Chapter 51: Chapter 51



The scream came from the woman, who slipped in sweat and almost fell off the roof. It was a split second between life and death. The woman’s mother-in-law was crying hysterically and nearly fainted at the sight of her daughter-in-law tumbling over the edge.

Dolores’ mind went blank and her whole body tensed until the woman regained her balance.

After a moment, Dolores called out to the woman. “If you come down from there, I’ll give you back the money you paid for your house.”

The woman didn’t believe Dolores one bit. “You don’t dare say that just to put me down? I don’t believe you.”

“I’m not lying to you. I’ll give you the money. If you won’t do it for yourself, think of the baby you’re carrying inside your belly.” Dolores continued, trying to convince her.

The woman seemed to be at the end of her rope, which explained her desperation. “That’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m here for my baby’s sake. You think it was easy for us to buy a house? We pooled all our savings to try to have a safe place for my baby, but can I let my baby live in a place that has collapsed? What are the chances that he’ll be buried alive under the house?”

Dolores knew what was troubling the woman, how worried and terrified she must be. Dolore knew because she had experienced it herself. “I understand how you feel. You just want to give your baby a good home. I appreciate your concern. As long as you come down, I promise I’ll give you the money.”

“Why should I believe you, what am I going to do if I come down and you don’t give me the money?” the woman asked, refusing to give up.

Dolores licked her dry lips. “I’m not lying to you. I’m Randolph Flores’ daughter. I’m not going to lie to you.”

“You’re the daughter of that unscrupulous executive?”

“You must pay your father’s debt! Give back my money!”

“Give us our money back!”

The crowd immediately surrounded Dolores.

“Give back our money, give back our money!”

An agitated man reached out to grab Dolores, but Matthew’s reflexes were quick. He quickly pulled Dolores into his embrace and looked sternly at the man. The look stunned the man, but he continued with his demands. “Pay what you owe. You can’t do this to us.” The man paused and turned back to the crowd. “Your father has stolen our money. If her father won’t pay, let her pay.”

“That’s right, that’s right, pay her father’s debts. If her father doesn’t show up, then she should pay!” someone else chimed in.

Soon the whole crowd turned on Dolores, agreeing with the new demand. The place became disorderly and descended into chaos. The chaos, however, allowed the woman to be saved by rescuers while she was distracted.

When Abbott returned with some men, Matthew and Dolores were already blocked by the crowd, and he was unable to reach them. However, thanks to the men Abbott brought along with the help of the rescuers, they cleared a path and Matthew led Dolores to the Flores Group office area while the crowd remained outside.

As they led the woman to safety next to the rescuers through the main lobby, he saw Dolores through the glass doors and broke free from the rescuers running to Dolores. “You said you’d give me the money!”

Abbott and security grabbed the woman, and she was unable to reach Dolores, only able to yell desperately at her, “You said you would give me the money back. If you lie to me, you will suffer a terrible death. You have earned the money by unscrupulous means and you will be cast into hell when you die.”

Matthew frowned and spoke coldly. “Throw her out.”

Abbott was about to do so when Dolores shouted. “Wait!” Dolores turned to Matthew “I know you’ll think I’m a fool for giving her the money. Once I do, there will be no end of trouble. But who would gamble with her life if she wasn’t at the end of her rope? All she wanted was to give her son a home and she had the bad luck to meet my father. She’s right, if I don’t keep my promise to her, I won’t be at peace because I understand her feelings perfectly well…”

Dolores understood that the pregnant woman only wanted to give her son a home because that was what Dolores wanted to do, to give her son a complete family. However, that was out of Dolores’ reach and may not happen in this lifetime. Dolores was petite and thin and could be blown away by a gust of wind. But her clear, bright eyes were so determined that Matthew couldn’t help but feel something.

It was a determination Matthew had never seen before. He was momentarily stunned and looked at Dolores before turning to Abbott. “Give him the money.”

Abbott immediately understood and turned to the woman. “Follow me.”

At that moment, Randolph came running up. He had been hiding in the office and came out because he discovered that Matthew and Dolores had arrived. He was filled with hope when he saw Dolores.

“Lola,” he exclaimed. “You’ve come to save me!”

Dolores turned to him, her expression bitter. “How much money do you have?”

That stunned Randolph, for he had not expected her to ask him how much money he had. If he had money, he wouldn’t be in this state.

“I don’t have any money,” Randolph said as if it were a given.

“Really?” Dolores didn’t believe him; even if he was forced to pay his debts, how could he not have more money? “Who can help you if you don’t tell the truth?”

Randolph shadowed his expression and remained silent. Dolores wasted no time.

“I won’t force you if you don’t want to tell.” She looked at Matthew. “Come on.”

Matthew reached out to grab her gently around the waist and nodded. They walked out of the office area under the protection of security personnel.

Randolph was stunned and saw that Dolores was about to leave. He gritted his teeth and told the truth. “I have little. Apart from the house, I had about two million in cash, but Annabelle stole it from me. I filed a report with the police but they haven’t found her.”

Randolph didn’t want to tell Dolores the truth. The daughter he favored stole his money and fled when he was at his lowest. Ironically, it was the daughter he despised who stood before him, wanting to help.

His eyes turned red as he fought back tears. “Lola, I was blind. That’s why…”

“Stop, just stop.”

Dolores didn’t want to hear any of it. The more they talked about it, the more hurt she would feel.

“Sell the house. Get what money you can and return as many houses as you can-”

“It’s my only asset, I-” She couldn’t bear to part with it.

“You have money?” cried Dolores angrily. “If you don’t pay back those you’ve wronged and repair your reputation, no one can save you. Decide for yourself.”

Dolores was very firm. Matthew stared at her, hurt for her, he was impressed by how calm she was. He hadn’t expected her to analyze the situation so logically.

If Randolph was smart, he would appease these people and not make things worse. Then he would have a chance to wait for the rest of the money and the Flores Group could get over the crisis.

After leaving the Flores Group, Matthew went back to the office while Dolores went back to the village. She had no work that day. Matthew wanted her to go back to rest, as she was not looking well.

Dolores was exhausted, but she couldn’t sleep when she finally laid down on the bed. Her mind was a mess and she was thinking about a million things, but she couldn’t figure them out. So she got up.

Coral was cleaning the windows and Dolores went over to help her. “Here, let me help.”

Coral waved her hands. “No, there’s no need. Someone will be here soon to do the job.”

Every week servants came to do a thorough cleaning. They mowed the lawn, pruned the flowers, and cleaned the areas Coral couldn’t normally clean. How could she clean such a large villa by herself? She was a hardworking woman and didn’t like to slack off. Still, she needed help cleaning windows and other areas she couldn’t get to regularly.

Dolores was led to the couch by Coral. Coral went to wash her hands and asked Dolores. “What fruits do you want to eat? I’ll get you some.” “Apples,” said Dolores.

“Okay,” Coral said, walking into the kitchen.

Dolores sat down on the couch and looked at the window. There was some foam that Coral had left behind when cleaning them. Dolores stared dazedly at the foam sliding down the glass.

Then her phone rang, snapping her out of her thoughts. Dolores pulled out the phone and saw that it was Sampson’s number. She became nervous – had she found out something?

Her hand shook unconsciously as she answered. “Hello.”

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