Chapter 206 Ronald Heard Everything


    Liam didn’t know why he chose the word “unreasonable,” but his father’s reaction had truly been unreasonable.


    Thinking about Tracy straightening her finger herself and walking upstairs alone made his chest tighten.


    He could not help shooting Andrew a reproachful look. “Andrew, you too. No matter what happened, you shouldn’t have grabbed Tracy’s hand with so much force like that. You know better than anyone that she is terrified of pain.”


    It’s strange that Tracy had not made a sound the whole time.


    It was as if she had grown used to that kind of pain.


    But how could any normal person get used to something like that?


    The unsettling thought jabbed at Liam’s heart, filling him with creeping fear, as if he was facing something


    scary.


    Andrew was left speechless by Liam’s words.


    It was not just because Liam had never dared to speak to him in that tone before, but also because he could not seem to find a way to argue back.


    If he thought about it carefully, Tracy had been a victim in this whole thing too.


    But instead of focusing on how to handle the situation, he and their father had rushed back home to demand answers from her. In hindsight, it did seem unreasonable.


    However, Tracy could have exined herself.


    Their father had even given her the chanceter, yet she had not said a word in her own defense. Instead, she had gone straight for Erin.


    The image of her losing control like that, and Erin’s tearful, frightened face, made Andrew’s eyes darken.


    “No matter what, she should never have hit Erin,” he said coldly. “Erin had nothing to do with this, but she attacked her anyway. It was obviously to distract us, or maybe to frame Erin for the whole thing.


    “If she got hurt… she deserved it.”


    Liam’s mind was still tangled with unease from earlier, and he could not think of a proper response.


    He turned to look out the car window, letting Andrew’s words drift through his mind.


    Why had Tracyshed out at Erin the moment she learned what had happened?


    Suddenly, he remembered seeing Erin taking photos with her phone-once at the hospital room door and again outside Franklin’s bedroom.


    The backgrounds in those online photos looked like those two ces.


    No way! How can I start suspecting Erin like that?


    Liam shook his head hard.


    There had to be some misunderstanding. I will get to the bottom of this, clear Erin’s name, and find out who is really behind all this!


    When Tracy returned to her room, she ignored whatever was going on outside.


    She cleaned and treated her injuries quickly, already nning to get someone to take care of the aftermath.


    The rumors online might hurt Jackman Enterprise’s reputation, but she did not need to get involved in that. Andrew would take care of it.


    Her only task was to make sure none of this reached Franklin and maybe see if she could catch Erin slipping up.


    But the moment she pulled out her phone, she remembered her call with Ronald was still connected.


    He had probably heard everything that had happened just now.


    Tracy gripped the phone tightly and dared not speak.


    She had never wanted Ronald to see her so humiliated in front of the Jackmans. It was like ripping away her carefully built mask and showing him the rot underneath.


    She didn’t want that.


    To her, everything about the Jackmans, except Franklin, was part of her dark, polluted past. Ronald and that small rented apartment were the beginnings of the life she wanted to walk toward.


    She did not want those two worlds to ever touch.


    Maybe sensing her feelings, Ronald’s voice came through the phone, “CeeCee …


    15


    He seemed to be suppressing some emotion, and his usual bright and uplifting voice sounded unusually low and heavy.


    Tracy opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.


    After a brief pause, Ronald spoke again. “I’m outside the vi estate. Can youe out for a moment?”


    Tracy froze.


    She did not know where the sudden rush in her chest came from, but without even ending the call, she slipped on her slippers and hurried out of the vi estate.


    His familiar SUV was parked on the roadside. Its simple, ordinary look shed with the grand elegance of the neighborhood.


    But in her eyes, that in car and the man leaning casually against it, watching her from afar, was like a


    light shining in endless darkness.


    She stopped in her tracks, staring nkly at the scene.


    When she did not move, Ronald did not call out. He simply stepped forward, closing the distance himself.


    Every time he saw her, Ronald wore the same bright smile.


    This time was no different.


    “CeeCee,” he called while striding toward her. But when he got close enough to see her clearly, his smile faltered.


    Tracy’s face was pale, her cheeks red and swollen, her hair a mess, and her clothes were torn. She looked like she had been badly bullied and beaten.


    Even though he had overheard everything on the phone, Ronald had not expected her to look this battered.