Chapter181 Is My Life Worth Less Than Ariana's?
Dominic’s long-repressed rage finally exploded. He roared into the phone. "Miranda! How many times do I have to call before you pick up? Are you doing this on purpose just to piss me off?"
On the other end of the line, Miranda sat in her office chair. She twirled a pen in her hand, a cold smile playing on her lips.
"Dad, I was in a meeting and didn't hear it. You’re getting older. You should watch your temper before you give yourself a heart attack."
Dominic’s vision went dark with fury. He hissed through gritted teeth. "Cut the sarcasm! Look at the mess you’ve made online. Dragging family scandals into the public eye for everyone to laugh at. Is this how I raised you?"
"Delete those videos and photos right now. Then go to the police station and sign a leniency letter. Tell them it was all a misunderstanding so they can let Ariana out of jail."
Hearing his entitled, commanding tone, Miranda let out a sharp laugh.
"Heh."
She knew her father was biased, but hearing those words still made her blood run cold.
She took a deep breath, her voice turning icy. "Dad, are you really my father?"
Dominic paused, clearly not expecting the question. "What is that supposed to mean? I am your father. Are you disowning me now?"
"If you are my father, then you know what Ariana did was kidnapping. It was attempted murder."
Miranda’s voice rose, sharp with suppressed anger. "If I hadn't been lucky that day, I would be a corpse right now. The first thing you do when you call isn't asking if I’m hurt or if I’m scared. It's telling me to forgive the person who tried to kill me."
"In your eyes, is my life worth less than Ariana's?"
Dominic felt a flicker of guilt, but it was quickly replaced by defensive rage.
He stiffened his neck and argued. "Aren't you fine now? Nothing happened to you. You just had a little scare. Is there a need to be this aggressive?"
"Besides, Ariana has been locked up for two days already. That’s no place for a girl. She’s already miserable enough without her parents around. Those two days in jail should be lesson enough. As her older sister, you shouldn't be so narrow-minded."
Miranda found his words absolutely absurd.
In her father’s eyes, her life wasn't worth even two days of Ariana’s discomfort.
"A lesson?"
Miranda sneered. "She got exactly what she deserved. I’m not deleting the video, and I’m definitely not signing any letter."
"Since she was brave enough to do it, she can deal with the consequences. I’m not just sending her to jail. I’m going to make sure she rots there."
With that, Miranda hung up before Dominic could say another word.
The line went dead.
Dominic stared at his phone in disbelief.
He slammed the phone onto the desk, his face darkening with malice.
"Fine. Fine! Since you want to play hardball, don't blame me for forgetting you're my daughter."
He turned sharply toward his trembling assistant, his eyes glinting with a vicious light.
"Make the arrangements."
Dominic’s voice was low, squeezed through his teeth. It carried a chilling coldness.
Ten minutes later.
The study returned to its usual silence.
Dominic stared out at the night sky, the light in his eyes unreadable.
The next morning, Miranda was greeted by Lisa the moment she stepped into the company.
Once inside her office, she set down her bag and sat down. She looked at Lisa with a serious expression. "Tell me. What happened?"
"Miranda," Lisa said quickly. "Starting from eight this morning, the investors and partners who wanted to work with us have been calling to cancel."
Miranda’s expression didn't change. "The reason?"
"The reasons they gave weren't very convincing," Lisa said gloomily.
Miranda raised an eyebrow.
Her father really couldn't wait to protect Ariana.
She had only rejected him yesterday, and in just one night, he had already struck at her small company. It seemed her father thought quite highly of her.
Dominic had been in the business world for decades. If he put the word out, those greedy businessmen would know exactly which side to take.
On one side was the chairman of a deep-rooted public corporation. On the other was the founder of a startup with barely a hundred employees. A young woman who hadn't even found her footing yet.
It was a no-brainer.
Miranda’s hands were crossed over her chest, her knuckles turning white from the pressure.
Even if she won first place in the competition, even if her technology was superior, she was still fragile in the face of a capital squeeze.
It hurt.
She and her team had stayed up countless nights to achieve this. Now, with one sentence from Dominic, her partnerships were vanishing.
A bitter feeling rose in her chest, making it hard to breathe.
But she couldn't panic.
"Phew." Miranda exhaled slowly. She looked up at Lisa and asked the crucial question. "How many are still willing to work with us?"
Hearing this, Lisa’s tense expression softened slightly. She quickly opened a list at the bottom of her file.
She read off several names.
As Lisa spoke, Miranda’s mood began to lift.
When Lisa reached the end, she paused and added with emphasis, "And there's the consortium represented by Sofia. Not only did they not withdraw, but they also emailed to ask when we can sign the formal contract. They said they only care about technology, not messy personal politics."
Miranda leaned back in her chair. Her furrowed brow finally relaxed.
The companies that stayed were either industry heavyweights who were already rivals with the Lancaster Group and didn't fear Dominic.
Or they were foreign investors with deep backgrounds like Sofia. Dominic’s reach simply wasn't that long.
Moreover, the combined power of these remaining partners was even greater than the Lancaster Group.
That was enough.
"This is better than I expected."
Miranda gave a small laugh, her eyes shining with confidence.
She was glad she had left the Lancaster Group. If she were still there, her father would have had her completely trapped.
"I understand." Miranda sat up straight, returning to her professional self. She pointed at the documents on the desk. "Leave those. I’ll start screening the partners."
"Understood, Miranda," Lisa replied. She left the files and walked out of the office.
The room fell quiet.
Miranda buried herself in work. She quickly evaluated the compatibility of these companies, performed background checks, and analyzed the data.
She worked until the sun went down.
Outside, the neon lights of the city flickered to life, reflecting on the glass window.
Looking at the final results on her screen, Miranda finally let out a genuine smile.