Chapter 730
730 Chapter 729
The phone rang only once before Marisa's voice came through.
She sounded concerned. "Oliver, what's going on? Did you finish handling your things?"
Oliver sighed with relief, replying, "Yeah, it's done. You need to come pick me up."
"Pick you up? What happened? How did it go?" Marisa's voice was tense with worry.
Oliver was relieved.
Though he had sounded confident when Jake and Melissa grilled him earlier, he hadn't been so sure.
But hearing Marisa's worry now put him at ease.
In a low voice, Oliver explained, "Lewis kicked me out of the house. But don't worry, Marisa, we'll bounce back!"
"What?! Kicked you out? That's outrageous! When you say 'bounce back,' you have a plan, right? What's your next move?"
"Of course. I haven't spent all these years in business for nothing. I've got connections and resources. Just give me the money, and we'll rebuild my empire."
Marisa paused before asking, "Give you all the money? What money?"
Oliver froze. "The money I've been giving you over the years."
"Oh, that money," Marisa said. "Lewis kicked you out with nothing? That's ridiculous!"
"Exactly, it's beyond unfair."
"And your father? What does he think?"
"Stop asking questions. Just come get me. We'll talk about Dad when we're together."
"Alright, hang tight."
Marisa hung up.
...
In an upscale Clance neighborhood.
Marisa turned to Selena, her face full of worry. "Your dad's been thrown out of the house. If we pick him up, will it bring trouble to us?"
Selena didn't waste a second. "Mom, let me make a few calls and find out what's going on."
She then started calling people.
After a while, Selena came back, looking scared. "Mom, I heard Lewis put the word out that anyone doing business with Dad will be cut off from the Horton family. If we take him in, it's going to have serious consequences." n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Marisa's face paled. "What are we going to do? If we don't pick him up, he'll probably come here himself."
Selena furrowed her brows. "Looks like we can't stay in this house."
Marisa paused. "What do you mean?"
"Mom, start packing."
...
Outside the Horton residence, the air had a sharp chill.
Shivering in just his shirt, Oliver rubbed his arms and looked again toward the distance. Beside him, Melissa watched him with a mocking smile. "From the way Marisa was asking questions earlier, it doesn't seem like she wants to pick you up."
"Shut up! Marisa isn't like that at all!"
Oliver shot back defensively.
Melissa smirked. "Then what is she? Your true love?"
Oliver snorted, pulling out his phone. "Marisa's house has security cameras. I'll show you. She's probably already on her way."
He opened the camera app, eager to prove her wrong.
The screen showed the driveway outside Marisa's house. A car slowly pulled out, the driver waiting by the gate.
"See? She's already left!" Oliver triumphantly shoved the phone toward Melissa.
Melissa hesitated as she saw the car, unsure whether she'd misread the situation.
Was Marisa actually coming to pick him up?
But then Melissa shrugged it off with a laugh.
It didn't matter if she was wrong. If someone else was looking after Oliver, it meant Jake wouldn't have to. That was enough for her.
"Looks like you were wrong!" Oliver sneered. "She's on her way, and now you have nothing to say."
Melissa turned her gaze toward him. "I hope she does pick you up. Just don't come bothering Jake anymore."
"Heh, don't worry. Even if I were starving, I wouldn't go crawling to you two ungrateful leeches!"
Oliver spat out the words, then shot a glare at Jake. "You think Lewis will take care of you just because you're his favorite? Think again! Did he give you my shares when he took them away from me? No, right? He's not some charity worker!"
It all made sense now. Lewis had schemed against him, likely with old Mrs. Horton's blessing. That was why she'd evenly split the inheritance, avoiding any drama for Lewis.
As Oliver pieced things together in his head, his expression darkened.
"You people only care about money!" Oliver raged. "You don't care about family! Marisa is the only one who truly loves me. You'll all get what's coming!"
Melissa shot back, "Let's see if Marisa actually takes you in before you keep talking like that."
Oliver pointed at his phone, his voice dripping with confidence. "Marisa's already on her way. You're just trying to stir things up—"
Before he could finish, the front door of Marisa's house opened on the screen.
She stepped out with Selena, dragging a few suitcases behind them.