Her tears only made Richard’s heart ache, and he kicked me twice more.
“Bella, how can this be your fault? Exposing a parasite is a great achievement! If she weren’t my wife, she’d already be slaving in a sweatshop! As for her dad’s accident, it had nothing to do with you. He must have said something that set those families off. If he wanted to die, who could’ve stopped him?”
At that moment, a major client called, demanding to know why the promised shipment hadn’t been delivered.
Richard glanced at me, sighed, and explained apologetically:
“Mr. Miller, I didn’t want to air dirty laundry, but I can’t hide it anymore. My father-in-law suddenly lost his mind and burned down my warehouse…”
Hearing that Richard had lost millions in goods, and that the culprit was already dead, the client held back further demands, reluctantly offering sympathy.
When the call ended, Richard’s tears dried instantly.
I couldn’t help but clap.
If he weren’t in business, he’d be a star in Hollywood.
“Olivia, you saw it yourself. Our client is tolerating this only because of the mess you caused. If you want your dad’s body properly buried, do as I say. I might even give him a decent funeral.”
I wasn’t a fool. In an instant, I realized George had been his pawn all along.
The claim about burned goods was nonsense! The truth was the company’s poor management had delayed production.
And that young man’s suicide? It was clearly tied to Richard working people like animals.
Before I could reply, Richard shoved a video at me.
It showed his men dumping George’s body into a dumpster like trash.
Whether or not it was my dad, no one deserved such humiliation.
I couldn’t help but scream:
“Richard, do you realize the man who died was your father?”
Richard pocketed his phone and sneered:
“Exactly! Because I considered him my father, I spared him the consequences of this disaster. Otherwise, even selling him for parts a hundred times wouldn’t cover my loss!”
He raised his still-bleeding hand and snarled:
“If you don’t want me to charge you with assault—and deny you the chance to attend his funeral—you’d better behave!”
Cold fear crawled up my spine.
I never thought all my years of supporting him would produce such a heartless monster.
If he couldn’t even recognize his own father, why should I play the villain?
When he finally realized who had really died, I hoped he would regret it.