Chapter 62: Unwelcome Calls

The weekend she had been looking forward to was disrupted by an unexpected call. “You ungrateful child, have you blocked me? I wasted my time raising you!”

Ellis hadn’t blocked unknown numbers because her job required her to interact with various people, and she hadn’t anticipated any trouble before taking this call. As soon as she answered, Carly’s scolding hit her, and she fell silent. “Don’t you play dead with me!”

Carly had spent two days waiting at Hudson Group without seeing Easton and was continually hassled for money, leaving her frazzled. When she tried to reach out to her foster daughter, Ellis’s number was unreachable. Something was clearly amiss, so she tried a different number and got through immediately, only to realize that Ellis had blocked her. Thus, Carly couldn’t help but unleash her frustration on her foster daughter.

“Ms. Carly, I haven’t done anything wrong. You keep scolding me, and I don’t want to be yelled at, so I temporarily blocked you.” Ellis was living her life as she wanted, not wanting to be berated or forced into things by Carly, nor treated like a tool. Cutting off contact with Carly was a last resort.

“After all I’ve done raising you, is this how you show me no manners or gratitude?” Carly felt like pointing directly at Ellis and scolding her. Whether Carly was trying to guilt her or not, Ellis didn’t care to judge. She steeled her mind against Carly’s words, which might make her doubt herself as an ingrate.

“If you’re just going to ask me to make up with Easton again, then this call doesn’t need to continue,” Ellis said calmly.

Trying to prevent Ellis from hanging up, Carly’s tone softened slightly. “The Hudson family fund has stopped the monthly payments to me and is asking for the past two years’ money back. I don’t have the funds to return it. Either you find a way to get Easton to resume the payments, or you send me the money.”

Theoretically, as Mrs. Hudson, Ellis should have some control over the Hudson family assets, but Easton was always wary of her. She didn’t know exactly how much he had, nor did he give her money directly; she used his supplementary card for expenses and had no clue how the Hudson family fund operated. Carly’s demands were beyond her reach, and Ellis stated plainly, “Auntie, I can’t handle Easton, and I don’t have the money to give you.”

“I don’t need much, just 28 million,” Carly said. She hadn’t been guessing blindly; she had estimated the funds Ellis might have and what she needed herself.

“28 million?” Ellis wanted to ask Carly why she wasn’t listening to her earlier words and where she got the idea that she could easily fork over 28 million in cash. “Ms. Carly, I must tell you something.”

“Speak.”

“Easton never gave me a penny of his own money. I used to spend using his supplementary card, but last month he took it back. I don’t even have 28,000 dollars in my account, let alone 28 million. I have to work outside to support myself.”

Carly was utterly shocked by her nephew’s tactics. “When he gave you the card, didn’t you cash out?”

“That would be silly; I forgot to cash out,” Ellis said self-deprecatingly. It wasn’t that she was following Carly’s lead; rather, after marrying Easton, her mind was filled with thoughts of forever, focusing only on when Easton would fall in love with her or worrying about other women stealing him. She paid little attention to anything else and certainly didn’t think to secure Easton’s money in her own account.

“You fool!” Carly scolded, feeling like she was dealing with a hopeless case. “Can’t you take a few valuable items from home and sell them to help me get through this crisis?”

“Ms. Carly, let me tell you something,” Ellis said. “The reason I don’t live with Easton anymore is that he kicked me out and won’t let me set foot inside again. Even if I wanted to get valuable items for you, I simply can’t.”

Carly was at a loss for words, her face turning ashen with rage.

“Easton even had me sign a prenuptial agreement that leaves me with nothing if we divorce! Auntie, your wonderful nephew had planned from the moment he agreed to marry me how to leave me with nothing and easily kick me to the curb,” Ellis said coolly, waiting for Carly’s reaction.

Three years as Easton’s wife, and nothing to show for it. She hadn’t planned on telling Carly all this, but Carly seemed to think she was wealthy, benefiting greatly from Easton, not realizing how calculating Easton could be. She might as well clear everything up with Carly to avoid her harboring unrealistic expectations about money.

“You’re too foolish for words!” Discarding the thought of calling her foster daughter foolish, Carly couldn’t think of anything else to say. “Easton had you sign a prenup, and you just signed it without a second thought?”

“If I didn’t sign, he wouldn’t marry me. What could I do?” Ellis might as well admit her naivety, but from a personal and human perspective, it was understandable that Easton didn’t want to part with any money, preventing asset loss.