Chapter 400 Her Origins Wait!" Brent was hot on the car''s heels, his voice desperate. "Stop! Stop the car!" But the car didn''t even pause, pressing on instead.


    Boom! The sound was deafening.


    Brent tripped, tumbling hard onto the ground. His face was a mess, bloodied from the fall. Tears sprang to his eyes from the sharp pain, blurring his vision. As he squinted through the haze, he saw the car reversing toward him. The window slid down smoothly Raegan looked out, her face devoid of emotion. "Still want to talk?" Brent, with his face smeared in blood and tears, looked utterly defeated. He knew well that he wouldn''t find any


    trace of sympathy in Raegan today "How much are you willing to give?" Raegan mimicked his gesture, raising her hand and spreading her fingers.


    A grimace flickered across Brent''s bloodied lips. Yet, he was aware that the secret held value only to Raegan and was worthless to others. He closed his eyes, twisting his mouth in resignation. "Fine! Five million it is.


    You hand over five million, and I''ll spill everything, not a single falsehood." Brent couldn''t help but think he had dropped his price significantly, from fifty million down to five.


    Raegan gave him a look that suggested she thought he was out of his mind.


    She corrected him with a cool demeanor, "I meant fifty." Brent found himself at a loss for words, He was utterly astounded


    Overwhelmed by his feelings, he blurted out, "You''re crazy, woman! Who bargains like that!" Unperturbed, as if she hadn''t heard his outburst, Raegan calmly stated, "Forty." Brent, incredulous, managed to say, "Crazy, you''re really sick!" Raegan allowed herself a slight smile.


    "This is my offer." "You''re making a fool of yourself!" Brent was about to explode.


    Yet, Raegan remained unbothered, simply stating, "Twenty." Once again, Brent found himself speechless. He pondered for a moment before eximing, "You moron! Shouldn''t it be thirty?" with a leisurely air, Raegan replied, "I''m the one making the offer, so I decide."


    Brent huffed, "Don''t dream about it.


    I''m telling you it''s not happening. I''d consider thirty..." Before he could finish his sentence, the engine roared to life, and the window began to rise.


    Brent visibly paled at this. He had witnessed firsthand Raegan''s determination, her actions speaking louder than her words. With a look of resignation, he shouted, "You''re ruthless!" As the window continued to rise, he yelled, worried Raegan might not hear him and decided to drive away, "Fine! Twenty! Deal! I say it''s a deal!" For Brent, who thrived on the thrill of gambling and was no stranger to life''s ups and downs, the prospect of getting twenty didn''t seem too shabby anymore. In his mind, twenty was better than zero.


    At this, Raegan lowered the window and looked at Brent. "Speak now," she said.


    Brent, wary of her getting away without paying him after hearing the secret from him, responded, "Give me the money first." At this point, Raegan had no concerns about Brent potentially lying. Even if the information he had was useless, she saw the twenty thousand as offering him an escape route. After all, he was part of the Hayes family. Giving him onest shot at redemption wasn''t a bad idea. Should he fail to seize this opportunity and veer off course again, the repercussions would be his to bear alone, and she would wash her hands of the matter. Her sympathyy with his kind mother, not with him.


    Raegan nodded, hel expression


    serious. "Okay, but if you lie, you won''t get away with it." The demand for cash presented a dilemma, as Brent had no bank ount to transfer the money to. How could Raegan have such a substantial amount of cash on her? Yet, Brent insisted on seeing the money before he would divulge anything.


    That was when Stefan interjected, "I have some." He then proceeded to retrieve twenty neat stacks of cash from the car''s safe, handing them over to Brent.


    Brent scrutinized the money, his gaze sharp. It looked like there were more than a million in that safe. He had always heard rumors that the affluent kept cash in their vehicles for unforeseen circumstances. The ease with which someone could stash a


    hundred thousand or more in their car for emergencies spoke volumes about their wealth.


    Raegan, noticing Brent''s barely hidden avarice, urged him, "Hurry up and speak." After verifying the twenty stacks, Brent led Raegan to a quieter spot and began his tale in a measured tone, "Years ago, after a night out, my brother-inw came to fetch me from a tavern. On our drive back, we stumbled upon a heap of garbage, where we heard a baby''s cries piercing the night. It was unsettling. I urged him to drive on, yet he feltpelled to investigate.


    I stayed back, but soon after, I watched him rescue a child from a sack. The child''s head was encased in a thick stic bag, seemingly with the intent to suffocate her. Miraculously, a stray stick had punctured the sack and the


    stic, allowing the child to breathe My brother-inw brought the child home, and coincidentally, his daughter fell critically ill and passed away with acute encephalitis that very night.


    My sister had passed away early, leaving behind this sole descendant. To spare my mother the heartache, my brother-inw decided to raise the child as his own, keeping the truth from my mother. Given my mother''s poor eyesight and the child''s undeveloped features, the deception went unnoticed." Brent''s detailed ount left Raegan speechless. She realized she was the child in the story.


    Brent added, "I''ve shared everything with you, and I''ve not lied. I had vowed never to disclose this to my mother." Brent''s brother-inw, Raegan''s adoptive father, stood as a testament


    to the remaining decency in Brent''s world. After the loss of Brent''s sister, Brent''s brother-inw had stepped up as a pir for the family, enduring all challenges to ensure their well-being.


    He was a beacon of kindness in a harsh world.


    If not for a tragic ident that imed his brother-inw''s life, Brent mused, with such a decent man around him, he wouldn''t have kept badpany like he did and gambling that led him astray.


    Once Brent departed, Raegan found herself enveloped in the aftermath of the revtion, struggling toe to terms with the magnitude of the truth.


    If Brent''s story held any truth, it meant she hadn''t merely gotten lost as a child but had been deliberately targeted by someone. The thought that a 6-year-old could provoke such malice


    seemed absurd. Who could have wanted to harm her, and why? The effort to piece together these thoughts made Raegan''s head spin The blood clot in her brain hadn''tpletely resolved, and deep thinking triggered intense headaches.


    Stefan, noticing her difort, quickly came to her aid, catching her in time.


    Ovee with pain, Raegan slumped against his shoulder, appearing to those at a distance as if she was cradled in his embrace.


    Not far from this scene, a sleek, dark luxury car was parked stealthily.


    Matteo, observing them from a short distance, wished he could have retracted what he had said.


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    Just earlier, Matteo had suggested they would be uncertain when Raegan


    would emerge if waiting by the roadside while waiting for Raegan in the parking lot seemed a wiser idea.


    Now, he regretted his words, given the scene unfolding before them.


    Catching a glimpse of Mitchel''s reaction through the rearview mirror and noticing his darkened face, Matteo tentatively asked, "Mr. Dixon, shall we..." Mitchel cut him off abruptly, "That car is in the way. Ram it." Matteo was taken aback. "Ah?" Mitchel, withdrawing his attention from the cradling duo, repeated firmly and clearly, "Ram it!"