Chapter 342
“Grandpa!” Riley called out, beaming as if nothing in the world was wrong.
It didn’t matter whether Tony heard her or not. What mattered was that everyone else did. “You promised me fifty thousand dollars, remember? brought my grandma to pick it up. Hope we’re not interrupting your busy schedule!”
Tony clenched his jaw. He could feel the heat rising in his chest.
She wasn’t here to ask. She was here to corner him.
Valerie had always relied on pity to get what she wanted.
And she was smart. If she walked out of that office today without a check in hand, she’d make sure the whole building knew about it.
“I’m heading upstairs now,” she told the receptionist sweetly, pushing Lillian toward the elevator. Then she leaned down to whisper, “Grandma, just cry when we get up there. Whatever I say, just cry. Got it?”
Lillian nodded weakly, her stroke–twisted mouth barely moving.
When they arrived on the fifth floor, Tony’s door was wide open, clearly expecting them.
“Grandpa!” Riley called again, wheeling Lillian into the center of the office like she was presenting an exhibit.
She dabbed at her grandmother’s chin with a handkerchief, all gentle care. “Grandma, hang tight for a bit. If you need to go to the bathroom, just tell me, okay? I’m going to have a quick chat with Grandpa.”
She stepped up to Tony’s desk, hands neatly folded in front of her.
“Grandpa, you know how things are. Grandma needs care, and neither Mom nor Dad has time. I was thinking maybe I should just stay home and take
care of her for now.
“Once she’s better, I could go back to school. You said before you’d give me fifty thousand dollars. If that’s too much now, ten thousand would still help.”
Tony stared at her in silence. That promise had never been real. It was just a temporary fix, something he said to shut Valerie up and make her go away.
Truth be told, he’d never liked Riley. Even as a child, she’d had a taste for status
At Christmas, she gravitated toward whoever gave her the most expensive gift.
and
appearances.
One year, Tony’s wife forgot to get her something and asked Alexa to bring it home later. Riley held that grudge for months.
She borrowed things from her cousins, like clothes and jewelry, and never returned them. When forced to, the items came back damaged or stained.
Tony had mentioned it to Alexa more than once, but she brushed it off every time, too busy coddling the girl to notice the mess she was raising. Now, here Riley was, barely fifteen and already playing emotional chess like a seasoned adult.
“Do you even know what the average cost of living is these days?” Tony asked, sipping from his coffee cup without looking at her.
Riley’s eyes flicked to the side. “Honestly, I don’t need much. I’m not asking for clothes or books. Grandma has her pension, but it barely covers her medication.”
Right on cue, Lillian started crying.
Riley rushed over and crouched beside her. “Grandma, please don’t cry. The doctor said you can’t get too emotional. It’s not good for your recovery. I don’t want anything for myself, I swear.
“If Mom won’t take care of you, I will. I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll pick up bottles in the street if I have to.”
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Chapter 342
Tony sat back, arms crossed, watching her. ‘What, does Wyatt not exist anymore?‘ he thought grimly. She tells everyone her mom á too bus her grandmother, but not a word about her dad.
“If he weren’t such a spineless excuse for a man, maybe things wouldn’t have gotten this bad. He’s got a cushy job with plenty of free time. No one stopping him from stepping up.
Across the room, Lillian was sobbing harder, her whole body trembling.
“Don’t cry, Grandma,” Riley whispered, loud enough for Tony to hear, “Grandpa loves Mom more than anyone, and Mom loves me. That means Grandpa loves me too. He won’t let us down.”
Lillian squirmed slightly in the chair. She needed to use the restroom.
“And even if my parents are divorced, they’re still my parents,” Riley added, her voice trembling just enough. “That doesn’t change just because their marriage is over. I’m doing what Mom should be doing, and I don’t mind at all.”
Tony’s jaw tightened.
She was too sharp. Every sentence was a polite accusation, every word coated in sugar and poison.
And through it all, Alexa was the unspoken target.
If Alexa didn’t get out of this family’s orbit soon, they were going to devour her piece by piece.
“Grandpa…” Riley started again.
Tony cut her off with a raised hand. “Riley, you’re a good girl, and I respect that you want to help your grandmother. But you’re fifteen. You belong in school. If your dad can’t find time, he can hire someone.
“There’s no reason for you to throw your education away. If you’re willing to stay in school, I’ll help you. I’ll find a place. I’ll cover your tuition.”
Riley gave Lillian a sharp pinch, and Lillian’s sobs grew louder, more desperate.
Riley followed with two well–timed tears of her own, perfectly placed.
“My dad did hire a caregiver, but when no one was around, she’d hit Grandma. Didn’t feed her. Said cleaning up after her was too much trouble.
“Grandpa, I know you’re worried I’m too young to handle a lot of money. That’s fine. Why don’t you give me ten thousand first, see how I do?”
From the hallway, footsteps echoed closer as the crying had drawn attention.
No one dared gossip openly about a senior executive, but the personal drama of the powerful was fair game. Within minutes, a handful of employees had drifted toward the open door, feigning coincidence as they lingered just long enough to catch something juicy.
Inside the office, Lillian’s cries intensified. She trembled, humiliated and helpless.
Riley kept up the act, her sobs blurring into half–formed words. She didn’t need to be clear. Her posture, her tone, and the shaky breath between sentences all did the work for her. She was the picture of a child caught in an impossible situation, overwhelmed and abandoned.
Then, suddenly, there was a slow trickle beneath the wheelchair. A dark stain began spreading on the floor.
Lillian turned her face away, shame rising to her cheeks. She couldn’t hold it anymore.
Riley gasped. “I’m so sorry, Grandma. This is all my fault! I should’ve been paying more attention! If I’d just stayed in school like I was supposed to, maybe Mom wouldn’t have gotten so upset. Maybe she wouldn’t have divorced Dad. It’s all because of me!”
Tony’s expression hardened.
He had never expected to be cornered like this, certainly not by a teenage girl.
Chapter 342
He wanted to lash out, to say exactly what he thought. But there were too many eyes on him. His pride held him back.
The Patel family, on the other hand, had no shame. They would do anything, drag a crying old woman and a sobbing child into his office in the middle the day, just to win.
“Take your grandmother to get cleaned up,” he said finally, voice clipped.
“I’m so sorry, Grandpa,” Riley murmured, sniffling. “I shouldn’t have come. I didn’t mean to cause a scene or make things harder for you. And the money if it’s not convenient right now, it’s okay. I’ll just… we’ll manage.”
She moved to the door and opened it slowly. Those who had gathered outside quickly scattered, pretending they’d never stopped in the first place
Riley wiped her face and forced a small, dignified smile.
“Thank you,” she said to the empty air around her. “Thanks to everyone who offered support. I’ll do my best to take care of Grandma. I really appreciate
it.”
No one had actually said anything to her, but now they looked guiltily away, avoiding her eyes.
Tony’s face darkened. Without another word, he pulled out his phone, opened his banking app, and initiated a transfer.
“Take care of your grandmother,” he said. “If that’s not enough, let me know.”
Riley’s phone buzzed. She pulled it out and checked the screen, then turned her back slightly, tilting it just enough so that the remaining bystanders could see the amount.
It was five hundred dollars.
There was a moment of silent surprise.
They had all just heard that Tony had once promised fifty thousand. Later, Riley mentioned he would start with ten thousand. And yet now, the transfer showed only five hundred.
Riley didn’t miss a beat. “Thank you, Grandpa. I’ll make sure every dollar goes toward Grandma’s care.”
Then, as if just remembering something, she glanced back at the phone and added, loud enough for those outside to hear.
“My grandpa’s just worried I’ll be overwhelmed, that I might not know how to manage a large sum all at once. So he’s giving me five thousand to start. Once I’ve used it wisely, I’ll check back in.”
She lowered her eyes to the screen and let her expression shift to register a carefully crafted look of startled innocence.
