After the divorce, he begged

Chapter 224

The atmosphere instantly froze, like a showdown scene from a .

Jessica tugged on Rebecca, shooting her a look that said, ‘Let's not get caught up in this mess.

This chaotic showdown between three generations wasn’t something they wanted any part of.

“Let's be real, none of us are saints,” Jeffrey admitted openly once Rebecca and Samuel had left. “But I've never

said a bad word about either of you to Mom.”

“That's just because she can’t stand you,” Ryan exposed mercilessly.

Jeffrey shrugged, dead serious. “If she really hated me, she wouldn't have letin today or givenfree rein

around here.”

Ryan just stared at him, lost for words.

Even Sebastian could only stand there, speechless.

“So, were you guys even invited in?” Jeffrey asked, all smug, though he already knew the answer.

Ryan and Sebastian fell silent, refusing to answer.

Jeffrey just shrugged, “Looks like you weren't.”

The two only exchanged helpless glances, at a loss for words.

‘What an infuriating brat!‘ both of them cursed inwardly.

Jeffrey wasn’t bothered by what they thought. Yeah, one was Rebecca’s biological dad and the other was her

grandpa, but when it cto whether he and Rebecca could be together, the only opinions that mattered were

Rebecca's and Jessica's.

As for these two, one was stuck in the regret of chasing after his wife too late, and the other was wishing he

hadn’t missed his chance to win back his daughter.

Too bad for them-they only realized it when it was way past the right moment.

“As long as you two don’t go saying things like that again, I'll just let it slide,” Jeffrey said with a faint grin. “But if

| hear that kind of talk one more time, then I'll have no choice but to mention it to Jessica.”

“So after all that, did you actually bring any gifts today?” Ryan suddenly shifted the topic, having heard rumors

that Jeffrey was loading Rebecca up with presents, though nobody knew for sure if he'd really brought anything.

Jeffrey raised an eyebrow, “Didn't you already hear?”

Ryan and Sebastian exchanged uncertain glances, both furrowing their brows.

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Jeffrey, radiating effortless confidence, added, “Pretty sure | asked Gregory to give you both a heads-up about

what | was bringing.”

Ryan just stared, completely lost..

Sebastian was just as baffled.

“This is Rebecca’s first birthday in Honnala, so | want her to make a big splash with her first big win,” Jeffrey said,

his tone calm but firm. “It’s all about establishing her place here.”

As soon as he said that, the air in the room grew even heavier.

Ryan’s gaze sharpened, his expression turning serious.

He didn’t know much about Jeffrey, just that among the younger crowd, Jeffrey was a real powerhouse, always

setting the trends and never making a wrong call. But Ryan had always figured it was just the Hanson Group

hyping him up.

But now, seeing the guy up close, Ryan couldn't help but rethink everything-Jeffrey definitely wasn’t the type

you could underestimate.

“So you've been planning this from the get-go?” Ryan pressed, his tone a notch colder.

“I'm not sure what you mean, Mr. Guzman,” Jeffrey replied smoothly, his face unreadable, acting as if he

genuinely had no idea what Ryan was talking about.

“Doesn't matter how much you've done for Rebecca,” Ryan said, not bothering to hide his cold tone. “You can’t

erase all the shady stuff you pulled. She won't ever forgive you.”

“How would you know, if you never even tried?” Jeffrey shot back, refusing to give an inch-giving up just wasn’t

in his lexicon. “When Jessica left Honnala, did you ever fight for her at all?”

Ryan was momentarily stunned-that one really hit a nerve.

Surprisingly, Sebastian took Jeffrey's side. “He was too busy getting engaged to someone else to care about

fighting for her.”

Sebastian never approved of Ryan and Amelia together.

He never approved of how Ryan treated his own daughter, either.

Jeffrey just raised his brows, a smirk playing at his lips. “Really now.”

Ryan was left speechless.

Ryan opened his mouth, about to say something.

But Jeffrey cut him off with a cool drawl. “So you want Rebecca to just accept you as her father? You haven't

been there for a single day, and now you think you can show up and claim a mature, understanding daughter?

That's sreal wishful thinking.”

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Sebastian just stared in shock.

Suddenly, Sebastian perked up.

He fixed his gaze on Jeffrey, brow furrowed. “What did you just say?”

Jeffrey glanced at Ryan, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.

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‘So Sebastian really has no clue Rebecca’s actually Ryan's kid?‘ Jeffrey couldn’t help but think, astonished.

“Rebecca is Jessica and Mr. Guzman's daughter,” Jeffrey tossed out, not even flinching at Sebastian's thunderous

glare. “You seriously had no idea?”

Of course Sebastian had no clue.

He'd always thought that kid was gone for good.

“Even if Rebecca ever recognizes her roots, it's the Quinn family she’s coming hto!” Sebastian snapped, his

face stone-cold serious. “So don’t kid yourself-you’ve got nothing to do with her.”

Ryan shot back, “She carries my blood. That's not changing.”

Sebastian snapped, “You were the one who forced her to get that abortion.”

Ryan fell silent.

Sebastian, who'd never liked Ryan from the start, looked colder than ever. “Over my dead body will | ever let her

becpart of the Guzman family while I'm still alive.”

“The Guzman family is her real home-everyone’s waiting for her to cback,” Ryan said, deadly serious. “Not

like the Quinn family, where those people would rather see her and Amelia gone for good.”

“I'll protect them,” Sebastian promised, voice like steel. “Your family’s nothing but a pack of backstabbers and

manipulators. If she ever goes back to you, God knows what kind of disaster she’ll be dragged into.”

The two of them got into a heated argument.

Jeffrey just sat there, watching it all unfold with a calm, almost detached expression.

After about ten minutes, when their debate finally died down, both men turned to Jeffrey at the exact same

moment and asked in unison, “So, which family do you think Rebecca should belong to?”

“Right now, she doesn’t want to go back to either of your families,” Jeffrey said, his tone cool and steady. “So ask

yourselves-is it about claiming her for your bloodline, or do you genuinely care about what makes her happy?”

Both men froze for a moment, thrown off balance.

You could see the hesitation and doubt flicker across their faces.

Jeffrey leaned forward, his voice deep and compelling. “If it’s truly about her happiness, then respect her

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choices. Don't just push your own wishes onto her. She’s Rebecca-and that means she’s her own person, and

answers to no one but herself.”

After that, Ryan and Sebastian were left in stunned silence.

Maybe it was just the way they'd always lived or their old patterns, but deep down, they always expected

Rebecca to follow the script they'd imagined for her.

“And you?” Ryan asked, a serious look in his eyes that hinted at his irritation. “Did you ever respect her choices?”

Jeffrey admitted without hesitation, “No.”

Ryan frowned, clearly unimpressed. “Then what's the point of all this talk?”

“I'm not like you two,” Jeffrey replied, unflinching. “You make demands without even realizing it. | never force my

views on her-| fight for what | want, but at least she always knows where | stand.”

Rebecca was the rock holding up his world. If she ever left, his whole world would collapse-he’d hold on until the

bitter end before he'd ever let her go.

He'd do whatever it took to make things right for all the hurt he'd ever caused her.

As long as she wanted to stay with him, even if it killed him a little inside, he'd force himself to deal with it- even

if she hung out with lan every single day.

If Gregory found out what Jeffrey was really thinking, he'd be totally shook. Who would've thought, just three

months ago, Jeffrey would've snapped at the mere sight of lan-now he was actually willing to let it slide for

Rebecca's sake.

Ryan replied, ice-cold, “Just excuses, plain and simple.”

“Excuses? Please. All you ever do is hurt people,” Sebastian shot back, briefly teaming up with Jeffrey. “Seriously,

I've never understood what Amelia saw in you.”

Ryan could only stare, lost for words.

Sebastian wouldn't even give him the courtesy of a glance.

Just as the tension was about to suffocate the room, Samuel crunning over, all bright-eyed and cheerful.

“Mr. Hanson, Grandpa Ryan, Grandpa Sebastian, dinner’s ready!”

“Mr. Hanson?” Ryan finally found his opening to strike back, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Sebastian shot Jeffrey a look, raising an eyebrow. “So you're just ‘Mr. Hanson’ to him, huh?”

Jeffrey was left speechless.

Jeffrey shot Samuel a look, thinking, “This kid is totally throwingunder the bus.

“Samuel’s calling for his Uncle Jeffrey, quit lounging around,” Ryan said as he stood up, clapping Jeffrey on the

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Chapter 224

shoulder twice, his gloating expression plain as day. “Con, dinner time.

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