Chapter 27
When Iona found out that Steven had made Sharon abort the child, she was so furious that she slapped him.
“Steven, that was your child! How could you be so heartless?” she yelled at him.
Steven stood there with an expressionless face, coldly watching Iona rage like a shrew. “Mom, my wife can only be Yvonne, and she is the only one I’ll have children with. I won’t consider anyone else,” he said.
Hearing this, Iona became even more enraged. She grabbed a few glasses from the table and smashed them onto the floor with all her might.
The sound of shattering glass mingled with her angry curses. “Now you know that she’s your wife? Why didn’t you say so when you were cheating on her?”
“Steven, if you weren’t my son, I would have destroyed you for what you’ve done to Yvonne,” she went on. “You’re lucky that Yvonne’s parents are gone. Otherwise, they would have definitely killed you.”
Steven hung his head, clenching his fists tightly, his voice hoarse. “Mom, I know I was wrong. All I want now is to win Yvonne back, no matter the cost.”
Iona sneered. “Win her back? Why bother? Just divorce her. Besides, she can’t have children anyway-”
“Mom!” Steven suddenly raised his head and shouted loudly, “It’s all my fault that Yvonne is like this!”
“Don’t yell at me!” Iona retorted fiercely. “You have to divorce her anyway!”
She paused for a moment, then her eyes lit up as she remembered something. “Ruth Wyatt, the woman I play cards with, has a niece. I’ve seen her. She has a big behind–she looks like she can have lots of children.
“I’ll go ask Ruth to bring her over for you to see–Hey, I’m not finished talking yet. Where are you going? Steven, get back here!”
But Steven stormed out, slamming the door in anger.
He wandered back to the marital home he shared with Yvonne, where he had been living recently. It was only now that he realized how long it had been since he last set foot here.
The flowers he had planted for Yvonne in the garden years ago had long withered away, unnoticed and unattended.
He had never imagined that Yvonne would truly leave him. In his mind, people always came and went, much like his fleeting relationships that were nothing more than casual flings.
He thought he was just sowing his wild oats while he was young, convinced that no matter what he did, Yvonne would always be waiting for him quietly at home. But he was wrong–terribly wrong.
Now Yvonne was really leaving him. The house had become so desolate, not a single photo of her remained, no trace of her presence at all, as if she had never lived here.
Steven walked into the house and sat on the cold sofa, unable to hold back the sorrow that overwhelmed him. He burst into tears.
J
However, he had already lost the one who would hold him and comfort him.
*****
Early in the morning, Iona had made numerous calls to Steven, all of which he ignored. He figured his mother was either going to scold him or pressure him into getting a divorce. He found it annoying.
But at noon, Steven’s phone unexpectedly received a photo of a bloodied finger. His heart sank, and he was thrown into a state of panic. Without hesitation, he called back.
“Mr. Chapin, you sure are a busy man. It’s not easy getting you on the line,” came the raspy voice of a man on the other end.
“Where’s my mom? What have you done to her?” Steven shouted anxiously.
Your mom owes us money and hasn’t paid up. We couldn’t reach you, so I had to cut off one of her fingers,” the man said. “And I’m planning to cut
off another one.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Steven heard Iona’s scream from the other end of the phone. It was like a knife piercing his ears, causing his heart to contract sharply.
“Stop it! I’ll pay her debt right away. Name your price. Just let my mom go!” Steven’s voice trembled with anxiety, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.
“Mr. Chapin, your mom lost 3 million dollars gambling,” the man said. “That’s pocket change for you, right? Transfer the money.”
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Chapter 27
He added, “I heard your company is going public the day after think?”
tomorrow. Your gambling–addicted mom might have an impact on that, don’t you
Steven gasped and gritted his teeth. “I won’t call the police. But
“Don’t worry. We know the rules,” the man said.
don’t hu
my
mom anymore.”
“How can I trust that you’ll let my mom go once you get the money?” Steven asked.
“Believe it or not. If we don’t get the money, maybe we’ll cut
off another finger of hers,” the man said.
Steven hung up the phone. After some thought, he transferred the money to the account the man had provided.
Not long after, he received a call from Iona, who was sobbing uncontrollably. “Steven-
“Mom, are you okay? Are you safe now?” Steven asked urgently.
“They let me go,” lona choked out.
“Where are you?” Steven asked, grabbing his car keys and rushing out the door.
Mona gave an address, and Steven drove over immediately. When he saw Iona, his heart, huge sigh of relief.
He quickly walked over to his mother and anxiously examined her fingers. He saw and severely swollen, looking gruesome,
Steven took her to the hospital first, and then they went home.
which had been in his throat, finally settled. He let out a
that all her fingers were still there, but two of them were broken
Iona was still trembling, but she kept cursing, “Steven, I was set up. They were working together to cheat me out of my money. I have to get back at them! Give me some money,
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