Chapter 71

From her seat by the window, Amelia observed Ricky slip into the waiting car and give the word to drive off,abandoning Janessa where she sat-hunched and defeated on the pavement.

Janessa's glare followed the tail lights as they vanished, her eyes burning with pure hate.

Her hatred for Ricky's coldness was fierce, but her resentment toward Amelia ran even deeper.

Blaming Amelia for the matter, Janessa seethed-if only that call to the police had never been made by Amelia, none of this would have happened.

A moment later, Amelia strolled out of the cafe,unhurried, only to find Janessa's furious gaze locked on her. "Aren't you afraid that karma will catch up with you?" Janessa snapped.

Janessa's words struck Amelia as utterly ridiculous.She snorted, "If karma's real, you'd be the first to get what's coming to you."

After a pause, she added, her tone cold but even, "Did you already forget, Janessa? When you seduced Ricky and gave birth to Dayna, you seemed to forget that my mother funded your studies. My mother paid your tuition, and you turned around and betrayed her trust.You used her money, then had an affair with her husband, and you even had a child out of wedlock.Your current problem is just your karma."

Amelia's words left Janessa scowling, her displeasure deepening with every sentence.

Unable to let Amelia have the last word, Janessa raised her voice, calling after her, "What do you know?You mother only gave me money to mock me! She's always acted so superior..."

Amelia did not bother to turn around. She simply kept walking, disappearing down the street.

After years of dealing with the Flynn family, Amelia had learned something crucial. People like them never admitted fault. They always blamed someone else.

After Amelia had left, Janessa immediately regretted her outburst. By provoking Amelia, she realized, Dayna had no hope of leaving the police station any time soon.

Desperation pushed Janessa to pull out her phone,searching for anyone who might be able to help Dayna. Yet, as she scrolled, not a single contact offered the slightest hope.

After thinking for a while,she flagged down a taxi.

At the Morrison famnily's residence.

Helping Jaxton ease onto the couch, Laura lingered at his side until a servant quietly appeared to announce a visitor-Janessa had come.

Laura looked down upon both Janessa and Dayna.

Back when Katrina had still been around, Laura had never missed an opportunity to give Janessa trouble.

Laura wanted the servant to turn Janessa away at the door, but Jaxton had already spoken, asking for Janessa to be let inside.

Janessa entered the living room,her desperation clear as she begged, "Jaxton, please help Dayna!"

"What happened to Dayna?" Jaxton asked.

Wasting no time, Janessa relayed what Amelia had said at the cafe, her words tumbling out in a rush.

The mention of Amelia's police report wiped the calm from Laura's and Jaxton's faces.

Worry gnawed at Laura. If Dayna's theft became public, the Morrison family's cooperation with the Stewart Group could be put in jeopardy. Meanwhile,Jaxton stewed over Amelia's coldness.

Pain pressed against his ribs, but Jaxton still managed to reassure Janessa, saying, "Don't panic. I'll call Amelia right away and ask her to drop the charges."

Laura, her glare sharp and cold, kept quiet. Since Dayna's crime had been committed for her son, she didn't say anything and allowed Jaxton to make the call. Preventing trouble with the Stewart Group took priority in her mind.

Reaching for his phone, Jaxton discovered Amelia had already blocked his number. Left with no choice, he used Laura's phone to call Amelia.

After the call went through, Jaxton practically shouted into the phone, "Amelia, I'm telling you now, drop those charges this instant, or you'll regret it!"

On the other end, Amelia initially intended to hang up but suddenly had a new idea.

"I can withdraw the charges," she said.

Jaxton's entire demeanor shifted when he heard her comply so quickly, a self-satisfied grin spreading across his face. "That's more like it. You'd better-"

"I have one condition, though," Amelia interjected. Not giving Jaxton a moment to reply, she continued,"Here's my offer: end the engagement with me,and Dayna walks free. You care about Dayna, don't you?doubt you'd want her stuck in a cell."

Her words left Jaxton speechless. He had never expected Amelia to make the engagement her bargaining chip.

The idea that Amelia, who was supposed to love him deeply, would offer to break things off with him-it rattled him. What was she trying to achieve?

Laura snatched the phone from Jaxton's hand before he could reply. "Amelia, enough of this nonsense.Marriage isn't a game," she said.

Laura couldn't agree to cancel the engagement,especially given the sixty percent share involved.

Fearing that further conversation would jeopardize her plans, Laura hastily hung up the phone.

Sitting at her desk, Amelia glanced at the silent phone without a flicker of disappointment. She understood the Morrison family far too well to think they would agree to end the engagement so easily.

Still, she knew that even though she couldn't make that happen,Wyatt could.