Chapter 27

Walter was on the verge of losing it. There was no way he was going to return the shares he had taken, nor was he going to hand over that huge sum of money.

Walter exclaimed, "You must be out of your mind. Even if you spill everything,what can they do?"

"Then let's see."

Walter wasn't about to be intimidated by her. "Go ahead and try."

Kathie saw him hang up and immediately contacted her uncles,coordinating with them to take Walter down from the inside out.

Walter felt a growing unease, unsure of what Kathie was planning.

Soon, his assistant called, reporting that the entire staff was on strike, the factory had halted production, and even shipments in transit were being returned.

Walter never imagined Kathie had this kind of power. It had to be the Hughes family behind this.

Within ten minutes, Walter's phone was blowing up with complaints and demands for compensation. Several companies were threatening to cancel their contracts, and the losses were mounting.

Walter was frantic. "This can't go on. We have to stop it immediately."

Melissa was furious, wishing she could kill Kathie on the spot for pushing them to this point.

"Do we have to give in?" Melissa asked. "We need to calm her down first, but either way, it's bad for me."

If he gave Kathie thirty percent of the shares, combined with the Hughes family's sixty percent, they would hold the majority, leaving him with only forty percent and no control.

He couldn't just hand over a hundred million dollars either. The company didn't have that kind of cash, and he couldn't bear to part with it.

Even though he didn't want to compromise, he couldn't stand to see the company suffer.

He called Kathie again, but she didn't answer, clearly making him sweat it out.

Walter gritted his teeth and kept calling. On the third attempt,Kathie finally picked up.

"Kathie, you're going too far," Water said coldly.

Kathie sneered. "Too far? I'm just getting started."

They had conspired to kill her mother, taken all her family assets, and he had pampered his mistress and illegitimate daughter while neglecting his legitimate one. Who was really going too far?

Walter,with great reluctance,said, "I'll return the shares to you. Just make them stop."

"That's more like it. Those shares were mine to begin with. Did you really think you could trick me out of them and they'd become yours? Prepare the agreement and send it to me. Also, I left you a 'gift' in your email. You might want to check it out."

'Kathie wasn't going to show any mercy to these despicable, ungrateful people.

Walter sighed deeply, never imagining he'd be cornered by the daughter he had always looked down on.

Curious about the gift' she mentioned, he opened his email. When he saw the video,his blood boiled.

Unaware, Melissa was still behind him, trying to come up with a solution."Honey, don't be too upset. We can still find a way to get it back."

Walter didn't turn around, his body trembling. Melissa thought he was in shock and walked over with a smile. "Honey, let's go shopping to relax. I saw a bag yesterday that I really liked. Could you..."

Before she could finish, Walter slapped her hard. She stared at him in disbelief. "Why did you hit me?"

"You whore! What have you been doing behind my back?"

Melissa was confused. "Honey, what are you talking about?"

Walter grabbed her hair and shoved the phone in her face. "Don't understand? Look at this video. Who's the slut in it? And the guy looks younger than your daughter. You've been having quite the time,haven't you?”

Melissa's face turned pale. She never expected her affairs to be caught on camera.

"Haven't I treated you well? Haven't I given you everything? And you betray me like this, with not just one man but several."

She couldn't admit it, or her good days would be over.

Melissa had no choice but to lie, "Honey, these videos are fake. I never betrayed you. Kathie must have done this to drive a wedge between us.She did the same thing to Shirley today."

Walter wavered at her words, remembering Kathie's threats.

Melissa swore. "If I'm lying, may God punish me. You've been so good to me. How could I betray you? Kathie wants us to divorce so she can go after you. Don't fall for it."

Shirley, who had just arrived, chimed in, "Dad, don't let Kathie fool you.She wants to break you two up. With today's technology, anything can be faked.Trust Mom."

"Honey, think about it. So much has happened since she came back. She must have planned it all," Melissa said.

Walter released her, sternly asking, "You really didn't do this?"

Melissa breathed a sigh of relief and confidently replied, "I swear I didn't.My heart belongs to you. Kathie dared to attack us; I won't let her get away with it. I'll help you get the shares back, no matter what it takes."

Since Kathie had already made a move against her, Melissa couldn't sit idly by. She had to make Kathie disappear before she could destroy her.

Walter hesitated but nodded. Now wasn't the time for infighting.

In Kathie's suburban villa in Eldoria, Jonathan's phone buzzed. He discreetly returned to his room to check the message from Ben.

He locked the door and called back. "What's Kathie up to today?"

"Mr. Berkeley, she and Randy checked into a hotel," Ben replied.

A hotel?

Jonathan frowned,anger rising. He had been worried about Kathie, and .here she was, hooking up with Randy.

"But Shirley showed up soon after. Kathie beat her up, and it was quite chaotic. Randy seemed to get hit too." Ben quickly added.

Jonathan's frown eased. "Next time, tell me everything at once."

It seemed nothing had happened between Kathie and Randy. He felt oddly relieved. Was he starting to like Kathie?

"Mr. Gray keeps asking for your location. We might not be able to keep it from him," Ben said.

"Tell him if you must, but make sure he doesn't blow our cover."

"Understood!"

Jonathan hung up and hid his phone again, not wanting Kathie to find it.

Now that the kids were settled in school, Kathie probably wouldn't go looking for Randy. He felt a bit happy about that.

That evening. Kathie came to help him bathe, telling him to undress himself.

"Seven, your hands are quite nimble now. You can undress yourself," she said.

Jonathan feigned pain. "They were, but after making kites all day and playing all afternoon, I can barely lift my arms."

Thinking of how he had taken care of the kids all day, Kathie felt grateful."Alright, I'll help you undress and wash your hair. Do you need to use the bathroom first?"

"Thank you."

Kathie helped him to the bathroom, then undressed him and washed his hair.Being so close, he could clearly smell her intoxicating scent. "Have you ever thought about finding a dad for the kids?" Jonathan asked.

"Most men are either jerks or idiots. Why would I bother?"

Jonathan was speechless.

Seeing him deep in thought. Kathie asked curiously, "Why are you suddenly interested in this? Do you want to be their dad?"