Bet pulled out his phone, nced at the caller ID, and then answered.


    Yvonne was still nestled in his arms, unable to hear the conversation. She only saw Bet hang up with a nk expression before he turned to her and said, "I have to go back to the family estate. Are youing with me? Or should I take you home first?"


    Only Mr. Thompson Sr. lived at the estate, so a summons for Bet to hurry back usually meant trouble.


    Yvonne didn''t want to get involved. "You go on ahead," she said. "I can get back to Cherry Bay on my own."


    Even though Yvonne could handle herself, Bet was still uneasy about her going home alone at night.


    Yvonne often felt that Bet treated her less like a wife and more like a child he had to dote on, worrying about her every move.


    Since Bet''s car was still parked at the restaurant, they had to hail a cab.


    Bet dropped Yvonne off at Cherry Bay before heading to the estate alone.


    Mr. Thompson Sr. lived alone at the estate, and the usually quiet halls of the main house were uncharacteristically boisterous, echoing with the sounds of a heated argument.


    Tobias and Dana were there, as were their son Noah and his wife, Karina.


    Mr. Thompson Sr. hadn''t lost his


    temper like this in years. He mmed a stack of documents onto Noah and roared, "Gambling Taking out loans from loan sharks, and making it a public spectacle Are you trying to give me a heart attack, or are you trying to sabotage your own father''s career?"


    Just as he finished, he saw Bet walk in and continued his tirade. "Bet is at a crucial point in his career! One more promotion and his future is set-his achievements could surpass even my ownof this scandal of yours holds him back, I s swear I''ll never forgive you."


    As his grandfather yelled, Noah stood therepletely bewildered. He bent down, picked up the scattered documents, and his face turned grim as he quickly read through them.


    He turned to Karina, his gaze dangerously cold. "Perhaps you''d care to exin what these debts to loan sharks are all about?"


    “Loan sharks? What on earth happened?" Dana was also in the dark. She took the papers from Noah''s hand, and after reading them, her head spun, and she almost copsed.


    “Karina, you were gambling? And you racked up a debt of over a hundred million!" Dana had always been good-tempered, almost never losing her cool.


    Although she wasn''t particrly fond of Karina as a daughter-inw, she had always tried to be a good mother-inw, treating her with the same care she would her own daughter.


    But now, Dana''s voice rose, her anger at Karina ring for the very first time.


    Karina trembled uncontrobly. Under the cold stares of the entire Thompson family, she stammered, “No, it wasn''t me. It was my brother, Kevin. He was tricked into gambling and racked up a huge debt."


    "If it''s your brother''s debt, why are all the IOUS signed with your name!" Dana was shaking with rage, fighting the urge to p Karina.


    "I... I took on the debt for Kevin. I''m


    the


    .n


    his older sister; it''s my duty to help him. Besides, two hundred million just a drop in the bucket for the Thompson family. I''ve already sold my jewelry and Nic''s trustfund. I''ve managed to scrape together over a hundred million..."