Chapter 198

Sharpson stood outside the paper-thin door, listening to every word Anastasia and her grandmother were saying inside. His face was so dark it looked like he could wring water from it.

He was still standing right here, and they were talking about him like he was dead!

Sharpson took a deep breath and knocked again, forcing patience into his voice. “Mom, it’s me… I came to see you… Mom.”

The moment he raised his voice, Elisabeth’s smile vanished completely.

Anastasia yanked the door open again. “What’s wrong with you, Sharpson? Who said you could make a scene out here?”

When Sharpson saw Anastasia, his expression darkened, irritation flashing in his eyes. “Anastasia, who raised you to be so damn rude?” he snapped.

Anastasia raised an eyebrow and looked at him with an expression that clearly said, Wasn’t that you?

“Sorry, but I’m the product of having a father who contributed sperm and nothing else. This is just how I turned out.”

Sharpson clenched his jaw. This little brat managed to piss him off every single time they met. He forced himself to take a deep breath and swallow his anger. He wasn’t here to fight with Anastasia today.

“Look, Anastasia, I told you back then that you could stay with the Kingsley family. You’re the one who insisted on leaving with your grandmother. That’s not on me.”

Anastasia knew exactly how much Sharpson and Whitney had despised her back then. Even if she’d stayed with the Kingsleys, her life would’ve been hell. She was better off with her grandmother – poor, maybe, but at least she wasn’t miserable. She had no intention of becoming some Cinderella, living in her own father’s house while being worked to death by a stepmother and stepsister.

“Living with you two cheaters? I was worried the air would be contaminated. Makes me nauseous just thinking about it.”

“That’s enough!” Sharpson’s face went so black it made charcoal look pale.

“Nope, I’m not done yet. From now on, don’t come here, don’t look for me. I’m allergic to scumbags.”

“I’m your father!” Sharpson snarled through gritted teeth.

“I don’t have a father. Mine died the day he decided to cheat,” Anastasia said coldly.

Sharpson was so furious he could’ve bitten through his own molars. “You’ve certainly gotten a sharp tongue since I last saw you.”

He mentally warned himself – last time his temper had screwed everything up. He couldn’t make the same mistake today.

Anastasia found today’s version of Sharpson oddly suspicious. He’d been standing there getting verbally destroyed for ages and still hadn’t left. If AI couldn’t replicate this level of shamelessness, she might’ve thought he was some kind of robot imposter.

Sharpson took another deep breath. “I’m not here to fight with you. I know you’re with Mr. Rhodes now. But you’re young – you don’t understand what kind of family the Rhodes are. I do.”

“If you want a future with him, you need someone in your corner. With your background, why would the Rhodes family ever accept you? Come home with me now. Go back to them as a Kingsley heiress, and they’ll welcome you with open arms.”

“You’re smart. You know how important it is to have powerful backing when you’re trying to join a family like that. Come home, and I’ll be your strongest ally.”

Anastasia stared at him and laughed coldly. If she hadn’t heard it with her own ears, she never would’ve believed someone could be this shameless.

“Wow. So this is what it looks like when someone has absolutely zero dignity,” she said.

Sharpson frowned. He’d been nothing but reasonable, and she still didn’t get it. Did she really think he had no temper?

Anastasia paused, then continued, “Fine. If you want me to come home, I’m not completely opposed to it. Just agree to one condition.”

Sharpson’s face lit up. He knew it! He knew Anastasia wouldn’t give up such a golden opportunity to have him as a father!

“I knew you’d see reason eventually. What’s the condition? Hell, I’ll agree to more than one if you want…”

Anastasia cut him off with a smirk. “Kick Whitney and Valeria out of the house, and sign over all your Kingsley Corp shares to me.”

Sharpson’s smile froze. This greedy little snake wanted to swallow him whole! Those shares belonged to Whitney and Valeria!

“Absolutely not! Never!” he snarled.

Anastasia had expected this reaction. “That’s my one and only condition. If you can’t agree to it, then how can you expect me to agree to yours?”

“Get lost.”

Sharpson couldn’t keep up the act anymore. “Anastasia, you’re going to regret pushing me away!”

“You know damn well how Jasper Hale dumped you! And Megan Miller? She never gave a shit about you!”

In his rage, Sharpson’s words came out unchecked.

Anastasia’s expression darkened slightly. If she’d heard this before, it might’ve hurt. But now that Cassian was slowly healing her heart, she could brush off that old drama.

“That’s because they didn’t deserve me,” came a cold voice.

Cassian appeared suddenly. He’d been in the kitchen making sweet and sour pork – Anastasia had mentioned wanting some after seeing the pineapple someone had brought over. Cassian had immediately offered to cook it. Elisabeth had been absolutely shocked. Here was this powerful CEO going to such lengths to make her granddaughter happy, even cooking for her.

Seeing her grandmother’s amazed expression, Anastasia couldn’t help but laugh. “Grandma, he makes me breakfast every day. Sometimes dinner too. And it’s all delicious.”

Elisabeth nodded, her eyes crinkling with delight. “That’s wonderful, just wonderful.”

Even though Cassian had been busy in the kitchen, the walls were so thin he’d heard every word Sharpson said.

He walked up to Sharpson and said coldly, “My wife doesn’t need anyone’s backing. She’s worth loving exactly as she is.”

“You’re not a Rhodes, so how would you know whether we like her or not?”

“You never acted like a father, so stop trying to lecture the child you abandoned over a decade ago.”

“You can’t have it both ways.”

Panic flashed in Sharpson’s eyes – he hadn’t expected Cassian to be here. He stammered frantically, “Mr. Rhodes, you’ve got it all wrong! That’s not what I meant, I was just…”

Suddenly, a mob of elderly residents charged up the stairs armed with brooms, mops, and one person carrying a trash can.

“Everyone, get him! Beat this shameless bastard!” they shouted.

Sharpson froze for a second, then scrambled backward in terror.

“Where you going?! If you ever show your face here again, I’ll shove this piss-soaked mop down your throat!” one elderly woman yelled, hands on her hips.

“Absolutely insane!” Sharpson muttered.

He practically fled the scene.

Just wait, he thought. I’ll make all these old fools pay for this.