Chapter 7 ###Chapter 7 Please support original workso Marcus was utterly stunned by the slap. No woman had ever dared lay a hand on him. One of the guards rushed forward to seize Bertha by the arm. Marcus wiped a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth. For someone so slender, she packed surprising trength. You'll pay for that," Marcus said coldly. Still pretending?" Bertha's voice shook with outrage. "After everything you did to me, you're lucky all you got vas a slap." ust thinking of that night six years ago made something sour and bitter swell in her throat. If it hadn't been for you, my husband would never have left me. I wouldn't have lost my home. All of it was our fault!" Marcus let out a humorless laugh, his dark eyes glinting with scorn. Miss, I have no idea who you are. If you keep ranting like a lunatic, my lawyer will be in touch." He didn't look like he was lying. Bertha felt her certainty waver. What was going on? He looked so much like Alfred and Jacob! But he swore he didn't know her, and he seemed genuinely confused. And now that she was listening closely, even his voice didn't quite match that rough, drunken growl she remembered. She stared at Marcus for several more seconds but didn't explode again. After all, plenty of people shared similar features. She forced herself to calm down, her brows knitting together as she tried to focus on the matter at hand. "If you really don't know me, then why did you have me dragged here? You realize this is kidnapping." Marcus's expression darkened. Axell cleared his throat and reminded her coolly. "My boss already told you that your child destroyed his car." "What ?" Bertha shook her head, disbelieving. "There must be a mistake. We only arrived in Los Angeles today. My kids couldn't possibly have had time to damage anyone's car." "Show her the footage," Marcus cut in, clearly losing patience. At once, the conference room's huge screen lit up, playing the security recording from the train station. 16:09 1.0% < Chapter 7 Even though the boy in the video wore a mask, Bertha recognized him immediately. Menu She didn't know exactly how those tires had been wrecked, but the long scratch down the car's paint, she knew that was Jacob's doing. "I'm sorry. I didn't know about this." "The boy in the video-yes, that's my son. But he's a good boy. He would never damage something without a reason. There must be an explanation." Marcus had been watching her face carefully. She didn't look like she was lying. 'And what about the explosives? Did you know he was playing with them?" Explosives? That's impossible. He's only a boy. He would never touch something so dangerous." And yet those tires were destroyed with precision charges," Marcus replied flatly. Bertha's eyes went wide, then narrowed. She shook her head quickly and blurted, "I understand now. You're nistaken. It wasn't explosives. They were small fireworks. Jacob likes making them with his ;reat-grandfather. When we left the village, his great-grandfather gave him a few as a gift." I'm sorry. I didn't realize they could do that kind of damage. If I had, I would never have let him bring them." Her voice was steady and sincere. Not a trace of deceit. Marcus studied her for several heartbeats, then finally believed her. Fireworks and explosives weren't so different in principle, and in the countryside, there were always old raftsmen who knew how to make potent things. Besides, Axell had already confirmed this family was ordinary. They didn't have the resources to truly threaten im. He had been overcautious. Marcus let his guard drop. Just like that, he lost all interest in Bertha. He nodded at Axell. "You handle it." Then he turned away, focusing on the messages lighting up his phone screen, as if she didn't exist anymore. Axell pulled out the compensation contract he'd prepared. Ms. Estrada, since you've admitted the child is yours and the evidence is clear, you'll need to pay damages." A woman raising children alone might be pitiable, but that didn't exempt her from responsibility. Marcus wasn't some benevolent philanthropist. He wasn't about to let the destruction of a luxury car slide out of pity. A child's misdeed was still a reflection of a parent's failure. Bertha's heart sank. She knew Jacob wouldn't have vandalized anything without a reason, but the fact remained that he had done it. Hesitantly, she asked, "How much...how much is he asking for?" 16.09 1.0% < Chapter 7 "S million dollars." "What?" Bertha's voice shot up an octave. "8 million? Why doesn't he just rob a bank?" Axell was startled that she dared to speak so bluntly. Marcus paused in the middle of typing a reply on his phone, speechless. "If you'd rather not settle this privately, we can call the police." Marcus's tone had gone Bertha rushed to say, "No police!" cold. Recommend for you