Chapter 540 Cold Ryan

Ryan’s voice dropped to a low murmur, drained of any warmth. His face, still carrying faint traces of the man he once was, looked hard and cold, like frost settling over stone. The air grew heavy, pressing down until Rebecca felt she could barely breathe. Her fear was sharp and real.

At home, she had always feared her father. Preston felt the same. They had watched too many times as their mother, Daphne, lowered her head and swallowed her pride around him. Whenever they made mistakes, Ryan showed no mercy. If Daphne had not stepped in to shield them, their childhood would have been far darker. Now the woman who had protected them was gone. If Preston stood against Ryan, Rebecca had no idea how to stop it.

“I do. My father!” Preston’s voice cracked, sharp with anger and grief. He was scared of Ryan, that was true. But Daphne’s death, and Ryan’s chilling lack of emotion, sent rage burning through him. “Dad, you were Mom’s husband. How can you act like she meant nothing after she died? I know your marriage started as business, but after all those years, you felt no pity for her at all? She lit up the world in public, but at home she had no voice. She bowed to you even after raising two children. Now she’s gone, gone in the cruelest way. You didn’t even look at her. You just turned away. She was your wife!”

“Shut your mouth!” Ryan’s hand lashed out, striking Preston across the face. The sound rang out, sharp and echoing through the room. Preston’s head jerked to the side, his cheek burning with pain. Inside, it felt like his heart had shattered into pieces too small to ever fit back together.

“Preston!” Rebecca cried, pushing forward to stop it. “Dad, he’s speaking out because Mom’s death hit him hard. Please don’t treat him like this.”

“Hit him hard? He’s not the only person torn by this! She’s my wife! She died without warning. Do you think I’m not grieving? Do you think I ever imagined this would happen? But if I stay here and sulk, will she come back? You’ve lived with every privilege. You think that just appeared out of nowhere? Your sister has coasted through life, spoiled, adored, and untouchable in her crowd. You think that happened by luck? Your grandfather handed you this life. If he can give it, he can take it back just as fast. If I don’t stay strong, this family falls apart. And you, Preston. Do you have the guts to start from nothing? Do you have it in you to lose your comfort and struggle at the bottom? You don’t.”

The words hit Preston like a storm. He froze, unable to argue. His fists clenched, then loosened, his strength draining away like air from a flat tire. He wanted to say he had the resolve. He wanted to say, for his mother’s honor, that he was willing to endure ruin. But reason, sharp and merciless, told him the truth. He did not. If it meant giving up his wealth and privilege, Preston would rather die. Even stripped of real power by Jude, forced out of DY Group’s branch, he was still Ryan’s only son. As long as Ryan stood, Preston’s life of luxury was secure. Even Rebecca, exiled from Cetherland and barred from returning, lived comfortably overseas. All of it existed because of the Bells. Because of the Bells' power. Because of the Bells' money.

Ryan stared him down. “You still have some sense, Preston. You’re my son. Because your mother just died, I’ll let this go once. One more thing. Today, while I was drowning in the fallout from Sunlight Plaza, your mother’s family barged into my office. They said she owed them sixty million. The second they heard she died, they came chasing money. Instead of worrying about me, maybe you should ask why your grandfather’s greedy family hasn’t even shown their faces for her.”

“What?”

Only then did Preston and Rebecca understand. Daphne had just died, yet not one of the Kahler family had come. Preston had only told Ryan, waiting for him before making the next move. But they had overlooked something. Sunlight Plaza was the Bells' property. The Kahler family had their own ways of gathering information. They knew what had happened. Yet instead of going to the hospital, they had rushed to Ryan, demanding...

That was preposterous.

Rebecca whispered, stunned, “That’s impossible. Mom always had enough for herself. She even kept her own savings. There’s no way she would’ve borrowed sixty million from them.”