Chapter 310
Anastasia and Salma returned to their hotel room. Salma remained silent, feeling a sense of shame when faced with her daughter.
âMom, you barely ate anything at The Regal Palate. Do you want something to eat? You can rest after youâve had something.â Anastasia suggested, âYou could go and freshen up first.â
Salmaâs leg injury had healed, and she could ditch the crutches. This brought comfort to Anastasia.
Hesitantly, Salma spoke up, âAna, Iâm sorry. Your dad and I shouldnât have lied to you. I wasnât really sick.â
âYeah, I know.â Anastasia responded lightly, âMom, just eat and rest. Donât think about anything else. Weâll go back to Riverdale when youâre ready.â For Anastasia, there was no rush. As long as she could help her mother work through this, nothing else mattered.
Anastasiaâs reaction only made Sálma feel more ashamed. Clenching her fists, she said, âItâs my fault. I let your dad fool me again. They really crossed the line. I thought your dad had changed, that he genuinely accepted you. I didnât realize they were still after you.â
âMom, donât blame yourself. You couldnât see his true colors twenty years ago. These people have become more cunning over the years. Itâs normal that you were fooled.â Anastasia shrugged it off.
âAna, I canât accept this.â Salma couldnât bear it anymore. Who could stand being lied to over and over again? Emotions could change quickly. One minute she was deeply in love, and the next, she might be repulsed.
Taken aback, Anastasia asked, âSo, Mom, what do you want to do?â She thought her mother would be devastated. After such a blow, she expected her mother to be in low spirits, sad and upset. Instead, Salma seemed to have found her fighting spirit.
Hesitant, Salma asked, âAna, about taking one-third of the Morton familyâs fortune, can you make that happen?â
Anastasia looked up, stunned, âWait, Mom, are you serious? I was just throwing words out there earlier, trying to get them to back offâ
âIâm serious,â Salma insisted, âYour dad and Ashley have always looked down on others because of their wealth and power. The Morton family also looked down on me. Now I want everything they owe me. They brought this on themselves.â
Anastasia digested her motherâs decision, scratching her head. Whether her mother was deep in love or engrossed in her career, she always gave Anastasia a headache.
Seeing Anastasiaâs silence, Salma pressed further, âAna, can you do it? Youâre Tavonâs daughter. You should have a claim. We could take them to court, right?â
Salmaâs hopeful gaze made it impossible for Anastasia to refuse. âUm, Iâll consult with a lawyer first.â Anastasia said, âMom, as your daughter, Iâll make sure justice
is served.â
âHearing Anastasia say this made Salma feel a little better. Salma enjoyed her dinner heartily. Anastasia was surprised by her motherâs renewed spirit. When she
returned to her own room, Herman called. Anastasia told him everything. âHereâs the scoop: after everything thatâs happened, my momâs full of fight. Sheâs tougher than ever. Youâll soon see a showdown between an ex-lover and a daughter against a sleazy man.â
Herman laughed, âI canât wait. Can I help in any way?â
âTavon is crafty and stingy. Getting him to part with a third of his wealth is like asking him to give up his life. Itâs a tough sell.â Anastasia asked, âDo you have any good ideas?â
âI donât have any at the moment.â Herman thought for a moment, and said, âHowever, your husband can potentially reduce the Morton familyâs assets by a third.
Anastasia laughed, âSo, would that be like playing a prank on my own dad?â
Anastasia didnât take this seriously. Such a plan wasnât feasible. If it involved business competition, it would become more complicated. And it wouldnât make Tavon truly feel the pain and realize his mistake.