Chapter 104

The room fell into a mix of expressions, each telling its own story.

Sanderson’s gaze on Laurinda was a mix of disbelief and tension. He had thought his requestwould be met with refusal, but she agreed without hesitation.

That was his mom. How ridiculous!

Lorna, seeing his distress, reached for Sanderson’s hand and found it ice cold, his fingers clenchedtight. It was evident he was deeply upset.

Lorna never imagined Laurinda could be so heartless.

Laurinda, oblivious to the tension, pressed urgently, “Sanderson, your word’s your bond?”

Steward found himself speechless, unable to fathom Laurinda’s foolishness, his voice barely abovea hoarse whisper, “Do you even understand what you’re agreeing to?”

“Of course,” Laurinda replied, her voice cool and detached, “We’ve severed our relationship, right?Fine by me. What good does keeping ties do me? Might as well make a clean break and get it overwith.”

She shot Rachel a glare after her declaration. Kermit and Rachel had been sweet–talking her,tricking her into giving away two–thirds of her money. Now it was all gone.

She resented Kermit, but what could she do? Rachel had produced a son, the very future of theDelaney family.

Steward stared at her, lost for words. And Sanderson also remained silent.

As numbness spread through his body, a clear and cool voice pierced the haze, “We should get thisnotarized first.

Sanderson looked up, his eyes meeting Cordelia’s serious gaze.

In that moment, warmth flooded his heart. He still had Cordelia and Lorna.

He lifted his head, saying, “Right, let’s draft a notary document. And Kermit, you’ll need to write astatement too,”

Kermit nodded in agreement, “Sure thing.”

Steward’s voice trembled with emotion, “Kermit, think this through. What if the cops recover the fiftymillion? No take–backs,”

Kermit hurriedly affirmed, “No regrets. My word is my bond.”

Because that money was gone for good.

Kermit had consulted experts, and these swindlers had been at this game for years, with elaborateschemes. Once the money hit their accounts, it was sliced and diced into hundreds and thousandsof transactions, laundered through countless accounts, the majority withdrawn immediately. Thelonger the delay, the less likely recovery became.

A week had passed, the funds likely bverseas. Getting even a few million back would be a miracle.

After Kermit finished, he produced a statement as if by magic, scribbling his signature and passing itto Sanderson, “Sanderson, take a look. Once we get it notarized, it’s a done deal.”

The paperwork was ready, a clear sign of premeditation.

No wonder Laurinda hadn’t hesitated.

Steward was enraged, realizing they had targeted Sanderson on this day of family reunion.

He put down his fork, appetite lost, feeling something heavy in his chest, making it hard to breathe.

12 48 He had been terribly wrong. By always yielding, he had neglected the family matters, letting thingsspiral out of control, beyond the point of return.

The family was falling apart.

Steward aged a decade in that moment, deflated. Without a word, he ascended the stairs.

Sanderson didn’t watch him leave. He signed the document, then rose, “We should head back.Once the notary. is done tomorrow, I’ll transfer the funds.”

Leaving the Delaney Manor, the drive home was silent. Sanderson sat in the passenger seat,wordless.

Lorna held Cordelia’s hand in the backseat.

The three, including the driver, were solemn, the only sound Cordelia’s soft recitation, “Whennations fall, it’s not for lack of strength or poor strategy, but the folly of bribing the enemy. Toweaken oneself by bribery paves the road to ruin…”

Silence fell again.

Sanderson paused, then realized, a family, like a nation, needed governance. The Delaney family’sdisintegration wasn’t his failure, but Laurinda’s blas.

Somehow, his heart felt lighter. He glanced at Cordelia, unsure if her recitation was intentional ornot.

Back home, Sanderson tallied their liquid assets, exactly thirty million.

He felt a twinge of guilt, “How will we manage expenses until the next shareholders‘ meeting?”

He had little hope the police would recover the funds, and without immediate control of theperpetrators, the money was easily moved. But spending thirty million to sever ties with the Delaneyfamily seemed worth it.

At least now, Laurinda couldn’t use her status to bully Cordelia and Lorna.

Lorna smiled, “I’ve got thirty thousand saved up. Don’t worry, there’s just the three of us, and wedon’t spend much. Might have to pick a less expensive dress for Lia, though.”

Hearing this, Cordelia fell silent, then offered her own bank card, “I have money.”

Aside from the two hundred thousand Sanderson gave for two months‘ expenses, and the moneyfrom Bland, plus her scholarship, she figured it would last a while.

But Sanderson and Lorna laughed off her offer, “You keep your money for yourself.”

The next day, Sanderson took care of everything and wired the money to Kermit’s account.

Cordelia was unaware of these dealings.

Afternoon came, and after two lessons, Merry suddenly turned to her, “Holy smokes. Lia, check outthis post. Is it for real?”

Cordelia looked up, confused, only to see Merry’s phone displaying a school forum post, “StarJuli” had the whole school buzzing with her latest gossip drop, “Guys, remember that scamsyndicate news from last week? Turns out, the Delaney family got hit too. But here’s the juicy bit,and it’s Cordelia’s family. In other words, Cordelia is now cash–strapped and on the verge ofbankruptcy.”

Whispers and sidelong glances followed Cordelia as she walked through the halls of the school.Hayley couldn’t resist stirring the pot when she saw Juliana, “Heard about the Delaney fortunetaking a nosedive. So, it’s Cordelia’s folks, huh? Not yours? With Hackett’s big birthday bash justaround the corner, I wonder if Cordelia will even be able to afford a new dress.”

And there was that one classmate, still hung up on Everard, who chimed in with a mix of curiosityand malice, “Cordelia, is it true your family’s gone belly up? Is your pretty boy beau still stickingaround? Hand him over to me, and I’ll make it worth your while. Deal?”

Cordelia lifted her eyes slowly, a detached gaze in a sea of murmurs.