Chapter 40: crazy for money

Reed's face turned ashen, a picture of utter despair. Sitting in his position, how could he possibly be clean? A thorough investigation would surely find something. Moreover, if Angelia, the young miss of Linola Group, wanted to target him, the presence or absence of evidence hardly mattered. "Miss, I was wrong! I was blind and failed to recognize the great Mount. Please, have mercy on me and let me go." Reed begged, terrified at the thought of prison. Angelia looked at him emotionlessly, "As the saying goes, 'A fish rots from the head down.' Your son's behavior reflects your own morality. I see no reason to let you off." "Miss, please give me another chance. I apologize to this young lady, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Angelia scoffed, "Reed, would you still apologize if I weren't the young miss of Linola Group? Not all apologies can be met with forgiveness." Turning to Douglas, she said, "Let's go." Douglas nodded slightly. "Lynette, how about we go buy another balloon? This time, let's get a Pink Pleasant Goat one." "Okay!" Lynette nodded, her lips pouted, still saddened over her lost Pleasant Goat balloon. "Miss, miss... please, give me another chance... I beg you..." Reed continued to plead desperately. However, Angelia didn't even spare him the time of day. Watching Angelia walk away, Reed was left feeling desolate, the nagging complaints of his wife ringing in his ears, which only fueled his anger further. He walked over to the overweight woman and kicked her face. The woman was sent tumbling to the ground, her mouth bleeding, two teeth knocked out, crying loudly. "Cry, cry my heart out if that pleases you. It's all because you've always spoiled that brat. Now I've lost my job and might even end up in prison because of you... are you happy now?" Reed, with eyes red with rage, continued to scream, launching into a violent assault, as the woman cried out for help. The bystanders, however, all seemed to take pleasure in the misery, pointing and whispering among themselves, with not a single person stepping forward to help. Initially, Reed was only hitting the overweight woman, but then he began to beat the unruly child as well. For a moment, cries and howls filled the air, creating chaos. Meanwhile, Angelia took Lynette to the balloon vendor and bought her a Pleasant Goat balloon, along with an ice cream, finally bringing a smile to Lynette's face. "Lynette, we agreed, only a little bit, okay? Eating too much will upset your stomach." "Okay!" Lynette nodded obediently, licking her ice cream in small bites. Douglas smiled slightly, noticing Angelia had a knack for soothing the child. "Do you never go to the office?" Douglas asked. Angelia paused, then with a hint of pride, responded, "I rarely visit the office. Besides, Linola Group has many at Reed's level, they don't have the privilege to meet me." Douglas chuckled, finding Angelia's haughty moments quite endearing. "Alright, Lynette, no more ice cream," Angelia cautioned. Reluctantly, Lynette handed the ice cream to Douglas, "Daddy, you eat." Douglas took a bite with a smile, "Let's go ride the powered mini-train." Lynette cheered, seemingly having forgotten the recent upset. Douglas and Angelia continued to entertain Lynette throughout the afternoon. Tired from the day's activities, Lynette fell asleep in Angelia's arms as they left the amusement park. "Let me carry her." Douglas noticed Angelia struggling a bit with the weight. "No need, Lynette isn't heavy, and we don't want to wake her," Angelia replied. Just then, her phone rang. "Let me take her, you answer the phone." "Be gentle, don't wake Lynette," Angelia cautioned as she handed Lynette over to Douglas. Gently transferring Lynette to Douglas, Angelia then stepped aside to take a phone call. Soon after, she returned, apologizing, "I have something I need to take care of. You can take my car back." "It's okay, Lynette and I can take a taxi. You go ahead with your work. Thank you for today; Lynette had a lot of fun." Angelia looked at him, her eyes tinged with a hint of melancholy, "Do we really need to be so formal with each other?" Douglas paused internally, well aware of Angelia's feelings towards him. However, he wasn't ready to address those feelings just yet. "I still need to say thank you. Let's have dinner some other day to thank you for bringing Lynette to the amusement park. I've been terrible to Lynette in the past, this was her first time at an amusement park." Angelia's gaze softened as she looked at Lynette, "I like Lynette, and she likes me, so there's no need for thanks." "By the way, I've shortlisted a few nice kindergartens. I'll send you the details tonight, and you can choose one." "Thank you!" Angelia frowned at him, "Is 'thank you' all you know how to say?" Douglas thought for a moment, then sincerely added, "I'm truly very grateful." Angelia: "..." "Goodbye!" With that, she turned and left, her steps heavy with annoyance. Douglas shook his head, a wry smile on his face. ... Douglas, carrying Lynette, took a taxi home. Lynette was genuinely exhausted from the day's activities and slept through the entire ride. He placed Lynette on the bed, covering her with a summer blanket, then went downstairs to start cooking dinner. Meanwhile, Angelia had arrived at the Riverside Café. She walked into the private room where Blanche was already waiting for her. The call she had received was from Blanche. Sitting down across from Blanche, Angelia looked at her. Avoiding Angelia's gaze, Blanche said, "I've made up my mind. I'm willing to sell my 10% stake in Pinnacle Group to you." Angelia scoffed, " I'm afraid you have not figured it out, but you are in urgent need of money. The Lee Group and Pinnacle Group's joint venture has already sunk a lot of money in. Now, with a financial breakdown, without a solution, you'll soon be in the same predicament as Pinnacle Group." "And, considering Pinnacle Group's current situation, which you're well aware of, the shares you hold are practically worthless. Kent doesn't know about this transfer, does he?" In Angelia's presence, Blanche could never stand tall, her aura too subdued. Blanche retorted, "These are my shares. How I choose to dispose of them is my prerogative. Why should I inform him?" Angelia laughed disdainfully, "Selfishness to the core, as always. Just like when you saw Douglas was crippled, you chose to abandon him for Kent." Blanche clenched her teeth, anger in her voice, "I'm not here to be lectured by you. I've brought the transfer documents. I've calculated it; with Pinnacle Group's market value at 600 million, my 10% is worth 40 million, and we pay the money and deliver the goods." Angelia laughed mockingly, "Miss Lee, you must be delusional to think your shares are worth that much."