Chapter 373


    Hansen knew all too well that he was just engaging in a harmless banter with his daughter-inw, yet


    he willingly yed along. He was fully aware, but chose to feign ignorance due to the joy it brought


    him.


    Molly''s workload suddenly spiked at the office one day. She asked her manager, "Excuse me, I was


    wondering if you have made a mistake in distributing the tasks?"


    The manager responded, "Miss, these are all your tasks. The CEO made it clear that you can''t leave


    until they''re all done."


    Molly grimaced at the mountain of paperwork before her, feeling as though life had delivered a sucker


    punch. Her colleagues, however, seemed to have a lighter workload.


    To prevent Molly from cking off, the manager instructed, "The CEO ordered that no one is allowed to


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    help you. Anyone who does will be fired."


    This statement deterred any colleagues who might have wanted to lend Molly a hand. Hence, Molly


    had to work and grumble simultaneously.


    The second day at work, she received a pile of tasks, keeping her so busy that she didn''t have a


    chance to touch her phone all morning. She was constantly working on documents on herputer


    and making offline adjustments.


    By lunchtime, Molly had yet to finish her tasks.


    The manager called her for lunch, but she gazed at herputer and said, "In a bit, you guys go


    ahead."


    Before she knew it, everyone else had returned from lunch, and Molly was still sifting through


    documents.


    "Molly, why don''t you grab a sandwich from the café downstairs?" suggested a colleague. "The


    cafeteria is probably out of food by now."


    Molly nced at the halfpleted stack of paperwork and called her father with a pitiful expression.


    Kendrick had just finished an outdoor inspection with his colleagues and was dining at a random


    restaurant. As they were discussing pollution in the local river, his beloved daughter''s call came in.


    With a doting smile, Kendrick answered, "Hello, darling?"


    "Dad, did you piss off your wife? She''s taking it out on your precious daughter." Molly anxiously nced


    at the remaining half of her paperwork.


    Kendrick chuckled, "I didn''t upset your mother. Did you do something to upset her?"


    "Impossible, we came to the office together this morning. She was nice to me then, but a whileter,


    she gave me a mountain of work. I''ve been busy all morning, haven''t had lunch, and I still have half of


    my tasks unfinished."


    Molly''s voice wavered with bitterness.


    Upon hearing this, Kendrick felt a pang of sympathy. "Go have lunch right away. You can still work in


    the afternoon."


    "But the cafeteria is out of food."


    Kendrick excused himself from his colleagues and stepped outside. "What do you want to eat? I''ll bring


    it to you."


    "Dad, have you eaten?" Molly asked, always caring for her father first.


    "I can eat anytime. What do you feel like having, a sandwich or a sd?"


    Molly still behaved like a child who craved her father''s affection in front of him, but she also deeply


    loved her father."Dad, you eat first. I was just venting. I''ll order takeout."


    "Alright, I''ll send you some money on PayPal. Order something nice to eat, don''t starve yourself."


    True to his word, Kendrick transferred $500 to his daughter''s ount, an amount equivalent to her


    monthly sry.


    After hanging up, Kendrick immediately called his wife, "Coleen, did you know Molly hasn''t eaten lunch


    yet?"


    "What? Why hasn''t she eaten?"


    "She just called me, questioning whether I''d upset you, leading you to pile her with work. Did you give


    her a lot of tasks today?"


    "I didn''t assign that much work. I''ll go check on her."


    Coleen then ordered her secretary to get some takeout: a potato sd, a sweet-and-sour pork, and


    some rice, to be delivered to her office. After giving her instructions, she left to see Molly.


    Just as Molly was drawingfort from her father''s affection, her colleagues looked on with envy. She


    was the darling of the family, cherished by her brother, doted on by her father, and loved by her mother.


    She asked her colleagues, "Can we order takeout in the office?"


    They shook their heads, "You can eat in the break room outside."


    Just as Molly was about to order food, her mother arrived.


    On seeing her mother, Molly felt a mix of anger and resentment.


    Coleen approached her, "Haven''t had lunch?"


    "With all this work, and you saying I can''t leave until it''s done, how can I eat?"


    Coleen replied, "...This is your day''s workload. Who told you to finish it all by noon?"


    Molly retorted anxiously, "The manager said you ordered it. If it''s not finished, I can''t leave. How was I


    supposed to know you meant I couldn''t go home for the day? Could you not have just told me I can''t


    leave the office?"


    "Hey, you''re usually so sharp. Couldn''t you tell whether this was a day''s work or a morning''s?"


    "I''ve never worked before, how would I know what a day''s workload is?"


    Coleen was left speechless by her daughter''s naivety. She took Molly''s hand, "Come on, let''s go have


    lunch in my office. Your father always boasts about how smart his little girl is."


    Molly was led away by her mother, leaving her colleagues in shock.


    One of them whispered, "I also thought the manager meant she won''t be allowed to leave if she doesn''t


    finish her work in the morning."


    Once in her mother''s office, Molly startedining, "Mom, you''re the CEO of this bigpany. You


    should be more precise when you speak. Specify whether it''s noon or the end of the day when you say


    ''leaving.''"


    Coleen replied, "At ourpany, we''re used to saying ''noon for break, the end of the day for leaving.''


    It''s your first day at work, so you don''t know."


    Soon, the takeout arrived, and Coleen called her husband to exin their daughter''s


    misunderstanding.


    Molly sat next to her mother, grumbling while eating.


    After finishing her meal, she fell asleep on the couch in Coleen''s office.


    Leo and Chad had lunch together at a café owned by Naomi, quietly reading documentsid out on the


    table.


    Thanks to Mia''s reminder, Leo paid special attention to the Mastin family.


    Suddenly, a piece of news about the Walton family caught Leo''s attention.


    He recalled what his uncle had told him before leaving about the Walton family and the secret


    connections with his own family. Because he had be a lonely old man, his grandfather had taken


    pity on him. He had initially suppressed his father, not allowing the Cedillo family to overshadow their


    affairs.


    Now he saw the Waltons and the Mastins, and he was immediately on guard.


    "Chad, what do you think was the motive of the kidnapper in the case sixteen years ago?"


    Chad had reviewed Andre''s statement from sixteen years ago, as well as the case files of the Cedillo


    family. He said, "There are two possible motives: money and revenge. From the records, it''s clear that


    the kidnapper came prepared. After the sessful abduction, they directly demanded money from the


    Cedillos, which suggests the first motive. Despite the Cedillo family''s full cooperation, the kidnapper still


    hurt Andre and Molly, which suggests the second motive of revenge.


    Moreover, after getting the money, they dumped Molly alone in the ocean. This goes beyond a simple


    ransom case. The person caught sixteen years ago was obviously a scapegoat. We still need to


    investigate the real reason."


    Leo stared at the files in his hand, deep in thought.