Chapter 192

Chapter 192

Sloane hung up the phone, unable to contain her wild joy any longer.

The thought of carrying Matthew's child made her laugh out loud.

She drove all the way back to the standalone villa in the suburbs.

Matthew had given her this villa years ago as a reward for her outstanding performance. Nestled halfway up the mountain, it was incredibly peaceful.

She pulled the car into the garage and walked briskly toward the front door.

Just as she pulled out her key to unlock it, a figure lunged out from the nearby bushes.

Sloane stumbled back a step. When she recognized the face, disgust immediately washed over her features.

"What are you doing here?"

Sawyer stood before her, haggard, his eyes red and swollen—clearly he'd been up for days.

His clothes were tattered and torn, his exposed arms covered in dark purple bruises.

He was a far cry from the smug, arrogant father she remembered—the one who'd always sneered at her with nothing but contempt.

"Sloane, Ryder's missing! We haven't been able to reach him in days!"

Sawyer's voice was hoarse, laced with desperate urgency.

"Stay away from me. I've already cut ties with you people!"

Sloane took another step back, her expression full of revulsion—like she was looking at a rat crawling out of a gutter.

"Sloane, I'm out of options! Ryder hasn't come home in days, and his phone's off!"

"Please, help me find him. You're so capable—you'll be able to track him down!"

Sloane watched him quietly, her mind flashing back to the message Nighthawk had sent her.

[Ryder was tied to a rock and thrown into the ocean.]

In a way, he'd gotten his wish—a honeymoon by the sea. Except now he'd be staying there forever.

"Didn't he say he was going on a honeymoon? Maybe he just didn't want you tagging along and left without telling you."

"He just took a hundred thousand from me, and I still need him to pay me back," Sloane said flatly.

Sawyer clearly hadn't known about this. His expression turned awkward.

"Sloane, listen to me—"

"You're not my father anymore!" Sloane cut him off before he could finish.

"Sloane, Ryder took all the money from the house. I can't pay back what I owe. The loan sharks have already beaten me up several times."

"Please, help me. Lend me some money. I'll pay you back as soon as I have it. Please, Sloane…"

How rare.

When had Sawyer ever groveled before her like this?

Sloane stared at the man in front of her, but her mind drifted back to high school.

Back then, she'd begged Sawyer just like this—asking for money to buy study materials.

Materials that were required by the school.

And what had Sawyer done? He'd refused impatiently, saying things like, "Girls are money pits. If you can't afford school, just drop out."

Those materials hadn't even cost as much as a pack of cigarettes.

"Pay me back? With what? Your life?" Sloane let out a cold laugh. "If you didn't have money, you shouldn't have played the big shot and handed it all to Ryder! You're broke? Well, so am I!"

"You… how can you be like this…" Sawyer's face flushed red with humiliation and anger.

"You ungrateful daughter! After all we did to raise you!"

Sloane sneered. "What? You upset? Then go ahead—sue me! I've already disowned you people!"

She'd had enough. She wasn't even going to bother going inside the villa anymore. She turned on her heel, planning to drive into the city and check into a hotel for the night.

Sawyer watched her retreating figure, thinking of the vicious faces of those loan sharks. Desperation clawed at him.

Just as Sloane was about to disappear around the corner, he finally shouted after her.

"If you won't lend me the money, I'll go to the media!"

Sloane's steps stopped dead.

She turned around and looked at Sawyer with an expression completely devoid of emotion.

She'd planned to spare her biological father.

She'd been in such a good mood today.

But if he refused to see reason, she wouldn't hold back.

"Oh…" She spoke slowly, walking back toward Sawyer one deliberate step at a time.

Sawyer felt a chill run down his spine under her gaze.

Thinking of the debt hanging over his head, he forced himself to stand firm. He clenched his jaw. "Sloane, fifty thousand. I just need fifty thousand!"

"Once I pay off the debt, I'll never show up in front of you again."

'Just like that useless son of yours.'

Sloane sneered inwardly, though her face remained expressionless.

She pulled a bank card from her purse. "This is the only card I have on me right now. There's ten thousand in it."

"I'll transfer the rest to your account once I've scraped it together."

"Ten thousand? What am I supposed to do with ten thousand? You're not trying to scam me, are you?" Sawyer eyed her suspiciously.

"Fine. Don't take it then." Sloane made a show of pulling the card back.

Sawyer snatched it away like it was his last lifeline. "Okay! I'll wait for the transfer."

Sloane watched him walk away, her eyes gradually turning cold.

She pulled out her backup phone and sent another deadly order to that mysterious number.

---

At the Gray family hospital, in the private care ward.

Evelyn sat in the chair beside the bed, watching Matthew lying there motionless.

Sunlight leaked through the gaps in the curtains, falling across Matthew's pale face. Only the faint rise and fall of his chest showed he was still alive.

Evelyn reached out and pinched his cheek, her tone half-petulant. "How long are you going to sleep? If you don't wake up soon, I'm going to braid your hair."

Her fingers gently brushed aside the stray hair on his forehead, her fingertips tracing the line of his brow.

She'd looked at this face for so many years. From hatred to heartache, from heartbreak to numbness, and now to this indefinable place she found herself in.

She'd thought she was clearheaded. But the moment he collapsed in that pool of blood, all her pretenses of strength shattered.

Matthew, please wake up…

Just then, the door to the ward opened.

Susan walked in.

"Why did you come all this way? You didn't have to trouble yourself." Evelyn stood up and went to greet her.

But Susan's expression was stern. "I heard the results for the Dairy Haven Group bid came out. Congratulations."

Evelyn gave her a small smile.

"However…" Susan's tone shifted. "Haven't you been spending a little too much time in Matthew's room this week?"

"The Dairy Haven Group project is about to start. Shouldn't you be following up on that instead of hanging around here?"

"Mira and the team have been managing the proposal. We've had video meetings every day. Everything's under control."

"You know what I mean." Susan met her gaze directly, her expression a complex mix of frustration and concern.

Evelyn turned her head, looking at Matthew's face.

She stared at him for a long time—so long that Susan thought she wouldn't answer.

"Grandma." Evelyn finally spoke, her voice soft but certain.

"I think… Matthew and I will never truly be finished. Not in this lifetime."