wanted.


    He reached for his wallet and pulled out a memory card. "I brought it with me, Mr Silverstein. Don''t worry I know you''re a man of your word. I wouldn''t risk ying games with you."


    The fact that Ma carried something like this around didn''t escape Jarrod''s notice.


    A cold glint flickered in Jarrod''s eyes.


    But he was certain-Ma wouldn''t dare lie to him.


    He didn''t want Elodie''s past dragged out into the open again. Ma was a


    ticking time bomb; this had to be dealt with thoroughly.


    "See him out,” Jarrod said, ncing at the card in his hand, his voice cool and final.


    Ma got what he wanted and didn''t dare linger.


    He needed to fix The Harcourt Group''s mess as quickly as possible.


    It was a shame to burn bridges with Jarrod, but Elodie was clearly no longer useful to him. All he could de


    was squeeze out what could d


    now.


    could


    As soon as Ma left, Jarrod checked the contents of the card.


    Sure enough, there were photos-dozens of them.


    Elodie, at her most vulnerable, captured from every angle.


    Some of the pictures were painfully explicit.


    Staring at them, Jarrod''s grip on the mouse unconsciously tightened.


    Finally, he pulled out the card and summoned Andrea. "Get in touch with the heads of thosepanies. It''s time to put on the pressure."


    Andrea understood immediately, gave a brisk nod, and left to carry out the order.


    Ma really thought thosepanies didn''t know he and Jarrod weren''t actually close? In reality, those creditors only lent him money because Mr. Silverstein had vouched for him.


    Ma actually thought he wielded that much influence?


    Once Andrea was gone, Jarrod snapped the memory card in half and tossed it in


    the trash.