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Chapter 404 A Plea in Vain
Chapter 404 A Plea in Vain
Seeing Ste’s care <b>to </b><b>a </b><b>stop</b>, Patrick shoved off the security guards with all his strength and stepped forward.
“Ste.”
His <b>voice </b><b>was </b>hoarse<b>, </b>tinged with weariness.
One look, and Ste could tell–<b><i>he </i></b><i>had </i>lost a <b><i>significant </i></b><b><i>amount </i></b>of <i>weight</i>. <i>The </i><b><i>unshaven </i></b><b><i>stubble </i></b><i>on </i><b><i>his </i></b><i>jaw </i><b><i>made </i></b><i>him </i><i>look </i><i>even </i><b><i>more </i></b>
worn out.
She remained silent, her gaze heavy with displeasure.
Patrick took a <b>deep </b>breath, his tone almost suffocating. “Can you talk to Abraham? Tell him to let us go?”
<b><i>I </i></b><b><i>had </i></b><b><ipletely </i></b><b><i>misjudged </i></b>everything.
<b><i>I </i></b><i>never </i><i>imagined </i><i>my </i><i>daughter </i><i>would </i><i>be </i><i>so </i><i>capable</i><i>, </i>so <i>much </i><b><i>so </i></b><b><i>that </i></b><i>even </i><b><i>the </i></b><b><i>infamous </i></b><i>Mr. </i><i>Abraham </i><i>of </i><i>Falvaria </i><b><i>would listen </i></b><i>to </i><b><i>her</i></b><b><i>. </i></b>
<b><i>She </i></b><b><i>had </i></b><i>even </i><i>been </i><b><i>raised </i></b><i>by </i><i>Abraham </i><i>personally</i>.
Now, Patrick felt nothing but regret.
<b>For </b>days, he had been tormenting himself with the thought–<i>if </i><i>only </i><i>I </i><i>had </i><b><i>treated </i></b><i>Ste </i><i>better</i><i>, </i><i>the </i><b><i>Reed </i></b>family <i>wouldn’t </i><i>have </i><i>ended </i><b><i>up </i></b>like <i>this</i>.
She is my biological daughter. Why am I scolding her over Lillian?
<b><i>Because </i></b><i>their </i><i>fights </i><i>had </i><i>irritated </i><i>me</i>? <i>Even </i>if I <i>had </i><i>to </i><i>discipline </i><b><i>someone</i></b><i>, </i><b><i>shouldn’t </i></b><i>it </i><i>have </i><i>been </i><i>Lillian </i><i>instead</i>?
<i>And </i><i>when </i><i>Jonathan </i><i>had </i><i>done </i><b><i>those </i></b><b><i>things </i></b><b><i>to </i></b><i>Ste</i><i>, </i>why <i>had </i><b><i>I </i></b><i>handled </i><i>it </i><i>so </i><i>indifferently</i><i>? </i>
Ste still said nothing.
Patrick was growing anxious. “The price the Reed family has paid is already more than enough.”
<b><i>More </i></b><b><i>than </i></b><b><i>enough</i></b>.
<i>Enough </i><i>to </i>crush <b><i>us </i></b><b><i>entirely</i></b>.
<i>Mr. </i><b><i>Abraham’s </i></b>move <b><i>had </i></b><i>buried </i><i>us </i><i>alive</i><i>. </i><i>Even </i><i>the </i><i>Keene </i><i>family </i><b><i>was </i></b><i>struggling </i><b><i>to </i></b><b><i>stay </i></b><i>upright</i>.
Ste raised an eyebrow. “He hasn’t done anything else, has he?”
<i>The </i><b><i>Reed </i></b><i>Group </i><i>had </i><b><i>been </i></b><b><ipletely </i></b><b><i>cut </i></b><i>off</i>.
<i>By </i>now, it <i>was </i><i>practically </i><i>wiped </i><i>out</i><i>. </i><i>What </i><i>more </i><i>could </i>possibly happen?
Patrick’s <b>face </b>darkened, “He’s done more. He hasn’t just blocked the Reed Group; he’s blocked all of us<b>.</b><b>” </b>
<b>Ste </b><b>was </b>questioned. <b>“</b><b>???</b><b>” </b>
Patrick sighed, “I tried to start a newpany, but no one will coborate with me. It must be…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.
1
<b><i>Abraham </i></b><b><i>intended </i></b><b><i>to </i></b><b><i>force </i></b>us <b><i>into </i></b><b><i>utter </i></b>ruin.
<i>When </i><b><i>I </i></b><b><i>had </i></b><b><i>seen </i></b><b><i>Abraham </i></b>strike <b><i>against </i></b><b><i>the </i></b><b><i>Reed </i></b><b><i>Group</i></b>, <b>I </b><b><i>had </i></b><b><i>thought </i></b><b>I </b><b><i>could escape </i></b><b><i>in </i></b><b><i>time</i></b>.
<b><i>I </i></b><b><i>had </i></b><b><i>pulled </i></b><b><i>out </i></b><i>all </i>my <b><i>money</i></b>, <b><i>set </i></b><b>up </b>a new <b><i>business</i></b><b><i>, </i></b><b><i>and </i></b><b><i>severed </i></b><b><i>ties </i></b>with the <i>Reed </i><b><i>Group</i></b><i>, </i><b><i>hoping </i></b><i>to </i><b><i>dodge </i></b><b><i>the </i></b><b><i>fallout</i></b>. <b><i>But </i></b><b><i>all </i></b><i>paths </i><b><i>had </i></b><b><i>been </i></b><b><i>cut </i></b><b><i>off</i></b><b><i>. </i></b>
<b><i>If </i></b><i>the </i><b><i>new </i></b><b><ipany’s </i></b><b><i>issues </i></b><b><i>weren’t </i></b><b><i>resolved </i></b><b><i>soon</i></b><b>, </b><b><i>everything </i></b><b><i>would </i></b><b><i>go </i></b>to <b><i>waste</i></b>, <b><i>and </i></b><b><i>I </i></b><b><i>would </i></b><b><i>be </i></b><b><i>left </i></b>with <b><i>nothing</i></b>.
<b>1/2 </b>
<b>1:21 </b>PM
Chapter 404 A Plea in Vain
O
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Ste stared at him. “So?”
The icy word carried no warmth.
Patrick exhaled sharply. “Tell Mr. Abraham to stop. Enough is enough.”
<i>After </i><i>everything </i><b>that </b><b><i>had </i></b><i>happened</i><i>, </i><i>the </i><b><i>Reed </i></b><i>family </i><b><i>was </i></b><i>already </i><i>in </i><b><i>chaos</i></b>. <i>The </i>price <i>had </i><i>been </i>paid; <b>it </b><b>was </b><b><i>more </i></b><b><i>than </i></b><b><i>sufficient</i></b>.
Hearing him <b>say </b><b>“</b>enough,” Ste <b>nced </b>at him nkly.
“<b>If </b><b>we’re </b>being honest, <b>yes</b>, it’s enough.”
Patrick’s expression lit up with hope. “Really? Ste, I’ve thought about everything that happened. Your mother<b>… </b>she wasn’t entirely wrong. Lillian was always by her side. You didn’t <b>see </b>it, but Lillian was well–behaved as a child.”
“She <b>was </b>sensible, polite, and always caring toward the family. That’s why your mother naturally favored her. Honestly, she-<b>” </b>
“So what does it matter now<b>?</b><b>” </b>
Ste cut him off impatiently.
Patrick <b>was </b>stunned.
<b><i>What </i></b><b><i>did </i></b>she <i>mean</i>?
Ste stated inly, “Abraham makes the decisions<b>. </b>I don’t get a <b>say</b>.”
Patrick’s breath hitched.
<i>She </i><b><i>had </i></b><b><i>no </i></b><b><i>say</i></b>?
<i>What </i><b><i>did </i></b><b><i>that </i></b><b><i>even </i></b><b><i>mean</i></b><i>? </i>
Ste added, “I can’t help with your newpany either.”
Patrick stared at her nkly.
The tiny flicker of hope in his eyes <b>was </b>immediately extinguished by her ruthless words.
Ste smirked coldly and instructed the driver, “Drive.”
“Ste, you can’t do this. I’m still your…”
Patrick didn’t get to finish.
<b>Ste </b>had already rolled up the window. The tinted ss concealed herpletely.
Panic struck him, and he instinctively stepped forward.
But the <b>car </b>started up and sped off.
Standing motionless, Patrick felt <b>a </b>chill creeping through his entire body.
<b><i>If </i></b><b><i>I </i></b><b><i>couldn’t </i></b><b><i>resolve </i></b><b><i>the </i></b><i>new </i><b><ipany’s </i></b><b><i>problems</i></b>, <b><i>then </i></b><b><i>everything </i></b><i>I </i><b><i>had </i></b><b><i>prepared </i></b><b><i>would </i></b><i>be </i><b><i>wasted</i></b>.
<b><i>What </i></b>now<b>? </b>
Thinking <b>back </b>to how <b>Ste </b>had just looked at him–the coldness <b>was </b>bone<b>–</b>deep.
<b><i>This </i></b><b>was </b><b><i>all </i></b><b><i>Susan’s </i></b><b><i>fault</i></b>.
<i>Everything </i><b><i>had </i></b><b><i>spiraled </i></b><i>out </i><b><i>of </i></b><b><i>control </i></b><b><i>because </i></b><b><i>Susan </i></b><i>had </i><b><i>failed </i></b><i>to </i><b><i>manage </i></b><b><i>the </i></b><b><i>conflicts </i></b>between <b><i>her </i></b><b><i>children</i></b>.
The phone in his pocket buzzed loudly.
<b>2/3 </b>
1:21 <b>PM </b>
Chapter 404 A Plea in Vain
Still in a daze, Patrick pulled it out.
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<b>3/3 </b>