hapter 17 Bertha snarled like a cornered animal, baring her teeth as if to bite. Marcus ground his molars."One more cry, and you'll never see your children again." Bertha's sobs cut off abruptly."W-what did you say?" "You don't believe me? You can have a try!" Bertha wanted to cry, but no tears came. In this world, what truly held her in a bind was money. But what she cared about most was the children. Bertha instinctively clamped her mouth shut and covered it with her hand, struggling to hold back her tears. She glared at Marcus with frustration, anger, and fear. Marcus regarded her with a proud, arrogant sneer, as if a king were peering down at an insignificant ant. Bertha wilted under his gaze, quickly looking away in defeat. As she tried to calm herself, a cold wave of dread washed over her. What if he were that very man from the past? What if he revealed the truth of what happened all those years ago ? What if he tried to take her children away? Judging by his current circumstances, he must be faring exceptionally well. His car alone was worth millions. If he tried to wrest the child from her, she had no chance of competing. How impulsive she'd been just now. She'd almost given herself away. But what if he was just a man who resembled that man? She'd been horribly rude to make a scene in front of him. Bertha secretly drew a deep breath to steady herself, Marcus observed her composed demeanor before speaking. "What's the matter? What happened yesterday?" Bertha looked up, feigning confusion."What ... what are you talking about?" "Who saved you? Where did you go after being rescued? And why did you get close to me? Were you after my money or my life?" Bertha's expression turned genuinely perplexed. "When did I try to get close to you? You came to me yesterday and took me away. Then the building suddenly caught fire, so I fled in the chaos. I had no intention of taking..." Bertha paused, a dangerous thought flickering through her mind, "If he really is that brutal guy, I want him dead!" 16:11 2.4% < Chapter 17 "Taking what?" Marcus pressed. Bertha pouted, muttering, "I didn't even want to take your life!" "Do you think I'd believe that?" "What? Believe it or not, I'm just telling the truth!" Marcus's face darkened. "Where did you stay last night?" Menu Yesterday, he sent someone to the inn to look for her, but they couldn't find her. The innkeeper said, "They left without checking out of their room." With his current abilities, he actually couldn't find them in Los Angeles. The most likely reason was that the person had disappeared without a trace. Those people could hide so well. It meant they must be extraordinary. Bertha had no idea that Alfred had tampered with the surveillance. She frowned and said, "You mind where I live? It has nothing to do with you." Marcus's face turned cold, which startled Bertha and made her heart skip a beat. He was quite intimidating when angry. Just now, she had worked herself up, venting her emotions. But now that she'd calmed down, she realized she was scared. Bertha shrank her neck and said, "That's my private business. I don't want to talk about it." 'Are you deliberately hiding it?" " Why should I deliberately hide it? I don't owe you anything." Thinking about the 8 million dollars, Bertha paused in time. Suddenly, she thought of something. Angrily, she took out her phone and showed Marcus the photo. "Yesterday I asked my son," she said. "Yes, he did wreck your car, but look, you guys started it first. Jacob only scratched your car to avenge his little brother." Marcus stared at the photo, brow furrowed. In the image, a child's pale legs bore a large bruise, raw and painful. Bertha jabbed a finger at the screen."This injury was caused by your woman, your wife, I should say. abusing a child! I can sue her!" Marcus fell silent, lost in thought. She's Bertha pressed on, "There are surveillance cameras at the train station. If you don't believe me, check the footage." Marcus didn't doubt it. He knew Brenda's true nature all too well. But what did Brenda's mistakes have to do with him? < Chapter 17 "I didn't hurt anyone," he said flatly, "but your son destroyed my car." Bertha gaped, speechless. Everyone bore responsibility for their own actions, even in marriage. "And the injury on my hand was your doing," Marcus added, holding up his wrist. Bertha glanced at the bite mark, shrank her neck, and all fight drained from her. Before she could respond, Marcus changed the subject. "If you don't want your kids to lose their mother to jail, confess." "Confess what?" "What are you after, getting close to me? Who sent you?" Bertha protested, "I said I didn't mean to get close, and no one put me up to it!" Menu Marcus's expression dripped with doubts. "If you can't be honest, I'm afraid the consequences will be serious." "I am telling the truth!" Marcus's face turned gloomy. "Axell, take her to the police. Don't let her out until I say so." < Chapter 18 Menu