Cherry fell silent after he spoke.


    She hadn''t expected Lionel to ask her to persuade Hannah.


    Sure, she and Hannah were technically partners now, and they could sit down for a civil conversation. Persuading her wouldn''t be an issue.


    The problem was, her *role* was that of a spy. She was supposed to be the rtive Hannah despised, their rtionship a toxic mess.


    Her, persuade Hannah?


    She wasn''t sure if Lionel was losing his mind or if she was.


    After a few moments of silence, Cherry heaved a long sigh and said gravely, “Now I finally understand why Hannah hates you so much. You really don''t think before you speak."


    Her brow furrowed even more deeply than Lionel''s. She pointed a finger at him, then at herself.


    "We are partners, not your subordinates. I''m not on your payroll. I give you information, you give me resources. What kind of leverage do you think you can offer me to do something like this?"


    Cherry rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm.


    "And you want *me* to persuade Hannah? Why don''t you do it yourself? If I go to her, it''ll blow our cover. Hannah would deal with me first, which would give you a clear path to handle Sandra, wouldn''t it? Lionel Rosenberg, you''ve got it all figured out, don''t you?!"


    She actually started to apud slowly, clicking her tongue in mock admiration.


    "You know what? I think our partnership ends here. If we keep this up, I''m pretty sure you''d sacrifice me to the gods to secure your own future!"


    With that, Cherry shot up from her seat and bolted for the door.


    She looked like she couldn''t stand another second in his presence.


    Lionel saw her leaving and thought about stopping her, but she was gone too fast.


    Suddenly, he was all alone in the living room.


    He sank onto the sofa, sping his hands together and leaning back heavily against the cushions. He let out adong sigh, his mind a chaotic mess.


    From yesterday to today, one problem after another hade crashing down on him, as if trying to bury him alive.


    He hadn''t even considered the settlement. He''d been too busy wondering who had reported him.


    But now, it didn''t matter who reported him. Even if he found the person, what could he do?


    The police had already confirmed he''d uwfully detained someone, so the settlement was unavoidable If he went looking for trouble with the informant, he''d probably just get another warning.


    "Damn it!"


    At this point, if he didn''t resolve the settlement issue first, nothing else could be addressed.


    And just as Cherry had said, he and Hannah weren''t divorced yet. If he used marital assets to pay the settlement, Hannah would definitely have something to say about it.


    But if he didn''t pay, Sandra would raise hell.


    It was as if every path was blocked. No matter which way he turned, it was the wrong one.


    Lionel feltpletely lost, with no idea what the right move was. It was as if there were no clear paths left for him to take.


    He had a gnawing feeling that someone was behind all this, a hidden hand pushing him into this corner.