Chapter 64 Retrieve the Money
Terrence gave a small nod. "Go on."
Barry's smile collapsed instantly. With a resigned sigh, he picked up the file again.
Across town, Bianca glanced at her phone. A notification lit up the screen — a bank deposit, accompanied by a note from the Ember family. Her pulse quickened. The inheritance from her mother had finally been returned in full. There was no longer any need to pretend civility with that family.
She was about to set the phone down when the screen shifted, an incoming call flashing Glenn's name. Her brows drew together. The money had barely landed, and now Glenn was calling? It didn't take much to guess — he was here to demand explanations, or worse.
Whatever affection she had once held for her father was little more than dust now. Respect was out of the question.
"What is it?" she answered, switching to speaker before tossing the phone onto the desk.
"Bianca, I've been thinking," Glenn's voice came through, tight but attempting warmth. "It's true your stepmother was wrong. I told her to return Daphne's money to you as soon as possible. You've received it, yes?"
"I have."
Bianca didn't believe him for a second. Glenn never lowered himself without a reason. He wanted something.
"Bianca…" Glenn's tone shifted, his brows no doubt furrowed deep enough to carve lines. "You've been at the company for some time now. You know the employees, you've seen their capabilities. About the cooperation deal—"
Bianca let out a soft, humorless laugh. Of course. This was about business.
"Dad, it's not that I wouldn't talk to Terrence. But my position isn't high enough to influence anything. The people I do meet… they're average, at best."
"Terrence runs a huge company. He has to vet any partnership thoroughly. You can't just agree to cooperate — that's like handing out money for nothing. And you're not the kind of man who takes advantage of others… right, Dad?" Her tone dripped with irony.
Glenn forced a chuckle. "Bianca, that's not—"
"Dad, I actually think our company could be great again. But there are too many people coasting, too much dead weight. If we clean house, Terrence would have a reason to keep working with the Rodriguez Group."
"If he just helps us outright, people will talk. They'll say you traded yourself for resources. Once that kind of rumor spreads, it hurts everyone. You see that, don't you?"
On the other end, Glenn's grip on his phone tightened until his knuckles whitened. "Bianca, what kind of thing is that to say? You and Terrence care for each other — how is that trading yourself?"
"And you've only been at the Rodriguez Group for a few days. What do you even know? A woman should stay home, not run around the office making trouble. I'm warning you — don't speak against the Rodriguez Group in front of Mr. Anderson. Say something good for us. Without the Rodriguez Group backing you, do you really think you could marry into the Anderson family?"
The mask was gone now, his voice stripped of pretense. Bianca had always known what kind of man Glenn was, but hearing it still made her chest tighten. Her mother had deserved better. Maybe Glenn had never loved her at all — maybe it had always been about utility. Why else marry Thea so soon after her death?
"You're wrong about one thing," Bianca said coldly. "I can marry into the Anderson family because of my mother, not because of you. If you want a partnership with the Anderson Group, consider my proposal. Otherwise, forget it."
"Bianca, you're becoming impossible to control. The Rodriguez family raised you for twenty years. You'd just watch us collapse?"
"I'll be honest with you," Glenn pressed. "The Rodriguez Group's cash flow is in trouble. Without investment from the Anderson Group, we're finished. Half this company is your mother's legacy. Can you really stand by and watch it die?"
So that was it — guilt as a weapon. He was trying to bind her with sentiment. It was a bad gamble.
"If my mother were alive, she wouldn't want the Rodriguez Group to thrive like this. Not while the rot remains. Until it's purged, there will be no cooperation." Her voice was steel.
"Bianca, are you trying to destroy the Rodriguez family? Without us, you're just a bug in the Anderson family, easy to crush. Do you think Terrence would marry a woman with no background? Even if he agreed, do you think the rest would?"
Her fingers tightened around the phone. Her breathing turned sharp, her voice colder. "That's none of your concern."
"Bianca—" Glenn's voice rose, ragged with frustration. "If I go down, you go down too. If the Rodriguez Group falls, you—"
She ended the call before he could finish. Drawing in a long breath, she steadied herself. She wasn't doing this to save Glenn. She was doing it for her mother's legacy. Half the Rodriguez Group had been built with her mother's sweat, and she wouldn't let it rot under Glenn's hand.
After a moment's hesitation, she dialed Terrence.
"Terrence, my mother's inheritance has been returned in full. I want to give it all to you. If I keep it, others will keep trying to take it."
A voice came through first — not Terrence's, but a man's, teasing. "Well, Terrence, looks like you're living off a woman now. That's cold… getting Bianca's assets all tied up in your name."
Bianca blinked, glancing at the screen to make sure she hadn't misdialed. No, it was Terrence's number.
Then his familiar voice followed. "Yeah, I'm living off her." A pause, then softer, warmer. "But I'll take care of everything for her."
"Terrence, your mood swings are something else," Calvin said from the background, clutching his chest in mock hurt. "You treat me like I'm a nuisance, but for her you're all sweetness. You've broken my heart."
Terrence shot him a flat look. "Why would I be gentle with you? You're not my wife. Oh, right — you don't have a wife, so you wouldn't understand."
Calvin's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that from Terrence. "You've changed. You used to care about me. And what's wrong with being single? Single means freedom."
"Freedom…" Terrence's voice was cool. "Only people who've never been in love say that."
Bianca couldn't help the laugh that slipped out. Only then did she realize there was someone else on the line. Her cheeks warmed.
"If you're busy over there, I won't keep you."
"It's fine. He's not important."
Calvin's expression was pure outrage, as if Terrence had punched him in the gut. "Fine. I see how it is. Couples everywhere, and now you're looking down on singles too."
He jabbed a finger at Terrence. "Just wait. You think you're the only one who can find a wife? I'll get one right now."
With that, Calvin stormed out, slamming the door behind him.