Chapter163 I Can Give You Money, But You Have to Do Something for Me
Sofia's whole body shook, her pupils contracting sharply.
Hale usually had nannies and bodyguards with him. He really wouldn't wander off alone.
Looking at her son standing in front of Miranda, her feelings were complicated.
She bit her lip, took a deep breath, and the crazed look on her face subsided somewhat, reverting to the arrogance of a wealthy matron.
"Fine."
Sofia said coldly, waving at the bodyguards behind her. "Go to the surveillance room first."
Ten minutes later, in the surveillance room.
The large display screen clearly replayed that heart-stopping scene.
In the footage, Miranda and Castillo galloped on horseback along the track.
Just at the turn, Hale's small figure abruptly emerged from the bushes and crouched in the middle of the path.
The startled horse reared up on its front legs.
At that distance, at that speed.
Even through the screen, Sofia could feel that suffocating sense of death approaching. She clutched her chest tightly, her nails nearly digging into her flesh.
Then, in the footage, Miranda didn't hesitate for a second before throwing herself down.
She rolled on the ground, using her own body as a cushion, desperately protecting Hale's head as she crashed again and again against the hard ground.
One second later, or even a slight deviation, and Hale would already be a corpse.
After watching the surveillance, the entire room fell into deathly silence.
Castillo crossed her arms, looking coldly at Sofia's pale face, unable to resist mocking her.
"See clearly now?"
"If Miranda hadn't risked her life to save him, you should be crying right now instead of throwing your weight around at us."
Castillo had really been infuriated by Sofia's immediate accusations earlier.
Sofia's face alternated between shades of green and white.
The facts were right before her eyes. She couldn't deny them.
She took several deep breaths and turned to look at Miranda sitting in the chair.
"About this matter, I misunderstood."
Sofia's tone was stiff. She pulled out a business card and checkbook from her bag and placed them on the table.
"For your medical expenses, lost wages, and emotional distress from your injuries, you can write any amount. I'll have it transferred to your account."
At this point, her eyes became sharp, carrying a hint of warning.
"However, I don't want to hear any whispers about what happened today in any media or social circles."
With that, she turned toward Hale, who had been standing in the corner, putting on a gentle expression as she crouched down and reached for his hand.
"Let's go, Hale. Mommy will take you home. It's too dirty here."
Hale woodenly allowed her to hold his hand, obediently following her toward the door.
Miranda sat in the chair, her expression indifferent as she watched this scene, saying nothing and not touching the check.
She'd saved him on instinct, not seeking Sofia's gratitude.
Just as Sofia was about to step through the door with Hale...
Hale suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong, baby?" Sofia looked back in confusion.
Hale didn't look at her but forcefully, bit by bit, pulled his small hand out of Sofia's grasp.
Then, under Sofia's shocked gaze, he turned around and ran back to Miranda.
Miranda froze, about to speak.
She saw Hale reach into his little suit pocket and pull out a palm-sized Superman figurine with some paint worn off.
He stood on tiptoe, took Miranda's hand, and solemnly placed the Superman figurine in her palm.
Then he did something that surprised everyone present.
He extended his small hand and clumsily, at the scraped spot on the back of Miranda's hand, gently blew on it twice.
After doing this, he turned around and ran back to the door without looking back, climbing into the black car waiting outside.
Sofia only froze for a moment before following.
Getting into the car, she looked back through the still-open door, taking a deep look at Miranda holding the Superman figurine.
Complex emotions flashed in her eyes.
At the hospital, the air was filled with the smell of disinfectant.
The doctor held an iodine cotton swab, treating the abrasions on Miranda's back.
A large patch of skin was scraped raw and bloody, with fine gravel embedded in some places. Cleaning it was excruciatingly painful.
Cold sweat beaded on Miranda's forehead, but she didn't make a sound.
Castillo stood beside her watching, so heartbroken tears were about to fall.
"That woman is so rude. You're hurt like this and she couldn't even apologize."
She paced angrily in circles. "If it weren't for that child's sake, I would have argued with her right then and there."
Miranda held the paint-worn Superman figurine, her fingertip gently tracing its rough texture.
Hearing Castillo's complaints, the corner of her mouth curved into a faint smile, not commenting.
Knowing Castillo felt better after venting, Miranda finally spoke to comfort her.
"Alright, don't be angry." Miranda's voice was calm. "She's not worth it."
...
City outskirts, apartment building.
Ariana stood downstairs, replaying Harrison's accusations in her mind, her eyes reddening.
Did she not want a good family background?
When her father went to prison, she didn't even remember it. Why should she have a criminal father?
Why couldn't she have a father who ran a public company and a mother who loved her wholeheartedly? She envied and hated Miranda.
After standing downstairs for who knows how long, Ariana, dressed in designer brand clothes, finally climbed the stairs in her high heels.
Taking a deep breath, as if steeling herself mentally, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.
Knock knock knock.
After a long while, the door creaked open from inside.
A scruffy middle-aged man appeared in the doorway.
It was Zron, recently released from prison.
He still clutched a greasy fried chicken leg in his hand, oil stains around his mouth. Seeing the glamorous Ariana standing at the door, his murky eyes instantly brightened.
"Well, if it isn't my darling daughter?"
Zron grinned, stepping aside to make way. "Come in, come in."
Ariana suppressed her nausea and entered the room.
The place was a mess like a pigsty, beer bottles and takeout boxes littering the floor, the sofa piled with dirty clothes, emanating a nauseating sour stench.
Zron plopped down on the sofa, propped his feet on the coffee table, took a big bite of chicken, and said through a mouthful:
"Perfect timing. I just ran out of money and was about to call you. Give me another hundred thousand. I need to make it back."
Ariana looked at this scoundrel of a man, her eyes full of disgust and hatred.
It was because of this man that her life had an indelible stain.
If that bitch Miranda hadn't exposed this, how would she have ended up having to come to a place like this?
"I can give you the money."
Ariana spoke coldly, pulling a thick envelope from her bag and tossing it onto the oil-stained coffee table.
"But you have to do something for me."
Seeing the money, Zron's eyes went straight. He grabbed the envelope, licked his fingers to count it, his face breaking into a smile.
"Hehe, my good daughter, as long as the money's right, forget one thing, I'll do a hundred!"
A vicious light flashed in Ariana's eyes.