Chapter 42
The living room was deathly quiet.
Suddenly, Anthony stood up, shouting in anger, “Lindsey, look at the type of boyfriend you’ve found! A man so blinded by money that he was bought for 600 thousand dollars! Why are you still with him?”
Lindsey sat motionless on the sofa, her contemptuous gaze slowly falling on Jayden. “This is how Jayden operates? Throwing money around? Why don’t you show us the rest of the video?”
The video ended abruptly, clearly there was more to it. And someone like Shawn would need Jayden’s 600 thousand dollars? Ridiculous!
Jayden felt a pang of guilt. ‘Did that man complain to Lindsey?‘ He scoffed inwardly. ‘So childish, playing the “tell–tale” game like a school kid. Pathetic.
Suppressing his distaste, he retorted, “What ‘rest of the video? This is all there is. If you’re talking about something else, well, the only other part is where that guy took my 600 thousand dollars and left!”
Anthony winced, feeling the pain. Even though it wasn’t his money, the thought of giving it to Shawn made him furious. It would have been better invested in Luminova!
“Lindsey, Jayden has brought the evidence, when are you going to stop defending that man? You two need to break up today!” Anthony’s tone was firm, giving Lindsey an ultimatum.
Sheila chimed in from the side, fanning the flames, “Lindsey, listen to me. A man like that is trouble. He’ll drag the whole family down with him. You don’t want us all to suffer because of him, do you?”
Olivia hesitated for a moment, then added, “Yeah, Lindsey, it was 600 thousand dollars this time. What about next time? Who knows if he’ll keep asking for more? People like him are never satisfied.”
Their words stoked Anthony’s anger even more. He slammed the table in frustration, lamenting. “Lindsey, are you trying to drain the family dry?”
Jayden watched the drama unfold with interest. The whole family was putting pressure on Lindsey, and he didn’t believe she could hold out much longer.
“Mr. Riley, maybe the guy just hid his true self for too long. Now that it’s exposed, the contrast is too much for Lindsey to handle. Don’t put too much pressure on her,” Jayden said smoothly, playing the good guy.
“Listen to that! Jayden’s being so understanding, yet you’re still obsessed with Shawn. You’re letting him fool you while Jayden’s been nothing but loyal to you. How can you live with yourself?” Anthony practically shoved Lindsey toward Jayden, as if pushing her into his arms.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Riley. I’m patient. I’ll wait for Lindsey to come around,” Jayden said confidently.
Lindsey snorted, “Are you done?” These people should really consider acting–they were putting on a show.
She stretched out her hand to Jayden. “Jayden, may I borrow your phone?”
Jayden hesitated, unsure of what she wanted to do. But then he figured, what harm could a girl do with his phone? If he refused, it would raise suspicion. So, he handed it over.
Once she had the phone, Lindsey flashed him a sweet smile. “Please give me a moment, Jayden.”
Jayden was momentarily stunned by her smile, His eyes glazed over, and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Sheila, sitting nearby, gripped the sofa cushions in frustration. That vixen! She clearly didn’t like Jayden, so why was she flirting with him?
Lindsey headed upstairs, and as she stepped onto the staircase, her smile vanished instantly.
‘For money? Let’s see who’s really after the cash here,’ she thought.
Thankfully, she had Z’s USB drive. Now, she could test the waters with Jayden’s phone and check the results of her work.
She plugged his phone into the computer and began typing quickly. Letters flashed across the black screen, and after a while, a progress bar appeared. She stopped, patiently waiting for it to fill.
Ten minutes later, she came back downstairs, holding the phone.
Jayden immediately stood up, his voice gentle. “Lindsey, what did you do upstairs?”
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Chapter 42
Lindsey raised one eyebrow, her tone casual. “Just fixed a few things.”
Jayden felt a wave of unease, but he quickly suppressed it. After all, her smile had made him believe his efforts might finally pay off.
“If anything’s broken, just let me know. I’ll replace it,” he said, being a gentleman.
But Lindsey wasn’t buying it. “I don’t think you’d want to see what I fixed, Jayden.”
She paused, then asked, “Are you sure you really gave my boyfriend 600 thousand dollars?”
Jayden’s face stiffened slightly, but he quickly recovered, maintaining his calm. “Of course I did. The only thing I’m worried about now is that he won’t keep his word and keeps bothering you after taking the money.”
Lindsey nodded. “Okay, got it.”
She pulled out his phone. “Then I hope you don’t feel too sore after watching this video.”
It was the same video Jayden had played earlier.
Anthony was impatient and interrupted, “We’ve seen this already! Why do you want us to watch that man’s ugly face again?”
Sheila added, “Lindsey, even if we watch it a few more times, the fact remains–your boyfriend was after the money. Why are you so stubborn?”
Olivia chimed in, “Lindsey, I know it’s hard to accept, but some people really hide their true nature. You need to face the reality.”
Jayden, more direct now, tried to grab the phone to stop the video. Something about it made him uneasy, and he had a bad feeling about what was coming.
But Lindsey stopped him, smiling with amusement. “Jayden, why are you in such a hurry? Are you afraid of something? Don’t worry, there’s more.”
The video, which had previously ended at the same point, didn’t stop this time.
you’re
A cold–faced man’s voice came through. “Alright, 600 thousand dollars. But I’ll throw in a little extra. How about 1.2 million dollars? And you’re not allowed to bother Lindsey again.”
Then came Jayden’s mocking voice, followed by Shawn taking a check and walking away.
Throughout the entire exchange, Jayden hadn’t given a single penny, and Shawn hadn’t taken any from him either.
Lindsey tossed the phone back at Jayden, leaned back on the sofa with her arms crossed, and smirked.
The others exchanged looks, but no one spoke.
Lindsey chuckled lightly. “Jayden, I’m curious. When did you give the 600 thousand dollars? I didn’t see it.”
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