Chapter 47


    Wasn''t her life already a hot mess?


    Being attacked by strangers, getting pelted with rotten eggs, misunderstood and criticized, even her


    If things continued this way, herpany would go belly up for sure. Running a small business was


    already a hard slog. It was a struggle just to survive. After Sebastian Martinez smeared her name


    online, it was like adding insult to injury, driving her into a corner. Did Sebastian want to make things


    even worse for her?


    She clenched her phone, her newly adjusted mood ring up again. "Sebastian, you want the house


    and living expenses, right? Let''s meet and talk."


    An hourter.


    Roxanne Martinez was waiting for Sebastian in a coffee shop.


    When Sebastian showed up, he still had his cane, but his face was full of arrogance. It seemed like he


    had Roxanne all figured out. "Are the house and living expenses ready? If not, we have nothing to


    discuss."


    Roxanne poured some coffee, not even ncing at Sebastian, "Can''t we just sit down and have a civil


    conversation as father and daughter?"


    "No need to talk. I have only one condition. You buy a house in full payment under my name and pay


    me thirty years of living expenses in one go. Then, I''ll speak well of you online."


    "Dad!"


    When Roxanne shouted, "Dad,” the cup in her hand was trembling, along with her lips.


    She choked back tears. She hadn''t had the chance to call him ''Dad'' since she was four.


    Where was her dad? Where could she call out for her dad?


    So unfamiliar. So hateful. So painful. And so yearned for.


    Who didn''t yearn for a father''s love?


    "When did you remember that you had a daughter like me?"


    For a split second, a hint of guilt shed in Sebastian''s eyes, just a hint, but it was gone quickly. Maybe


    he knew he had failed Roxanne as a father. But that wasn''t going to make him soften up.


    He was getting impatient, "Quit beating around the bush. If you don''t have the house and living


    expenses ready, we have nothing to discuss."


    "You want the house and living expenses, fine. Sit down and listen to me. When I''m done, I''ll satisfy


    your demands," Roxanne deliberately took out a bank card and ced it on the table. "This is all my


    savings. As you said, I became a boss outside, started apany, and made quite a bit of money."


    Sebastian was indeed fooled by this and sat down.


    In reality, there was no money on Roxanne''s card.


    She felt cold, painful, and hateful inside.


    As expected, the temptation of money was greater. To Sebastian, familial affection was worthless.


    "Spit it out. What do you want to say?"


    "When I''m done, I''ll tell you the password for the bank card. But you have to listen patiently."


    "Go on. Hurry up."


    Sebastian was eyeing the bank card on the table, wondering how much money was in it. All he could


    think about was money.


    Roxanne looked at Sebastian, who was only interested in money, and said tearfully, "When I was little, I


    often wondered if it was because I wasn''t good enough, or if I wasn''t mature enough, that you and


    mom didn''t need me after the divorce. So after you two left, I tried my best to behave better, to be more


    obedient, but Grandma was still cold to me. She would hit me, scold me, and even re at me if I took


    an extra piece of vegetable, calling me a troublemaker.”


    "I started helping Grandma cook, doundry, and feed ducks when I was only four or five. I thought that


    the more I did, the sooner you and Mom woulde back to find me. People in the vige often


    mocked me, saying my parents didn''t want me and I was an abandoned child."


    "I would get angry at them, saying my parents were the best in the world, and they woulde back to


    find me. I waited and waited, only to be bullied more, to receive more indifference and dissatisfaction


    from Grandma, and to bepletely forgotten by my parents.”


    "Do you know, once, the single man at the entrance of the vige said he would give me candy and


    tricked me into his house? He took off my pants and touched me everywhere. I was terrified. I was


    sweating all over. I clung to my pants, picked up the scissors beside his bed, and stabbed him in the


    leg. Only then was I able to escape. Only when I grew up did I realize he wanted to molest me. I was


    only seven then. If there weren''t any scissors on his table, I might have..."


    At this point, Roxanne choked up and couldn''t continue.


    Tears flowed like a burst dam, incapable of stopping. She covered her face and cried bitterly.


    At this moment, Sebastian didn''t say a word. Perhaps seeing the person crying in front of him, his own


    daughter, he felt a bit guilty. But only a bit. He had no intention offorting Roxanne.


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    After crying for a while, Roxanne raised her head again, wiped away her tears, and looked at


    Sebastian. "Sebastian, do you know that a little girl abandoned by her parents and left in the


    countryside can be bullied? When you were in Seraphim Haven, married to a new wife, with new


    children, living afortable life, did you ever think about your poor daughter left in the countryside?


    Whether she was fed, warm, had books to read, or was bullied. Did you consider this?"


    Sebastian seemed a bit flustered, "Of course I did, but..."


    "You did not." Roxanne shouted loudly. "You did not. When you and Mom divorced, you both said the


    same thing. With me as a burden, how could you possibly start a new life?


    You said to me you could never marry a new wife. Mom also said to me she could never remarry. You


    both didn''t want me.


    I cried and clung to your legs, begging you to take me with you, but you cruelly pushed me away. If I


    was a burden, then why did you give birth to me? You gave birth to me but didn''t take care of me. I


    would rather you gave me away, but you didn''t care if I was alive.


    You dumped me on a Grandmother who favored boys over girls. She wished I was dead every day.


    Feeding me was like feeding a dog. When I was bullied by the single man in the vige, she scolded


    me, saying it was because I was too provocative that I caught the man''s attention. She said I was a


    disgrace and told me to keep quiet.


    Do you guys have any idea how I''ve survived these years that you''ve left me in the dust? If you


    dumped me, what gives you the right to expect me to support you?"


    Sebastian banged the table in anger, looking like he was ready to throw punches. "Roxanne, ever


    heard of being grateful? Even if I didn''t raise you since you were four, I gave you life. You should be


    taking care of me. Without me, there wouldn''t be you. Every penny you earn, I deserve a cut. I want


    you to buy me a fully paid house in Seraphim Haven, give me ten grand a month for living expenses,


    and settle thirty years'' worth in one shot. That''s your duty."


    Roxanne let out a coldugh. How could a father be so shameless?