Chapter 1006

Fiona insisted, “Teresa, that’s a different matter. You had Jonathan’s child, so whatever he owes you, you should take it.”

Teresa shook her head and said, “I haven’t remarried him. I don’t want anything from him anymore.”

Fiona pursed her lips, momentarily at a loss for words.

Jonathan had been watching Teresa closely, so he could see her resolve. He said, “Alright, if you don’t want the compensation, then let’s talk about child support.”

He thought, ‘If this is what she wants—cutting all ties for good—then I will leave. This time, I will make sure to disappear from her life completely.’

Teresa forced herself to stay composed. She thought, ‘Just like Evelyn said, he’s only here for the kids. Why else would he start with compensation and then immediately jump to child support?’

She said, “600 thousand dollars a year is enough. 300 thousand for each child. I’ll use every cent for their education.”

“I’ll give you 60 million dollars a year,” Jonathan replied without a second thought. He looked at Teresa, and there was a trace of defiance and challenge in his gaze.

Teresa said, “That’s too much.”

Jonathan said, “Not at all. 30 million dollars for each child every year until they turn eighteen. Spend it however you want—send them to the best schools, give them the finest education. If it’s ever not enough, just ask me. This is what I can offer as their father. They deserve nothing but the best.”

But Teresa still refused. She said, “We really don’t need that much. The kids are still so little—Felix hasn’t even started kindergarten yet. How could we possibly use up 30 million dollars a year?”

Jonathan replied coolly, “How you spend the money has nothing to do with me.”

But Teresa insisted, “600 thousand dollars is enough.”

Jonathan said, “Alright then. I’ll give you 6 million dollars a year for now. When both kids turn seven and start school, I’ll bump it up to 60 million dollars a year. Are you OK with that?”

Evelyn said, “Let’s just go with that, Teresa. 6 million dollars a year really isn’t that much these days. Just take it—money goes fast now.”

Teresa took a deep breath and said, “Okay. Every dollar you give will go to the kids. Not a single cent will be spent on anything else.”

“Suit yourself,” Jonathan said as he got to his feet. Seeing the resolve in Teresa’s eyes, he suddenly lost all desire to stay there any longer.

When he got her call, he was genuinely happy, so much so that he made a reservation at the restaurant they used to go to all the time.

Seeing Teresa come downstairs to greet them upon their arrival, he was both surprised and a little flattered. He’d thought she’d simply stay upstairs, but instead she came out to meet them—and was even polite to Fiona.

He wanted to ask if Teresa was feeling cold, but Fiona beat him to it, reaching out to take Teresa’s hand and asking why she wasn’t getting enough rest.

That was exactly what he wanted to say, too. Seeing Teresa so pale, his heart ached; he only wished her well. He wanted her to stay home, free from every worry, and finally get some real rest.

But now, seeing how resolute she was, Jonathan felt deeply hurt.

Teresa had no idea what Jonathan was thinking. When she saw him stand up, she couldn’t hold back the tears that welled up in her eyes.

She thought, ‘Maybe he just wants to finish this quickly and leave. Maybe he doesn’t even want to see me right now. I have been busy all day, and when Michael told me Jonathan was here, I went downstairs right away—because I wanted to see Jonathan. I missed him. But he didn’t ask about me at all. It was Fiona who showed concern. He just picked up Michael, and he only had eyes for the kids. Even after we went inside, he just talked with Lucas and never asked me a single thing.’

Chapter 1007