Dusk was falling.

    She finally made it home, only to find her father had sealed off the vi.

    “Miss, the master said if you want freedom, don’t spend the White Family’s money or live in their houses.”

    The butler offered a polite smile.

    Katherine considered staying at a hotel, but her cards were frozen.

    Shivering in the cold wind, she tightened her coat and called Maureen through tears and sniffles.

    Pearl.

    Because of yesterday’s incident, Geoffrey was still angry, deliberately giving the cold shoulder.

    In the past, Maureen feared nothing more than Geoffrey ignoring her, but now she wished for nothing less.

    Today, she finally finished handling the Heart’s Melody project and sent it to the overseaspany.

    She also received fantastic news: an anonymous investor had poured billions into herpany.

    bHe /bbimed /bit was out of admiration for Maureen, promising bmore /bbinvestments /bif he could use herpositions.

    bSuch /bbastronomical /bbroyalty /bfees were bbeyond /bMaureen’s bwildest /bdreams

    Of bcourse/bb, /bshe didn’t know over seven billion bhad /bvanished bfrom /bGeoffrey’s private ount.

    The phone rang. Seeing Katherine’s call, Maureen instinctively nced upstairs.

    Geoffrey remained working in the study, having onlye down for meals all day, his expression icy.

    So she stepped outside to answer.

    “Katherine, what’s wrong?”

    “Reenie, I’m sorry.”

    Katherine crouched by the roadside, choking back sobs. “J–Jacob… Sean took him away as his own son.”

    “I tried to snatch him back, but his guards barred me from the vi and threw me out.”

    Maureen’s heart instantly clenched.

    “Don’t panic, don’t cry, take your time.”

    Katherine poured out today’s events: “That bastard Sean said he’d personally care for Jacob, even told me to name my price… whatever amount I wanted…”

    Such an enormous mess was utterly unpredictable.

    How could Sean possibly think Jacob was his son?

    After steadying herself, Maureenforted Katherine: “bKatherine/b, don’t bcry/bb. /bThis bisn’t /byour fault. Who knows what bwires /bbgot /bbcrossed /bbin /bbhis /bbhead/bb?/bb” /b

    Chapter175

    288 Vouchers

    “Since he believes Jacob is his son, he won’t harm him.”

    “I think if we just tell him Jacob isn’t his, he’ll return him.”

    Katherine had been thinking the same.

    “Reenie, he blocked me. I can’t reach him, and I dare not contact anyone else.”

    If this blew up, Geoffrey might grow suspicious.

    After all, Ethan was still with him. If he saw Jacob again… those two look identical.

    Though Geoffrey had seen Jacob before, it was just a brief encounter that left no impression.

    Maureen fell silent for a beat. “I’ll contact him.”

    ‘Are you sure?”

    Katherine knew how deeply Maureen despised Sean.

    “I’ll reach out in your name, tell him you’re worried about the child.”

    “Okay,”

    After hanging up, Maureen immediately transferred some money to Katherine to ease the urgent situation.

    She then dialed Sean’s number.

    At the Seaside Vi, it was already nine in the evening, Jacob, brought back bound, hadn’t touched a drop of water nor begged for mercy,

    He wore an expression that dared them to starve him to death.

    The nanny nearby couldn’t bear it: “Young master, he’s bjust /ba bchild/b.

    41.92

    Chaps/b176 /b

    Teach him patiently.”

    “One day without food won’t kill him.”

    Sean wanted to see how long the boy could hold out.

    The nanny had no choice but to leave.

    The phone rang. Sean picked it up: “Yeah?”

    “It’s me, Maureen.”

    Sean instantly rose from the sofa, his peripheral gaze drifting toward Jacob in the children’s room.

    “Katherine asked me to tell you–the child isn’t yours. Get a paternity test if you doubt it.”

    Maureen cut straight to the point.

    She nned to leave Karaville soon with both children and couldn’t affordplications now.

    Sean fell silent.

    Before he could respond, Jacob approached and handed him a note:

    “If you want custody, I demand a hundred million in daily allowance.”

    A cold smirk tugged at Sean’s lips.

    Not even his own child, yet bold enough to demand money?

    A hundred million? This brat probably couldn’t grasp what a thousand even looked like.

    Sean spoke into the phone to Maureen:

    $280 Wodelet

    bChapter /b76

    b“/bbI’ll /binvestigate. If he’s not mine, I’ll return him to Katherine and apologize.”

    Hanging up, Sean eyed Jacob. “Quite the appetite.”

    “A hundred million daily? Could you even spend that?”

    “Uncle, you’re not broke, are you?”

    Sean’s mouth twitched. How could he possibly not afford it?

    “If I pay, what should you call me?”

    Jacob’s eyes curved like crescents. “I don’t deal in hypotheticals.”

    “Besides, I’m starving. If you deny me food, I’ll tell the judge my father’s starving me.”

    Sean:

    He nced at the nanny. “Take him to eat.”

    Total defeat.

    22

    Turns out Jacob hadn’t refused meals to defy him–he’d just been too busy ying with toys to bother.

    Sean felt like he’d been hit by a ton of bricks.

    Pearl.

    Maureen told Katherine: “Don’t worry, he’ll release bJacob /bbonce /bbthe /bbpaternity /bbtest /bresultse out.”

    C