Chapter 170
Tyler looked extremely embarrassed.
He opened his mouth, somewhat at a loss for words.
After a long while, he finally called out hesitantly in a familiar tone, "Sue..."
I could clearly see the shock and astonishment on Tyler's face.
It wasn't hard to tell that he was probably expecting me to show happiness and express my longing for fatherly love.
Just thinking about this made me feel a bit sick.
I cut Tyler off directly, "We're not that close, so don't be so familiar with me."
Tyler looked at me helplessly and switched back to his original tone.
"Sue, I even held you when you were just born. You were so tiny back then, and when I held you in my arms, I..."
I had no interest in reminiscing about the past with him, my expression cold, "I don't remember."
Tyler said, "You were too young then, it's normal not to remember."
I looked at him, "What happened after that?"
Tyler pressed his lips together, "My wife found out about your mother and me. Considering the bigger picture, your mother and I broke up."
He paused, then quickly added, "But when we separated, I gave your mother a sum of money so she could raise you properly even on her own."
Now I knew where that large sum of money in Cora's bank account came from.
How ridiculous.
If Cora had been willing to spend that child support money on me, my childhood wouldn't have been so miserable.
But instead, she spent it all on Luke.
Tyler had obviously investigated my situation. The look he gave me now carried a hint of sympathy.
He sighed deeply, "Your mother hated me, but I never thought she would treat you like that. I figured that even without that money, she would still treat you well since she was your biological mother after all."
Hearing this, I just remained silent with a cold expression.
Tyler observed my expression while continuing, "If I had known your mother was so heartless, I definitely would have taken you to raise myself and never let you suffer so much."
I didn't believe a word of what he said.
I looked up at him, "Really? You would have raised me? Would your wife have agreed to that?"
Sure enough, Tyler's eyes flickered and he looked away, avoiding my gaze, "I would have convinced her."
Seeing him like this, I just found it mockingly laughable.
I couldn't help the sarcastic curve that formed on my lips, "Forget it. Making up for it now has no value. I'm not a three-year-old anymore. Save these words for fooling children. This tactic of giving a slap and then a candy doesn't work on me."
Tyler paused before continuing, "Sue, don't be like this. I'm your father, my concern for you is genuine. Can't you trust me?"
I looked straight into his eyes, my tone cool, "Stop the act, it's so disgusting it makes me want to throw up. If you came to find me for something, just say it directly."
Since Tyler said he had held me before, that meant he knew of my existence.
But all these years, Tyler never looked for me, which meant he had long forgotten me completely.
It wasn't that he didn't know I existed—he just forgot.
For him to remember me now and even condescend to come find me, there must be a reason.
Ever since I stopped having expectations of my parents, I felt I could see through everything much more clearly.
This so-called biological father suddenly appearing had absolutely no love for me. His face was written all over with strong ulterior motives.
After I saw through him, Tyler simply stopped pretending.
"I know Jason really likes you. This villa is worth a fortune, and he just gave it to you. And the Cooper family—they're all quite satisfied with you. Now you've finally made it through the hard times and can live a good life. I'm very happy for you."
Hearing his still hypocritical remarks, I was too lazy to even respond, just waiting for what came next.
Tyler cleared his throat and finally got to the point.
"My company's real estate project is having some cash flow problems right now. Talk to Jason and have him invest in my company."
He said this so matter-of-factly, as if it was something Jason should do.
I laughed coldly, "Where did you get the idea that I would help you?"
Tyler said without hesitation, "As long as you can get him to invest, I'll give you one percent of the Miller Group's shares."
"One percent? Are you giving alms to a beggar?"
Tyler gritted his teeth, "Two percent at most!"
His tone still carried reluctance, "And I'll have to discuss even this two percent with Ember when I get back."
Seeing how extremely unwilling he looked, I remained quite calm.
I raised an eyebrow, "Seeing how difficult this is for you, never mind. I have zero interest in the Miller Group's shares."
What Tyler considered extremely important meant nothing to me.
Tyler looked displeased, "Don't be too greedy. Two percent of the shares is already quite a lot. Don't think that just because you're marrying Jason you'll have it easy. Wealthy families have prenuptial agreements before marriage—their assets have nothing to do with you. If you could have these shares, you'd at least have some leverage in the Cooper family."
Hearing his high-sounding words, I felt somewhat annoyed.
Listen to this talk—those who didn't know better would really think he was a "loving father" concerned about me!
My voice turned cold, "Mr. Miller, you didn't appear for the past twenty years, and now you suddenly show up wanting to give me so-called leverage through a transaction. Do you think I'm some kind of fool?"
Tyler's patience was clearly running out too.
He gritted his teeth, "Sue, I'm telling you the truth! Even if Jason dotes on you now, if one day he takes a liking to another woman and goes out fooling around, without a powerful family backing you up, you won't even have anywhere to cry!"
"Really? I didn't realize you knew me so well—that you're certain I'll cheat in the future?"
A cold voice cut in.
A tall figure at the doorway strode in with an alarmingly cold expression.
I was stunned for a moment, then immediately got up and walked quickly toward Jason.
"Didn't you say two more days? Why did you come back today?"
Jason naturally took my hand, his large hand conveying a warm, reassuring temperature.
He pulled me to his side in an obviously protective gesture, looking coldly at Tyler, "If I didn't come back now, my woman would be bullied at her own door and I wouldn't even know."
When facing Jason, Tyler's presence weakened considerably.
His expression was awkward, "Jason, you've misunderstood. I didn't mean it that way, it's just how the conversation went."
"Tyler, first of all, I'm not deaf. Second, my brain works fine, and my comprehension is just fine."
Jason raised an eyebrow, "I haven't even married her yet, and you're already rushing to ruin my reputation. Are you deliberately trying to keep me single?"
Tyler waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, Jason, you've clearly misunderstood. I definitely wish you well. Oh right, you just got back so you don't know—Sue is actually my daughter. In the end, you've become my son-in-law. Isn't this fate given to us by heaven? After you and Sue get married, we'll be in-laws!"