Chapter 624 Biting The Bait

Hearing that, Barnaby accidentally knocked over the wineglass beside him, causing the red wine to spill all over his body.

Embarrassment washed over his face, leaving him momentarily speechless..

Throughout the years, the Stone family had witnessed Barnaby and his late wife, Constance Baker, maintain a reserved yet amicable relationship. They had never engaged in arguments or disputes. However, prior to Constance’s passing, an unexpected shift occurred. Constance confronted Barnaby, issuing a stern ultimatum that compelled him to make a solemn pledge.

Barnaby promised her that he would never enter into another marriage after her demise, and regardless of Sheridan’s competence, nobody would have the power to strip him of his rightful position as successor.

Constance’s insistence on Barnaby making that vow in front of the entire Stone family left them pondering the significance behind her request.

Following his retirement, Barnaby adopted a more relaxed lifestyle, dedicating his time to caring for his beloved plants.

Occasionally, he would indulge in tea sessions and engage in friendly games of golf with his circle of friends.

Initially, when the rumor circulated about Azure being Barnaby’s old flame and that she gave birth to a son for him, the Stone family dismissed it as a fabrication.

However, their skepticism was shattered when Barnaby eagerly went to meet Azure, providing undeniable confirmation of the rumor’s authenticity.

Sheridan was smart enough to mention Constance, so Barnaby would dismiss his idea.

Indeed, Barnaby caved in. “I won’t go back on my word. I’ll go and get changed, so you can enjoy dinner without me. Don’t wait for me.

He rose from his seat, abandoning both Nigel and Yerek behind.

Sheridan shot them a sarcastic look. “I’m afraid outsiders are not welcomed at our family dinner. I’ll get someone to see you off.”

“No need for that. We can see ourselves off!” Nigel declared. He had hoped that this family dinner would serve as an opportunity for him to regain his status, but instead, he found himself being treated as a fool. He couldn’t let this slide.

Naturally, Yerek saw no reason to stay back either.

They came here in Barnaby’s car but had to leave in a cab.

The moment Nigel got into the cab, Anya and his wife’s calls arrived in succession. He was in a foul mood and rejected their calls darkly.

After his phone quietened down, Yerck’s phone began to ring. It was a call from Anya.

Yerek patiently answered the call, but Nigel snatched his phone away and roared, “Can you stop being annoying? Don’t you know Yerek and I are busy with work?”

Anya wailed, “Dad, please save Mom and me! We’re about to get beaten to death!”

Having tamped down his fury for far too long, Nigel promptly blew his top. “Just die! Don’t drag me into your mess. Stop calling me!”

After ending the call, Nigel tossed both phones out of the window. Yerek still had to pretend to be a considerate elder brother in front of him.

“Dad, Christina had evicted Anya and Macy from the house, and Macy was so distraught that she ended up in the hospital a few days ago. It’s clear they’re struggling to survive on their own. What if something happens to them? We can’t afford to wait until it’s too late to regret our inaction. Let’s find them and see how they’re doing.”

Nigel let out a sort of exasperation. “Anya is always scheming, even against her own father. This could be another one of her evil plots. Remember when she staged her own kidnapping? And now she’s involved with loan sharks, owing them a substantial amount of money. They keep calling and texting me, demanding that I repay her debts, I refuse to fall for her schemes anymore.

She needs to learn her lesson. Let’s just ignore her.”

The loan sharks were relentless in their demands, insisting on several million from Nigel. However, he found himself in a tight financial situation as he was already struggling to raise funds to save his own company.

Nigel was well aware of his wife’s history as a gambling addict. However, she assured him she’d stop gambling and had stayed away from gambling for over a decade. However, given their bad records, Nigel couldn’t help but have lingering doubts about Anya’s honesty.

Due to that, he chose to prioritize his ambitions of gaining recognition from Barnaby and becoming a part of the Stone family.

Following the humiliating incident at the Stone family dinner, word of Nigel’s and Yerek’s public embarrassment quickly circulated. The negative publicity dealt a severe blow to the already struggling company they were desperately trying to keep afloat.

Panic gripped Nigel and Yerek as they frantically searched for potential investors and sought loans to navigate through the deepening crisis.

In their moment of dire need, betrayed by their supposed friends, Yerek found himself reluctantly turning to Christina, clutching the share transfer agreement in his hands.

Intending to teach Yerek a lesson for his arrogance, Christina made a deliberate choice to deny him an audience. She instructed the security guard to promptly remove him from the premises.

Yerek didn’t want to further the humiliation and stormed out of the company in a fit of anger.

Right after he left, Macy sneaked into Gibson Corporation and skillfully made her way to the top floor without being detected.

Unfortunately for her, her progress came to a halt as she ran into an employee from the secretary department, who stopped her from advancing. In an instant, Macy caused a scene and adamantly insisted on seeing Christina.

The employees of Gibson Corporation were familiar with Macy. They had often seen her visiting the company, usually well-

dressed and on the lookout for Nigel. However, on this particular day, her appearance was quite the opposite.

Macy was strong enough to shove the secretary out of her way and barged into the CEO’s office.

At present, Christina was listening to Sebastian’s report. When he mentioned Anya and her mother, Macy burst into her office, stumbling and crashing to the ground.

The secretary hurried in and apologized, “I’m sorry, Ms. Steele. She insists on seeing you, and we couldn’t stop her.”

Christina told the secretary to leave and leaned back into her soft chair, her loose jacket covering her abdomen.

“Why did you cause such a scene at the company? Isn’t your family’s reputation already tarnished enough?”

Macy scrambled to her desk but was stopped halfway by Sebastian.

“Christina, I know you’re a kind person. It was Nigel who did this to you. I treated you badly, and I’m sorry for that,” Macy pleaded. “Please lend me some money. Otherwise, both Anya and I will meet our doom. I’m left with no other options!”

Actually, it was Christina who instructed Sebastian to take action on Anya and Macy.

Exploiting Macy’s gambling addiction, Sebastian orchestrated a plan to get someone close to her and lure her into a casino.

Unable to resist the temptation, Macy succumbed to gambling once again. When her friends refused to lend her money, she resorted to seeking help from loan sharks, hoping to recover her losses, only to end up losing everything she had.

After two days of failing to make any repayment, the loan sharks went to them and threatened to take their lives.

Macy and Anya had been accustomed to a life of luxury for years, so they had never encountered such dire and distressing circumstances before.

As Macy couldn’t fork out any money, the loan sharks targeted Anya, intending to make her sell her body at sleazy places to repay the debts.

Hearing that, Anya swiftly abandoned Macy, taking with her whatever meager amount of money they had left in order to secure her own survival.

Nigel was out of reach, and Macy was reluctant to confide in her own family, so she eventually thought of Christina.

Now that Macy had taken the bait, Christina quickly went through with her plan.

“If you want me to help you, you’ll have to show me your sincerity. I cannot extend my help without receiving something in return, can I?”