Chapter 294 +25 BONUS
Sasha grabbed Jim’s arm and said sternly, “I think you’re the crazy one here. Can we afford to offend the Lewis family? Right now, nothing’s official between Yvette and Tyler yet, but have you forgotten? If it hadn’t been for William stepping in for the last project, our cash flow would’ve collapsed.”
Everyone in business knew that without the right backing, the difference between life and death could come down to a single decision.
Jim only had Rachel on his mind. “So what? Just because the Lewis family helped us once, I’m supposed to offer up my daughter as a sacrifice? Think about it. If they hadn’t gotten into some kind of argument, how the hell would Rachel have ended up hurt like that?”
Sasha crossed her arms over her chest. “So what if they did? Don’t forget, Rachel’s not really part of the Lloyd family. Yvette is your biological daughter.”
Jim’s face turned cold the second he heard that. “That’s a cruel thing to say. Yes, Yvette is my daughter by blood, but we raised Rachel all these years too. She’s no different from our own.”
For years, because Gerald had always disapproved of Rachel staying with the Lloyd family, Jim had carried a deep sense of guilt toward her.
Sasha knew how stubborn Jim could be and didn’t have the patience to keep arguing with him. “Fine, do what you want. But I’m telling you, offending the Lewis family is something we cannot afford. If anything goes wrong with the company, Gerald will probably want to kill himself. Let’s see how you’ll face your ancestors then.”
That hit Jim right in the heart. He didn’t care about wealth and status, but he did care about the Lloyd family. Gerald had poured his entire life into building their legacy. He couldn’t let it all go up in flames under his watch.
Jim clenched his fists and bit his lip hard. He hated how powerless he felt. He couldn’t even protect his daughter, let alone fight for justice on her behalf.
Now that Sasha could see she had gotten Jim on board, she turned to Cassandra with a more polite tone. “Cassandra, don’t mind what Jim said earlier. He’s just a little hot headed. He didn’t mean to blame William.”
Cassandra still looked displeased. She carried herself with that arrogant aura unique to upper class women. “Of course. Your family wouldn’t even be where it is today if not for us. Rachel? God knows what good she must have done in her last life to marry into our family this lifetime. You ought to be grateful.” She turned to her son and added, “William, don’t worry about any of this. You—”
As she spoke, Cassandra caught sight of someone sitting quietly on a bench out of the corner of her eye. Her face immediately dropped. “Tyler? What are you doing here?”
Jim noticed her reaction. The domineering, high–and–mighty Cassandra suddenly looked rattled at the mere sight of Tyler. He had heard rumors that the Lewis family’s relationship with Tyler was complicated. He’d tried asking before, but both sides avoided the topic. Eventually, he’d stopped pressing.
Tyler had one arm draped casually over the bench armrest. His gaze shifted coldly over to Cassandra. “Mrs. Lewis,” he greeted flatly.
The distant tone of his voice sent chills down Cassandra’s spine.
Sasha, trying to smooth things over, quickly stepped in with a smile. “Oh, Cassandra, something came up at home today, and since Tyler and our family go way back, he came to help. Lately, he’s also been seeing Yvette.”
As she said that, Yvette blushed.
But Tyler cut in with a cold, indifferent line. “We’re not dating, just friends.”
The moment he said that, an awkward silence filled the air. Yvette, who had just been beaming with happiness, looked like she’d been slapped. Her face flushed a deep red, and her lips pursed tightly.
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