Chapter 344
Malcolm forced a smile, trying to keep his temper in check. “Honey, you splashed me with water, so are we good now?” He reached for Bianca’s hand, hoping for some semblance of reconciliation.
Bianca shot him a fierce glare, her eyes blazing with anger.
Seizing the moment, Malcolm stepped inside. “I’ve thought it over, and I realize I was wrong. I was blinded by Sandra. I had no idea about the baby swap back then. If I had known, I would’ve stopped her.”
Without a word, Bianca slammed a divorce agreement in his face. “I don’t care about your mess with Sandra. It’s time to split the assets. Just sign.”
Malcolm’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Divorce? Are you out of your mind?”
He thought to himself, “Divorce means restructuring Celestial Ventures Group. The losses would be catastrophic!”
“Yeah, I’m crazy. I go insane just thinking about all the pain Meryl has endured over the years. You owe it to both of us, Malcolm. You’ve been in debt to us for life. Not kicking you out with nothing is me showing you mercy. It’s divorce or nothing!”
With no money in his account, he had nowhere else to turn, so he called Lydia for help.
It was a holiday, and the Aniston family was preparing for their reunion dinner. Lydia was pacing back and forth, anxious about seeing Dalton later.
When she picked up Malcolm’s call, she casually said, “Dad, why don’t you stay at Mom’s place for a bit?”
“No way! Going to your mom’s right now would be like walking into a firing squad!”
Malcolm thought, “After Sandra’s flower shop got trashed, her address was leaked online. If I stay there, it’ll only add fuel to the fire. Besides, Bianca will go ballistic if she finds out I’m at Sandra’s. The best move right now is to distance myself from Sandra. Maybe Bianca will give me another chance if she sees I’m trying to make amends. Women are emotional creatures, after all.”
Bianca’s family was wealthy, something Sandra could never compete with. Malcolm knew how to weigh the pros and cons; there was no way he could afford to divorce Bianca, especially with a massive stake like Celestial Ventures at stake. The financial fallout would be disastrous.
“Lydia, could you send me some money? I’ll just crash at a hotel for a few days,” Malcolm said.
Lydia was taken aback. She hadn’t expected her father to ask her for money, but since he asked, she couldn’t refuse.
After hanging up, Lydia quickly transferred some cash to Malcolm’s account.
[Dear Customer, your account has received a transfer of 1000 dollars from Lydia. Current balance: 1048 dollars.]
Malcolm could hardly believe his eyes. The cold wind whipped through the air, ruffling his wig.
He thought, “I used to send Lydia money in the millions during the holidays, and now I’m in such dire straits that my beloved daughter can only spare me a measly thousand? What the heck? This isn’t even enough to cover the hotel bill I charged to the driver’s card this morning.”
Frustrated, he called Lydia again.
“Hey, Dad, did you not get the money?” Lydia asked, puzzled.
“Lydia, why is it only a thousand dollars? Did you forget to add a couple of zeros?” For someone in his position, a thousand dollars wouldn’t even cover one night in a decent hotel.
Lydia furrowed her brows. “Dad, I’m stretched financially. I need to use a lot of money here, and my mom also asked for money yesterday. Alright, I’ll transfer a bit more to you.”
In a matter of minutes, Malcolm received a transfer of 10 thousand dollars. A cold breeze swept through, making him shiver as he held the phone, standing alone in the chill. Just a fortnight ago, he had transferred 30 million dollars without even blinking.
At this moment, Malcolm felt a mix of emotions, realizing his long-time favoritism towards Lydia had become a joke.