Chapter 347 He Won’t Let Anyone Off
On the other end of the phone, Alexander’s voice was extraordinarily calm, which made it hard for Courtney to make out any emotion from him through the phone.
Courtney was stunned for a moment. “Look, Alex, I know I shouldn’t even put my nose into this matter, but she is your mother after all, and our friendship with Oliver—”
“You don’t need to say any more.” Courtney was interrupted before she could even finish her sentence. Alexander’s weirdly indifferent and calm voice that came from the phone made Courtney feel as if this matter really had nothing to do with him, and that he really couldn’t care less about this.
“There’s nothing left to say about this. Since she left the Duncan family twenty years ago, whatever ties she had with us ended. There is no need for me to spend all this effort to help someone who has no relations with me. You should come back as well.”
Alexander’s words were spoken so easily, as if he was determined not to help.
“I see Oliver as my brother, and yet you are still not willing to help?”
“I only recognize Shay as your brother.”
“You…” Courtney was so livid that she couldn’t bring herself to say anything further. After a while, she finally managed to continue, “Okay, fine. If you don’t help him, I will. I mean, isn’t it just 20 million? I’ll find a way somehow. I’ll solve this without your help.”
After speaking, she hung up the phone.
Looking back at the facade of Hostel D’Amour, the anger in her heart began to boil even more.
She had always felt that Alexander was someone with a prickly exterior but a mushy interior. Although his biological mother did do him wrong back then, it was mostly the grievances from a time long passed. Fiona gave birth to him, after all, and she was pregnant with him for ten months. Since there was no real animosity between the two, why couldn’t he just do her a favor?
The more Courtney thought about it, the angrier she became.
“Hello? Bill, can you help me check how much working capital there is that I can cash out in the finance department?”
Their conversation went on.
After the call with Bill, she made a few more calls and calculated all the funds she could withdraw. It was almost impossible for the real estate under her name to be cashed out so quickly, so no matter how she calculated, she couldn’t fill the crater that was 20 million.
Feeling defeated, Courtney sat downstairs in the lobby of the hostel with a frown on her face.
In the evening, the sound of a car engine came from behind the door of the hostel, and a car with a Melrose license plate stopped right outside.
It was Josh who stepped out of the car.
“Miss Hunter, President Duncan said that it is not easy to drive on the road here at night, and he was worried, so he ordered that I pick you up.”
In the hostel, no matter how Josh persuaded Courtney, she continued to ignore him.
“Miss Hunter, please don’t make it difficult for me. If you don’t come with me, I won’t get to go back as well.”
Irritated, Courtney glared at him impatiently.
“Then don’t. There are so many rooms in the hostel now. But make sure you pay the standard room rate. After all, they don’t keep tabs in this establishment.”
“Uh…”
Josh was embarrassed. “Miss Hunter, President Duncan is only doing this for your own good, so I suggest that you work with him too. He didn’t want to say some things as they might hurt your feelings, but he mentioned that if you are willing to go back, he will spare the other party some face.”
“Spare face?” Courtney frowned. “Why? What did he want to say?”
Josh hesitated for a while, then said cautiously, “President Duncan said that they had not been in contact for 20 years, and the moment they met, a kidnapping just so conveniently happened. He also mentioned that the Duncan Family couldn’t care less about the 20 million, but to think that they thought they were able to get the money by using tricks like this was simply disgusting.”
Courtney’s face darkened as she heard what Josh said. Seconds later, she slapped the table and stood up.
“Is he crazy? Do you think they have nothing else better to do than to deceive people and go through the trouble of kidnapping? Oliver is a student of Public Security University and has a bright future. Does he even need to use this means to deceive anyone?”
Josh didn’t dare to say even half a word while he was being scolded by Courtney. Instead, he only lowered his head and let Courtney ramble on.
President Duncan is too much. Did he really think this extreme method of goading was going to make Miss Hunter come back with me? How did he think it was even possible?
While Josh was just thinking about it, Courtney said solemnly all of a sudden, “I won’t have this. I have to go back and give him a piece of my mind.”
Josh raised his head abruptly—his face was painted with an obvious look of astonishment and bewilderment.
No wonder he is my boss. His trick actually worked!
“The car is at the door. I’ll drive fast. Do you have any luggage? I’ll take it for you.”
“No. I don’t…”
As Courtney was speaking, out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a person’s figure on the second floor. When she turned her head, it had already disappeared into the room. Her heart tightened upon that.
She was afraid that someone might have heard their conversation just now.
In the bedroom on the second floor, Fiona was sitting by the desk with the album on it.
She had never been superstitious, but now she regretted it and wondered if her action of taking out her things from the past had caused such misfortune.
Knocking sounds rang on the door, which resounded distinctly in the silent room.
“Fiona, it’s me.”
“Come in.” Fiona lowered her head and wiped away her tears.
After the door opened, Courtney walked in lightly. As if she was afraid of scaring her, Courtney walked with extra caution. “Fiona, are you crying?”
“No.” The corners of Fiona’s mouth trembled as a reluctant smile was put on. “I cried a lot the last two days. My eyes are all swollen now.”
“You heard it, didn’t you?” Courtney asked hesitantly. Looking at Fiona’s pale complexion, she actually knew the answer without her needing to say anything, and she immediately explained, “Don’t get him wrong. Alexander said this on purpose to provoke me to go back. It was definitely not something he meant.”
“You don’t need to explain.” Fiona’s tone was light. “It’s natural for Alexander to hate me. If it wasn’t for me, Jeffrey wouldn’t have died. It’s me who has brought misfortune to the Duncan family, so it’s my own business to save Oliver—even if he were willing to help me, I wouldn’t allow him.”
Courtney frowned, then changed the conversation.
“Fiona, can you tell me who Oliver offended? And why can’t you call the police?”
At the mention of this, Fiona’s expression froze, as if she had some difficulties in answering Courtney.
“If we really can’t find 20 million, we can only call the police, Fiona.” Courtney frowned. “And since Oliver is a top student at the Public Security University, the relevant departments will pay extra attention to this. Compared to us waiting around trying to get the money, I still feel like it’s better for us to report this to the cops.”
“No.” Fiona suddenly became anxious and grabbed Courtney’s sleeve. “We can’t report this.”
“Why not?” Courtney’s brows and eyes were full of doubts. “You have to give me a valid reason not to—this is a matter of life and death!”
Fiona looked as if she were wrestling with herself in her mind, and her heavy past was suffocating her; fine beads of sweat rolled down her forehead.
“What could be more important than human life, Fiona? He’s Oliver, your son!”
Courtney added, trying to persuade Fiona. She watched as the entanglements in Fiona’s eyes gradually turned into intense sadness, and a fountain of tears gushed out.
“Fiona…”
She was at a loss for a moment.
“Come, take a seat.” Fiona let go of her hand while chokingly telling her to sit down to talk while wiping away her tears.
“I understand what you’re saying, and I’ve also thought about it. If I can’t get the 20 million in the end, I will really have no choice but to call the police, but the person who caught Oliver is a madman. Should he catch wind of this, he won’t let Oliver go… I know that for a fact.”
“Who is he?” Courtney frowned, feeling as if she was able to smell a rotten breath of the old past.
“Felipe Foster.” Fiona almost gritted her teeth when she said his name. “He was the one who had been haunting me like a wretched ghost for more than 30 years. If it wasn’t for him, Alexander’s father would not have died.”
Courtney’s face changed.
