Chapter 75 Meeting Paused, I'm Going to Pick Someone Up
Chapter 75 Meeting Paused, I'm Going to Pick Someone Up
Peter's face turned pale in an instant, completely drained of color.
"Godfather, that won't work."
Dino had clearly run out of patience with Peter. He slammed his glass down hard on the coffee table.
"Do you really think I'm running a charity here? Without collateral, you think you can squeeze a penny out of me? You think I've been around all these years for nothing?"
Seeing Dino angry, Peter felt his stomach turn. This was what he'd become—a man groveling before someone he despised, about to sell his daughter to save a company that wasn't even his to begin with.
He thought of Nola suddenly, unbidden. She'd looked at him with such trust when they'd married. "You'll do great things, Peter," she'd said. "I believe in you."
He'd believed it too, back then. He'd genuinely loved her, in his way. But love couldn't compete with the daily reminder that everything—the company, the house, the respect—came from her family, not his merit. Every board meeting where the old guard questioned his decisions, every social gathering where he was introduced as "Nola's husband" rather than his own man, had chipped away at that love, replacing it with resentment.
He'd told himself he deserved more. That Delilah understood him in ways Nola never could. That Maya was his chance to prove he could build something on his own.
But looking at Dino now, seeing his own reflection in those predatory eyes, Peter realized he'd become exactly what Nola's family had feared—a man who'd sell anything, including his own daughter, to maintain an illusion of success.
For a moment, he hesitated. Donna was still his daughter. Nola's daughter.
Then he thought of the bankruptcy notice, the creditors, the shame of losing everything. He thought of Maya, pregnant with what might be his only chance at redemption through the Russell family connection.
Slowly, his knees bent, and he dropped to the floor in front of Dino.
"Please," his hands reached for Dino's knees, but stopped when he saw the look in his eyes. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.
"Godfather, I have another daughter. She's from my ex-wife. You probably haven't met her yet. How about I give you this daughter?"
"Got a photo?"
"Yes."
Peter quickly pulled out his phone from his pocket and showed Donna's photo. Sure enough, he saw a flash of amazement in Dino's eyes.
Donna's face was mostly inherited from Nola. Back in the day, Nola was known as the most beautiful woman in Silvermere, and Donna had surpassed her.
"Your daughter is this beautiful, and I never knew about it."
Dino felt a bit unhappy. Peter knew what kind of person he was, yet had been hiding this from him all these years. Wasn't he just trying to use Donna as a bargaining chip for something bigger?
Peter quickly explained.
"My daughter has been abroad for a long time and rarely comes home, so I haven't introduced her to Godfather. She's married now, so I dare to show you."
Dino's preference for other men's wives was well known. Peter's words now seemed to suggest he had specially prepared this for Dino.
Dino's expression finally improved.
"Send her to me. After I've had a taste, you'll naturally get your reward."
Donna, who had no idea she was being targeted, had just finished dinner with Luna. After dinner, Luna suggested going to a bar.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
Never mind what happened with Edward at the bar last time, just considering their alcohol tolerance, they weren't suited for drinking.
"Such a happy occasion today, of course we should celebrate with drinks. Plus, we've been adults for a long time now. Come on, don't spoil the fun. We came into this world to live happily and freely."
Luna spoke excitedly. Donna thought of what Nola used to say, hoping she would always be happy and joyful. Unable to resist Luna's pestering, they went.
"The place I'm taking you this time is definitely better than last time. Those male hosts last time, they were good-looking, but something was missing."
Donna parked the car, grabbed her bag, and got out, immediately feeling the youthful energy.
"So you came to drink near a university."
Luna's eyes sparkled as she looked at the navigation on her phone.
"This is a really popular bar near the university online. Lots of male college students like to hang out here. Chance encounters are often more exciting than careful planning!"
Donna couldn't deal with her anymore, but still followed her inside.
This proved that Luna's luck was really bad today. Before she could meet anyone she liked, she was already drunk.
"Donna, I've called my family driver to pick me up. Are you getting a designated driver, or having someone pick you up?"
Her head was fuzzy, but she wasn't completely out of it. Luna quickly made arrangements, afraid that if they both got completely wasted, something might happen in a place like this.
Donna had also drunk a bit too much this time. She collapsed weakly on the sofa, holding her phone trying to make a call, but her eyes were too blurry to find anyone for a long time.
"Let me!"
Luna snatched Donna's phone. Her alcohol tolerance was better than Donna's, and she could still see clearly. After scrolling through her contacts, she finally tapped on Edward's name.
Fortunately, Luna wasn't too confused yet and knew Edward was Donna's husband.
"Your wife is looking for you."
Edward, who was in a company meeting, heard an unfamiliar female voice. His frown immediately relaxed when he heard the word "wife."
Luna shoved the phone into Donna's hand, then collapsed beside her.
Donna held the phone with both hands, her voice soft and sweet.
"Hey?"
Edward's breath caught. God knows how his heart raced when he heard that voice.
"Donna, you've been drinking."
"Yes, come pick me up."
Donna was brief and to the point. After she spoke, it seemed he was asking for the address on the other end. Donna mumbled for a long time without making any sense. Luna couldn't stand it anymore and grabbed the phone to give the exact address.
After hanging up, Donna curled into the sofa, drifting toward sleep
Marlon had been observing Edward's expression the whole time. Never mind that he could take a call during a meeting, just the fact that one phone call could put several expressions on Edward's face told him who it was.
Sure enough, before he could ask, Edward spoke first.
"That's all for today's meeting. Dismissed."
Edward basically didn't stop walking, grabbed his coat, and left.
The new assistant, seeing Edward so rushed, found it strange.
"Is there some big deal?"
Marlon patted his shoulder lightly.
"You need to watch and learn more about these things."
Leaving the new assistant completely confused.
At the same time, Luna was drunkenly admiring some decent-looking guys when she saw Donna suddenly spring up from the sofa.
"You scared me to death. What are you doing?"
"Going to the bathroom."
She then stood up like a robot executing a command and walked toward the bathroom.
Luna saw that Donna could walk in a straight line now and figured she must be mostly sober, so she didn't follow.
After using the bathroom, Donna came out with a tissue and walked outside. Suddenly, she bumped into someone head-on. Donna stumbled back two steps, and before she could speak, the other person blamed her first.
"Are your eyes on top of your head? It's so bright here and you don't watch where you're going."
Donna was angry inside, but seeing the person had dyed yellow hair, she knew he was a thug. There was no point arguing about right or wrong at this point.
"Sorry."
She said this and tried to walk around the thug, but three more punks appeared from somewhere and surrounded her tightly.
Donna looked up unhappily. They were surprised when they saw her face, then gave sleazy smiles.
"If saying sorry worked, what would we need the police for?"
Actually, they had noticed Donna earlier. The lighting in the bar was a bit dim, so they knew she was a beauty, but they didn't expect that when they actually saw her, she would be this beautiful. They were definitely going to have some fun today.