Chapter 31
Cassandra received a text message from the bank Her account had just received a hundred
million dollars.
That was quick.
Ryan saw it too. Just as he was about to say something, his phone rang. The caller ID showed a name, “Vermin.”
Ryan picked up. “Cameron?”
Cassandra was stunned. Ryan had saved Cameron’s contact as “Vermin“? For a moment, she couldn’t tell if that was meant as an insult or some kind of inside joke.
Cameron’s voice came through the receiver. “Ryan, sorry, I know it’s not a good time to bother you, but there’s something I really need your help with. Are you… free to take this call now?”
Ryan glanced at Cassandra, then turned and walked toward his bedroom. “Free or not, you’ve already called. What am I supposed to do? End the call? Go ahead. What is it?”
“The photos of Cassandra and that old man somehow got pushed to the top of the trending list. I want them taken down immediately, and I want to find out who did it.”
Ryan didn’t respond right away. Instead, he asked, “Are you sure you want to know?”
“Yes. Anyone who dares hurt Cassie has to pay the price!”
“Cameron, I suggest you think this through.”
“Are you trying to stop me?”
Ryan said, “I can’t be bothered to do that. It’s just a little reminder. You already know who bought those photos and pushed them to the top, don’t you? Once the truth comes out, what are you going to do about it?”
There was silence on the other end.
Those photos had been sealed away from the very start. The only people who had them were the photographer–Ryan–Cameron himself, and Cameron’s parents. Cameron hadn’t done it, and Ryan had been occupied recently, so the answer was obvious.
Even if Cameron found out, what could he do to his own parents?
Ryan asked, “And Annabelle… What are your plans for her?”
Cameron sounded drained. “I’ve spoken to the doctors. Her health is fragile. If she terminates the pregnancy, she might never be able to have children again. She got dragged into this. She’s innocent. I… I don’t know…”
“So, you’ve decided to let her keep the baby, right?”
As he asked, Ryan took the phone away from his ear and turned on the speakerphone. He did it deliberately so that Cassandra could hear everything.
Cameron’s voice rang out clearly in the room. “Ryan, help me find a reliable person. Once the baby is born, have them raise it. I’ll provide everything–money, housing, whatever they need. As for Cassie… please help me hide it from her. Just tell her Annabelle terminated the pregnancy.”
Ryan glanced at Cassandra and let out a short laugh. He said into the phone, “Alright. Wait for my update.”
He ended the call and waved the phone slightly. Ms. Blake, did you hear everything? What are your thoughts?”
“Congratulations once again, Attorney Scott. In the future, you and Cameron won’t even need to hire a surrogate. You already have a baby on the
way.”
“Sounds like you’re taking this pretty well.”
At this point, feeling sad or hurt was pointless. For 15 years of love to come to this, it would be a lie to say it didn’t hurt. However, this was reality. The only thing Cassandra could do was keep moving forward.
Her eyelashes trembled, but her gaze stayed steady and resolute. “One has to look ahead.”
Chapter 32
