---- Chapter 20 18 When Mike heard my words, he became immediately flustered. He scrambled toward me on his knees, his eyes filled with anxiety and fear. "No, Shannon, it's all a misunderstanding!" His voice trembled, beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down his forehead, soaking his collar. He urgently explained, saying that his relationship with Jennifer was not what I imagined, that there was nothing ambiguous between them. "Tadmit, I couldn't bear to see Jennifer raising her child alone, so I helped take care of the child out of pity. Maybe, at some point in the past, I did havea moment of sympathy for her, but that was only for a brief moment." He slightly raised his head, his eyes full of regret, "But now, I've seen through her true colors. All those ---- reporters were hired by her, and she had been scheming to marry me, only coveting my wealth!" He took a breath, staring at me with a burning gaze, the longing and determination mixed in his eyes. " Shannon, I now know my true feelings. The only one I have ever wanted is you..." With that, he begged pitifully, as though he had lost the most important thing in the world. But I remained as calm as a rock, coldly extending my hand and ruthlessly pushing him away. Then, I slowly squatted down, looking at my daughter gently, and asked softly, "Melanie, would you be willing to forgive your daddy?" Melanie's little face was tense, and she calmly stared at Mike, shaking her head firmly. "No, I don't havea daddy. My classmates were right, I'm just a bastard." She paused for a moment, slightly raised her chin, and tightly gripped the hem of my clothes. "It doesn't matter whether I'm a bastard or not. I have mommy and that's enough." ---- In Mike's eyes, it seemed as though something had shattered at that moment-something he had always cherished but had carelessly lost. Ijust smiled faintly when I saw this, stood up, and began to show him the door. "Leave, Mike. Don't come back and disturb our lives." I was dressed in a well-tailored, sharp suit, glanced down at the exquisite watch on my wrist, and spoke in a tone as calm as water, "Thave a social engagement soon, involving a multi- million-dollar deal. I don't have time to waste here with you." In the months since coming abroad, I had thrown myself into work. Using my professional abilities and decisive actions, I had already closed several major deals, earning a handsome profit, over 2 million dollars. Meanwhile, Mike, who had been completely absorbed in searching for Melanie and me, had neglected the business. As a result, the company's performance ---- plummeted. Not only that, but to win me back, he ruthlessly cut ties with Jennifer, only to be met with her furious revenge. She exposed the scandal of Mike's affair while abroad to the media, causing an uproar. Overnight, Mike's company's stock prices plummeted like a runaway roller coaster, falling into an irreversible crisis. As for me, I simply listened to the gossip fora moment, and then quickly threw myself back into my busy career. Mike, still unwilling to give up, showed up every month like clockwork, persistently staging one pursuit of his wife and daughter after another, trying to move me with his deep feelings and regret. But Melanie and I were already thoroughly fed up. We rejected all his visits without exception.