Chapter 234

Sherry fibbed, “Yeah, we’re heading to my hometown, Emeraldburg.”

“How’s Christian’s family doing?” Jonathan asked.

Sherry sighed. “His dad passed away recently, and his mom’s been diagnosed with breast cancer. She’s undergoing treatment. Christian’s been thinking about quitting his job and moving back home, but he hasn’t had the courage to tell you.”

Sherry’s heart pounded as she stood before Jonathan. His composed yet commanding presence made her uneasy. She avoided his gaze, terrified he’d uncover the truth that Michael was his son. She had to act fast before things spiraled out of control.

“Mr. Lynn, we’re heading off now,” Sherry said.

“Hold on,” Jonathan said, taking the thick envelope packed with twenty thousand dollars in cash that his assistant had prepared. “This is for Mike,” he added, slipping the envelope through the car window into Michael’s pocket.

“Oh no, Mr. Lynn, we really can’t accept this,” Sherry said.

Jonathan smiled. “Take it. It’s just a small gesture. Michael is a great kid. He’s bright, cheerful, and full of potential. He’s going to do great things one day.”

“Mr. Lynn, we’ll meet again for sure!” Michael said excitedly. “You promised to take me to Jarisburg to see the colorful candies!”

“And last time in Cranur, I didn’t get to play enough. Next time, let’s go again, okay? I want to visit so many places with you.”

“Alright,” Jonathan replied softly.

“Mr. Lynn, wait for me to come back, okay?” Michael said with a bright smile.

The taxi pulled away, and Jonathan stood watching as Michael’s figure grew smaller in the distance. He glanced at his watch and decided to head to the airport.

Just as Jonathan was about to leave for the airport, Benny showed up.

Benny sighed. “Don’t go. Teresa came to see me earlier and left a message for you.”

Jonathan frowned. “What did she say?”

“Here,” Benny said, pulling out a bank card and handing it to Jonathan. “She asked me to give this to you.”

Jonathan’s brows furrowed.

Benny added, with a helpless tone, “She said this is all the money you transferred to her after you came back to Nareigh—6.8 million dollars in total. She hasn’t touched a single cent.”

Jonathan’s expression darkened, a mix of anger and frustration flashing in his eyes. When Benny heard Teresa mention the amount, he was completely stunned. Jonathan had been incredibly generous to her, transferring over 6.8 million dollars in such a short time—and that was just through WhatsApp transfers. It didn’t even include the gifts he’d given her.

“He’d send me tens of thousands, sometimes even hundreds of thousands. If I didn’t accept, he’d call and insist. But I never touched a single cent of it, not even when my company was struggling,” Benny recounted Teresa’s words. “Please give this back to him. It wasn’t easy for him to get to where he is today. He worked so hard.”

Benny was merely the messenger, passing along Teresa’s message.

Benny continued, “Teresa’s intentions should be clear to you. I told her you wouldn’t care about the money, but she insisted I give you this card and said the PIN is your birthday.”

“She also asked me to tell you to stop looking for her and stop contacting her. She’s not saying she’ll never come back. She needs time and space for now.”

Jonathan finally snapped out of it. He didn’t have time to waste arguing with Benny and demanded his phone. Jonathan called Teresa with Benny’s phone, but the call didn’t go through. A robotic voice informed him, “The number you have dialed is switched off. Please leave a message…”

Jonathan finally spoke, “Teresa, can you come back? Fine, I’ll leave. If you don’t want to see me, I’ll go far away, alright? But where will you stay after leaving Nareigh? Don’t be so stubborn. Call me when you hear this.”