After the divorce, he begged

Chapter 231

Jessica arched her brow, a flicker of surprise showing in her

‘She actually went for it? Jessica blinked, caught off guard.

cycs.

138

“You better do everything you promised to keephidden,” Andrea said, her heart anxious but there was no

turning back now. “Once I'm out of Honnala, I'll tell you who it is.”

“Deal,” Rebecca replied.

Andrea just wanted to leave as soon as possible. “I'll be gone by the second of next month at the latest. When

will you transfer the fifty million to me?”

“What money?” Rebecca asked.

“The fifty million we talked about in the car,” Andrea replied.

“Didn’t you say you didn’t want it?” Rebecca shot back.

Andrea took a deep breath, wishing she could go back in tand slap herself for being so careless.

‘I must've been out of my mind to agree just to get Rebecca on board,’ Andrea thought.

“Get your people ready,” Andrea said, not wanting to say more. “I'll let you know the day | leave.”

“Got it,” Rebecca replied coolly.

Andrea got wise. “Rebecca.”

“What?” Rebecca replied.

Andrea couldn't see Rebecca's face through the phone, but just to be sure, she added, “When | say do

everything you can, | don’t mean handling it all by yourself-use everyone and everything at your disposal. That

means Jessica, lan, your mom, anyone you've got.”

Rebecca didn’t respond, just ended the call.

The dial tone buzzed in Andrea’s ear.

Andrea forced herself to calm down again.

‘If only I'd taken care of things earlier with Ben Cole, none of this mess would exist, Andrea thought bitterly. ‘If it

wasn't for him messing.things up, | could've stayed by Jeffrey’s side for the rest of my life.”

‘Not only could | have gotten under Rebecca's skin, but | would've had all the wealth and status that cwith

having someone powerful protecting me, forever,” she brooded.

Too bad regrets don't fix anything; there’s no do-over in real life.

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Rebecca had no idea Andrea was still hung up on the past. After she hung up, nothing fazed her; she just kept

eating as if nothing had happened.

Jessica said, “I honestly don’t know if Andrea’s brain is clever or just plain scrambled.”

Rebecca thought for a second. “Yeah, that’s really tough to judge.”

“Seriously, going to you for help-what goes on in her mind?” Jessica frowned, recalling how Andrea treated

Rebecca in college. “She treated you like dirt back then; where does she get the guts?”

“If she had any self-respect, she wouldn't have taken someone else’s place,” Rebecca muttered, feeling sorry for

the real person who saved Jeffrey-what rotten luck.

Rebecca was hardly fazed by any of it.

She just kept eating and drinking like nothing had happened.

When Amelia and Samuel got home, Rebecca was in the study with Jessica, poring over files on every member of

the Quinn family. ‘Know your enemy, and you'll never lose a fight,’ Rebecca thought. Amelia had warned her the

shares wouldn't ceasy, so she was determined to put in the extra effort.

“What are you two looking at?” Amelia asked as she walked into the study.

“Mom,” Rebecca greeted her.

“Aunt Amelia,” Jessica chimed in.

“Here, take these,” Amelia said, pulling two invitations out of her bag. “There's a business banquet on the

thirtieth. Most of the city’s top brass will be there.”

Rebecca took the invitation and looked it over-her nwas printed right on it.

Jessica blinked. “Wait, how c| got one too?”

Amelia said, “Your mom wantedto hand it over to you.”

Rebecca asked, “What about yours, mom?”

Amelia replied, “I'm not going.”

Amelia figured just having Rebecca attend was enough—she had zero desire to play pretend with those big

shots. Anyway, this banquet wasn’t for Rebecca to rub elbows with anyone or cozy up to the old guard.

“Don’t worry, I'll make sure Rebecca’s taken care of,” Jessica said, absolutely confident. She'd been trained for

this since she was a kid, slated to inherit not one but two companies, and could work any room like a pro.

As for Rebecca, Amelia always let her do her own thing-and she was still as genuine as ever.

Rebecca had never really seen the ugly side of life. Outside of Andrea, the world was still all sunshine to her; her

heart stayed untouched.

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“You two just go, have a good time, eat and drink whatever you want, Amelia instructed, seeing this banquet as

a stepping stone for Rebecca. “Everything else will work itself out”

Rebecca eyed the invitation, already guessing what her mom was up to. “Mom?”

“Yeah?” Amelia answered.

Rebecca asked, “Is this banquet really just for fun, or are you sendingto get ready to reclaim our shares?

“How do you figure?” Amelia asked, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes.

“Usually, you'd takearound to meet your friends, make the introductions yourself at these events,” Rebecca

said, twirling the invitation in her hand.

“That's right,” Amelia nodded-yeah, that had been her original plan.

“But now you wantand Jessica going on our own. Is that because of those fancy gifts Sebastian and Mr.

Guzman sent for my birthday yesterday?” Rebecca asked, trying to read her mom.

“Exactly,” Amelia said directly, casting a glance at both girls. “This whole banquet is about getting you seen,

putting your face in the spotlight.”

Jessica gave Rebecca a meaningful look.

Amelia looked at Rebecca, her voice turning serious. “With the way the Quinn family operates, getting those

shares won't be easy. If they get desperate, they might even set something up to stop you before you succeed.”

Amelia wasn’t about to let the past repeat itself with her daughter.

“That's exactly why this banquet matters so much,” Amelia emphasized. “You need to grab everyone's attention,

make sure the Quinns-and anyone else watching-stay curious about you. That visibility is your best protection.”

It's the only way.

Only then would the Quinn family think twice before making a move.

After all, if anything happened to Rebecca, all those old-money families in Honnala would suspect the Quinns

right away.

As one of The Big Four Families, the Quinns were all about saving face.

“So how do we get people talking and keep them curious?” Jessica asked.

Rebecca wanted to know too.

She was just a regular person.

“No need to do anything-right now, she’s already the hot topic among all the big names in Honnala,” Amelia

replied to Jessica, her gaze gentle as she looked at Rebecca. “Those two really gave her those gifts in the most

tic, show-offy way possible.”

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“You mean Sebastian and Mr. Guzman?” Rebecca asked, sounding both surprised and a little impressed.

Amelia nodded.

A look of understanding flashed in Jessica's eyes.

Amelia used to worry Rebecca wouldn't be able to handle herself around these high society types, but now it was

obvious she was sharp about everything-nothing slipped past her.

“If anyone at the banquet asks what your relationship is with them, just tell them you're my daughter,” Amelia

told her. “That's all you need to say.”

That's how you make sure people keep talking about you long after the party ends.

Amelia is making her comeback.

And the world would know-Rebecca was Amelia’s daughter.

She was now at the very center of attention for both Mr. Ryan Guzman and Liam.

These juicy topics were more than enough to keep her the talk of the town for a good while.

Word about all this reached the Quinn family almost instantly.

At the Quinn family estate, Michael, dressed in a sharp suit, stared at the banquet guest list with a stormy

expression.

His face, lined with age and simmering rage, was practically burning with fury. “How could they mess things up

like this? Why on earth did Rebecca end up on the list?”

“Amelia personally added her name,” the butler replied.

Michael's eyes went cold and dark.

‘Amelia, he thought, his jaw tightening.

‘Amelia, you're like a ghost haunting me-never fading, never gone,’ Michael brooded, his jaw clenched tight.

The butler asked, “Should I let your brothers know about this?”

“No,” Michael said, staring at Rebecca’s nas if he could drill through the paper with just his gaze. “Cancel all

the moves we had lined up. For now, no touching Amelia or her daughter.”

“Yes, sir,” the butler replied.

Michael's grip on the list grew tighter and tighter.

‘So, you think all this attention is enough to shield you, huh, sis?’ Michael sneered to himself, eyes dark with

contempt. “You ought to remember-I’'m not the only one out there who wants you taken out.’

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