Chapter 142: Such a Family Makes One's Heart Cold

"Since you know she’s in trouble, don’t you think, as her boss, you have a responsibility to help her?" Charlotte glanced at him, her tone neither warm nor cold.

Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Do I?"

Charlotte let out a scoff. She had already expected this kind of attitude from him. Who was Alexander? A narrow-minded man who only cared about profits. Getting him to help was harder than climbing a mountain. So, she never really counted on him. It was already a miracle he didn’t turn around and blame her instead.

"Help or not, it’s up to you. But if Elsa’s issue gets exposed, it’ll drag the Wilson Group down too. Looks like the movie you’re releasing next week is doomed to flop at the box office. I don’t know what Elsa was thinking, signing with the Wilson Group. Having a heartless boss like you is just speechless." Charlotte snorted with disdain.

"Well, who can compare to Liam?"

"Of course, not everyone can match up to him. If you’ve got nothing else, Mr. Wilson, please get out of the car. I’m leaving." She took out a mirror, glanced at herself, pursed her lips, and put on a pair of stylish sunglasses.

"Drive," he said coldly.

Charlotte looked at him. "You’re coming too?"

He didn’t respond.

Charlotte started the car. With Alexander coming along, things would be much easier. At the very least, those greedy Ellis family members should be a bit scared. Everyone knew the Wilson family held an unshakable position in Madison State. With him stepping in, she didn’t believe Rainey would dare act out.

The two first stopped at Elsa’s place. The injuries on Elsa’s face were still obvious. She lowered her head slightly. "Mr. Wilson, I…" She didn’t have the courage to speak. How could she talk about something so shameful?

"You’re an employee of my company, so I’ll take responsibility. Get in the car," Alexander said, giving her a brief glance before looking away.

Elsa sat silently in the back seat, her mind inexplicably flashing back to those unbearable childhood memories.

"With Mr. Wilson personally stepping in, everything will be fine. Relax." Charlotte tossed her a pack of gum. Chewing gum was something that helped them unwind.

"No money can be paid, and no one gets hurt. What do you think, Mr. Wilson?" Charlotte casually glanced at the man beside her.

After a long pause, Alexander replied coldly, "Play it by ear."

At that moment, Charlotte’s phone rang. Seeing the number, she frowned slightly before putting on her Bluetooth earpiece.

"It’s a third-rate actress named Marlowe Stone," an old voice said on the other end.

Marlowe Stone? Charlotte remembered seeing this woman during auditions at the Wilson Group. She’d heard the lead role for the new movie was between her, Poppy, and Marlowe. Looks like she must have offended her.

But this answer surprised her. She had thought this mess was connected to Poppy or Sophia, not some actress she’d only met once. How did she even get into her room to drug her?

If it turned out the drug was slipped into the water dispenser in her room, no wonder it took so long to kick in. Even though she had an answer now, Charlotte still had a gut feeling that Sophia was somehow involved.

"How do you plan to deal with her?" the voice asked.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow and said lightly, "Give her a taste of her own medicine. Doesn’t she want to be famous? Let’s add a few more reporters to the mix. This time, I’ll make sure she goes viral."

"Alright."

Charlotte pulled off the earpiece and tossed it into her bag, her face showing no satisfaction from getting revenge.

Luckily, she hadn’t left Alexander’s room that day. Otherwise, the reporters Marlowe had arranged would’ve made her infamous in the worst way. Thinking about how she’d only been back in the country for less than a month and already someone couldn’t stand her, this industry was really cutthroat.

"Charlotte, about that…" Elsa started to speak.

"It’s fine. With Mr. Wilson here, you don’t need to show up," Charlotte said, knowing exactly what she was worried about.

Alexander stared at her coldly, his eyes unreadable. "So, you’re just dumping everything on me."

"Of course. On behalf of Elsa, I’ll thank you now, Mr. Wilson." Charlotte nodded with a small smile. With Alexander around, everything would be okay.

Since he was Elsa’s boss, he couldn’t just get off easy. Being a boss wasn’t that simple.

"Thank you, Mr. Wilson," Elsa said, her head hanging even lower with guilt.

An hour later, the car stopped not far from a small house in the countryside. Alexander took out his phone and made a call to someone. Soon after, a group of people headed toward the yard.

Rainey, inside the house, heard the noise outside. When she stepped out, she was startled by the sight of fifty or sixty tall, burly men. What was going on?

"Ms. Ellis, long time no see," said a tall man with a lifelike dragon tattoo on his arm, glaring at her fiercely.

Rainey’s face paled under his gaze. Stammering, she asked, "Who are you people?"

"Who are we? Haha, forgot me so soon? I’m Zack Scott, the one who loaned you that high-interest money back then!" Zack laughed and shoved a piece of paper in front of her. "Sign this, or I’ll wipe out your whole family!"

"What are you doing at my house? Who are you?" Jesse stumbled out of the house, drunk, looking fearless as he stared at the crowd parked in front of his home.

Zack gave him a disdainful once-over. "So, you’re Thea’s father?"

Jesse hiccupped, his cheeks red. "That’s me. What’s the problem?"

Rainey, standing nearby, tried to slip back into the house to call the police, but before she could take a step, a man grabbed her and slapped her hard across the face twice. "Where are you running to? Want to die?"

"What do you want coming to my house?" Rainey asked, clutching her pregnant belly and cautiously eyeing the group. These men, covered in tattoos, tall and intimidating, clearly weren’t good news.

"Thea owed our boss eight million dollars six years ago and hasn’t paid it back. We can’t find her now, so we’re here for you. Hand over the eight million today, and this matter is settled. Otherwise, get ready for a lawsuit!" Zack slapped the loan agreement against her chest and smirked.

Thea stared at the black-and-white document in shock. "I never signed as her guarantor. If you’re looking for someone, go find her. This has nothing to do with me."

Of course, she hadn’t forgotten that six years ago, she forced Thea to borrow from loan sharks in the black market. Back then, her mother had leukemia and needed money for a bone marrow transplant. She pressured Thea for a long time, but when they couldn’t come up with the money, they turned to loan sharks. She never expected…

"This is your signature, right? And your fingerprint is on it too. Today’s the deadline. Where’s the money?" Zack glared at her coldly, the scar on his face making him even more terrifying.

"Didn’t Thea already pay this back?" Jesse slurred, still drunk.

Zack’s fierce expression turned to him. "Paid? If she paid, we wouldn’t be here looking for you. Our boss said if you don’t come up with the money today, none of you are getting away!"

Thea, just an ordinary woman, had no idea who their boss was. But she vaguely remembered Thea mentioning something about a money lender from the Rogers family in Argentum State. If that was true, it was terrifying. The Rogers family wasn’t someone to mess with!

"Go find Thea. She borrowed the money, so she should pay it back. This has nothing to do with us," Jesse said, sobering up a bit under the man’s glare. As a regular guy, he’d never seen so many tough-looking people before. His legs were practically shaking.

Through the listening device, Elsa heard every word clearly and let out a cold laugh. Expecting her to pay for that wretched woman’s mother? Not a chance.

"If we could find her, would we need to come here ourselves? She’s vanished off the face of the earth. Your daughter was the guarantor, so it’s only right she pays. Besides, this money was used to save your wife’s life, wasn’t it? I’ll give you ten minutes to come up with the money. Otherwise, this house and your shop will belong to us. Though, honestly, that’s barely enough to cover a fraction of it." Zack glared at him coldly.

Jesse panicked. He had been part of forcing Thea to borrow the money back then. But who would’ve thought that little brat hadn’t paid it back?

"Go find Thea. She’s a big star now, loaded with cash. Go after her," Juniper rushed in from the house, panting as she stared at the intimidating crowd in front of her.Zack glared at her. "Thea? Five years ago, after that scandal with her leaked photos, she disappeared off the face of the earth. And you’re telling us to go find her?"

His gaze was ice-cold, and even Juniper, as bold as she was, couldn’t help but lower her head. She didn’t dare throw a tantrum now.

That wretched girl hadn’t paid back the money? Where did all the cash she made as a celebrity go?

"Thea is Elsa. She goes by Elsa now. Go find her, not us," Juniper said in a panic. She knew these guys weren’t to be messed with. Just a while ago, a family at the edge of the village was ruined because of loan sharks.

Zack turned back to his crew and burst into laughter. "Elsa? She’s saying Elsa is Thea. What do you guys think?"

"Are you blind? How could Thea and Elsa look anything alike? Do you take us for idiots?" Zack grabbed her collar, his fierce eyes locking onto hers.

"Exactly. How can Thea compare to Elsa? One’s up in the sky, the other’s down in the dirt."

"Elsa is related to the Wilson family from the Wilson Group. If she owed eight million dollars, you think she couldn’t pay it back?"

The men behind him roared with laughter, their mocking voices growing louder and more unrestrained.

"She is Thea. She got plastic surgery. If you want money, go to her. We don’t have it," Rainey shouted, wanting to pull Juniper back but too scared to move.

Zack let go of Juniper and grabbed Rainey’s hair, yanking it hard. Rainey’s face turned pale from the pain, tears streaming down as she tried to struggle, but she couldn’t break free. Instead, she was slapped hard across the face twice.

"I don’t care if she’s Thea or not. I’ve got my eyes on you now. If you don’t come up with the money today, none of you are walking away alive."

"Didn’t you say Elsa is Thea? Call her then. If the money gets paid today, we’re all good. If not…" His face darkened, and everyone knew what he was implying.

Jesse, trembling, pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed Elsa’s number. His usually sleazy, fat face looked pitifully defeated.

The call went through.

"Thea, is that you?" His voice was unusually gentle, so gentle that it made Elsa on the other end feel sick.

Elsa let out a cold laugh and spoke slowly, "I’m not Thea. You’ve got the wrong person."

Now they remember me? What a great family they are!

"I know you’re Thea. I have your DNA report. You’re my daughter. Don’t you want your dad anymore?"

"How come you suddenly remember me now?" Elsa played along, curious to see just how low this despicable Jesse could sink.

"Where are you right now?"

"Filming. What’s the matter?" Her voice was icy, devoid of any warmth.

Juniper snatched the phone from him, her vicious tone cutting through. "Thea, did you not pay back that loan from six years ago?"

Elsa chuckled. "Nope. So what?"

"Why didn’t you pay it back?"

"Why should I?" Elsa shot back.

Juniper felt a chill down her spine under Zack’s glare but forced herself to speak nicely. "Thea, why are you doing this to us?"

"How am I doing anything to you? Back then, you needed money for treatment, so I helped by borrowing it. The guarantor and borrower are both signed under Rainey’s name. Don’t tell me you expect me to pay it back for you. Let me tell you, no way." Her voice was calm and steady, which made Juniper’s heart sink.

"If you don’t pay it for me, I’ll spill your secret," Juniper threatened ruthlessly. She had originally planned to use this secret to extort money from her, but who knew the old loan hadn’t been paid? Now she had no choice but to use the secret to settle the debt first.

"Go ahead and say whatever you want. I don’t care," Elsa replied calmly.

"Thea, don’t push me!" Juniper roared, her eyes flashing with anger.

"At worst, you’ll ruin my career. But you’ll all end up in jail for not paying the loan. My career in exchange for the freedom of the three of you? Sounds like a fair deal."

"Thea, don’t be like this. I’m still your dad. How can you be so ungrateful?" Jesse’s voice came through, full of fake sadness.

Elsa couldn’t help but laugh coldly several times. "Now you remember I’m your daughter? Didn’t you wish I’d just die back then?"

"I…" He had no comeback.

"I can pay the money for you, but I have a condition," she said quietly.

Jesse’s face lit up with hope. "Tell me, tell me. As long as I can do it, I’ll definitely agree."

"I want to cut all ties with you as father and daughter."

Jesse’s face froze. No way! He was counting on her to make money and take care of him in his old age.

"No, you’ll always be my daughter. That will never change."

On the other end, Elsa felt like throwing up. She let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Whatever. Keep a daughter in name only or lose eight million—your choice. I’m not forcing you. But don’t expect a single penny from me ever again. I’m hanging up. I’ve got work to do."

"Wait!"

Elsa’s lips curled slightly. "Anything else to say?"

"Fine. If you’re willing to pay the money, we’ll cut ties."

Elsa’s already numb heart ached again. A tear slid down her cheek. This was her family, her father. In the face of money, she was worth nothing. Better to be rid of such a family. It would save her from living in constant fear.

She looked up at the sky, clear and cloudless. A relieved smile spread across her face. "I’ll be there in two hours."

Charlotte walked over and handed her a tissue. She didn’t know what to say, so she just patted her back gently to comfort her. Having a family like this was pretty sad. Charlotte couldn’t imagine how Elsa had survived all these years.

"I’m fine," Elsa said, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying.

"Go to the car and fix your face. It looks awful."

Elsa laughed through her tears. "I’m finally free. Thank you."

Charlotte didn’t say anything. She just touched Elsa’s head and walked off with Alexander. Elsa stood up and headed to the car, where Charlotte had prepared clothes for her. The bold outfit suited her perfectly. Probably the only person in the world who truly understood her was Charlotte.

The country road was quiet, with the scorching sun overhead. After walking for a while, Charlotte felt parched, but Alexander ahead showed no signs of stopping. Too tired to care, she leaned against a small tree by the roadside and sat down. So hot, so exhausting.

She didn’t know how long it had been when Alexander came back. This time, he had an ice cream and a bottle of water in his hands. Frowning slightly, she stood up and shamelessly reached out. "Thanks."

"No need to thank me," Alexander said lightly, taking a bite of the ice cream in his hand. Then, with his head held high, he brushed past her and walked off.

Charlotte stood there, stunned. Her lips twitched. She had thought this jerk bought the ice cream for her, but who knew he’d eat it right in front of her—and even shamelessly accept her thanks?

What a jerk. So pretentious!

Feeling annoyed, Charlotte stomped off in the opposite direction. Since he came back with ice cream, there must be a shop nearby. But halfway there, she realized with frustration that she’d left her bag in the car and didn’t bring any money.

Just her luck!

Fuming, she turned back and quickly overtook the slow-walking Alexander. Without even glancing at him, she lifted her chin, puffed out her chest, and strutted forward like she was on a catwalk.

She hadn’t eaten breakfast because of Elsa’s situation, and with the afternoon sun beating down, she was starving. Going back for money risked being seen, but not going back meant staying hungry.

"Hey…" Charlotte shamelessly turned back toward Alexander. She was just too hungry to bear it.

Alexander glanced at her. "What’s up?"

"Mr. Wilson, could you lend me some money to buy something? I’ll pay you back when we get to the car." Thankfully, she was wearing big sunglasses, or she wouldn’t have been able to face him while asking.

And the fact that it was Alexander made it even worse.

But being hungry was worse. So painful!

"I don’t have any money either," Alexander said, tossing the ice cream stick on the ground, clapping his hands, and looking at her innocently.

Charlotte’s face darkened instantly. This guy, this guy…

"Oh my gosh, is that Charlotte?"

"It really is Charlotte!"

"She’s so pretty…"

Suddenly, voices came from nearby. Charlotte’s heart sank. She took a couple of steps, but before she could get away, a few guys ran toward her.