Dolores hadn’t anticipated that one of the reasons they wanted to ruin her was their fear of her seeking revenge using the power and influence of the Nelson family. It was a revelation that caught her off guard, but the situation had changed now.
They weren’t just targeting her anymore; they were targeting the baby in her belly as well. So, her earlier compromise was seen as a symbol of weakness and vulnerability in their eyes.
“Even if you’ve heard everything, so what?” Beulah decided to drop the act since the secret was out in the open.
“Yeah, who do you think you are? Dad abandoned you. You’re just a…”
“Why are you making so much noise early in the morning? And why are you here?” Randolph interrupted them, shifting the focus to Dolores when he noticed her presence.
Dolores glanced at Beulah and Annabelle, and then fixed her gaze on Randolph. “You want the Repulse Bay land, right?”
Randolph was momentarily stunned. “You know about it?”
Beulah and Annabelle also looked at her with anticipation. They seemed surprised that Matthew had treated her well enough to give her the Repulse Bay contract.
Dolores could sense their suppressed excitement. It appeared she needed to assert Matthew’s authority as her own.
Maintaining a composed demeanor, she wore the shy and happy expression that a woman in love often displayed. “What’s wrong with him giving me something? We’re a couple, after all.”
“That’s impossible!” Annabelle vehemently rejected the idea. She had convinced herself that what she had seen before was just an illusion.
Beulah held Annabelle’s shoulders and shook her head, signaling her to calm down.
If Dolores had indeed acquired Repulse Bay land, Randolph would undoubtedly have changed his attitude towards her. The Nelson family held considerable power, and Randolph sought to establish connections and leverage those connections for his own benefit. Moreover, Randolph’s company has been facing some problems lately.
As Dolores finished speaking, a long-lost smile appeared on Randolph’s face. “Have you had breakfast? If not, why don’t you have breakfast here before leaving?”
Randolph wasn’t someone who always wore a stern expression; it was just that he had never smiled at Dolores before.
Dolores looked at Randolph, feeling a mix of bitterness and sadness. So, he could still use her when he needed her, and even change his attitude towards her, right?
In his eyes, she was nothing more than a tool to exploit.
And he was her biological father. How ironic!
“I’ve already had breakfast. I came here to let you know to pack up my mom’s dowries and my belongings. I’ll send you the contract tomorrow,” Dolores stated, turning around and heading downstairs. The pain in her heart seemed to outweigh the pain in her knees.
Randolph caught up to her. “Come back. You haven’t eaten a meal at home. Have breakfast here before you leave.”
Dolores turned and looked into his eyes. “What do you want now?”
Randolph realized she had seen through his intentions. Deciding not to hide his motives, he spoke in a softer tone, “Lola, the company is facing some problems. Can you ask Matthew to help me resolve them?”
Dolores averted her gaze, placing her hand on the handrail as she descended the stairs. Her voice remained indifferent. “What happened to the company?”
“One of our construction projects had a collapse…” Randolph began, explaining that they were facing a lawsuit and the incident had severely damaged their reputation.
The public was disgusted with their products, and the company was struggling to recover its capital.
Even if Dolores gave him the rights to develop Repulse Bay, he wouldn’t have enough funds to invest in it.
So their immediate concern was resolving the collapse incident.
“If Matthew can help me control the public opinion and use his network to resolve the lawsuit, my company can survive this crisis,” Randolph explained.
Dolores glanced upstairs. “I can help you, but I have a condition.”
Randolph’s expression froze. He hadn’t anticipated another condition and wondered what it would be this time. His face darkened involuntarily.
“Don’t worry. I don’t want your money. You just need to return everything that belongs to me and my mom. I can help you, but…”
“But what?” Randolph inquired.
“I’ll help you only if you divorce Beulah,” Dolores stated.
Randolph found himself in a dilemma. Dolores didn’t elaborate further, as she wanted to see how much her father valued that woman.
Was Beulah more important to him than the survival of his company?
“Lola…”
“I won’t force you to divorce her. Whether you agree to my condition or not is up to you,” Dolores said nonchalantly.
Would Randolph ever truly love someone?
Randolph found himself in a difficult situation. “Lola, I know you’ve held a grudge against me for sending you away back then. But Beulah was pregnant, and the check-up revealed that she was carrying a baby boy. So, I… I…”
“So, you sent us away. But did she give birth to a boy for you?” Dolores clenched her fists tightly. Did he know that her mother, who was also sent away by him, was pregnant at that time?
Due to the emotional turmoil caused by the divorce, her mother had a difficult pregnancy, resulting in their child later developing autism.
Randolph also felt remorseful about this matter. “She had a miscarriage unexpectedly. It wouldn’t be fair to abandon her now…”
“Make a choice between your company and Beulah Shawn!” Dolores didn’t want to dwell on this topic any longer. Would it be fair to Beulah if he divorced her just because she had once carried his baby boy?
But what about her mother?
Did she deserve to be abandoned?
Did the boy she gave birth to deserve to suffer from autism?
She was merely asking him to divorce Beulah, yet he hesitated due to their past?
But why didn’t he hesitate when he sent her and her mother away, disregarding their husband-and-wife relationship and his father-and-daughter relationship?
Enduring the pain in her heart, Dolores walked out of the Flores’ Villa.
At the entrance, Sampson leaned against the car, illuminated by the gentle morning light, giving him an air of gentleness and aloofness.
Dolores paused.
Seeing her leaving the villa, Sampson opened the backseat door. “Don’t stand there. Hurry up and get in the car.”
Dolores walked over, stooped, and got into the car.
Sampson closed the door and settled into the driver’s seat. He turned to look at her. “Where are you going?”
“WY Group.” Dolores rested her head against the window. “I work there.”
Sampson furrowed his brow. “If I can find you a better job…”
“I work there because of my arrangement with Matthew.” She couldn’t leave the company.
After about twenty minutes, the car stopped at the entrance of the WY Group office building.
Sampson got out of the car and walked towards the backseat door, but Dolores had already opened it. Seeing him approaching, she smiled. “I can handle it myself.”
Sampson offered her a hand. “Don’t you realize you’re injured? Take care of yourself. Call me if you encounter any problems.”
Dolores nodded and stepped out of the car.
At that moment, another car pulled up to the entrance. A tall figure got out of the car and glanced at Dolores.
Matthew stood by his car, staring at Dolores with a cold gaze.
His unfriendly gaze was so evident that even Sampson noticed it. He took a step forward, positioning himself in front of Dolores, shielding her from Matthew’s gaze.
Matthew had lost his temper as Dolores hadn’t returned the previous night. And now, Sampson was protecting her in his presence.
An intense anger burned within him!
She hadn’t come back all night, and it seemed she had spent the night with this man?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became…