Chapter 113
Maxine smiled, not giving Sebastian another thought. They were about to get divorced anyway. Worrying about him now was just maktelg på Kardar la herself.
Cleo dug into her little purse and pulled out a handful of snacks, offering them to Maxine. Then, like she was doing a magle thick, the produced a smal bag. “Here, you worked hard just now. Have a snack and take a breather.”
Maxine stared in disbelief. “You’ve been carrying that purse all night, and you actually had snacks in there?”
Cleo nodded. “Those parties are so boring. I brought extra in case I couldn’t find anyone to hang out with ”
She didn’t expect things to go so smoothly.
As Cleo absentmindedly ate snacks, she pulled out her phone and started scrolling through the latest entertainment news. Suddenly, her expression changed, and she asked hesitantly, “Maxine, has your mom reached out to you again lately?”
Maxine shook her head, and Cleo handed her the phone. “Check this out.”
On the screen, a livestream was playing. Mona sat in front of the camera, clutching Miles, sobbing as she told everyone how her husband died in an accident and how the daughter she’d raised through thick and thin had abandoned her.
She said, “I only left home back then to make money so she could go to a good college, but she says I abandoned her. After I remarried, my husband was a gambler and abused me. I was scared I’d drag her down, so I never dared to reach out.”
Mona’s voice was hoarse as she spoke, grabbing a tissue to wipe her tears. “These years have been so hard. After my husband died, his creditors kept coming after us. 1 really had no choice. When I heard my daughter had become a famous lawyer and even took a case for Mr. Soto from Peak Entertainment, I thought maybe she could help us. But she turned us away.”
Because Peak Entertainment was involved, the livestream had a big audience. Someone even asked: [If you didn’t raise her, why are you looking for her now? Isn’t this just about trying to milk your daughter for your son’s sake?]
These days, topics about men and women were super sensitive, but Mona seemed totally prepared. She answered every question from the chat, and honestly, her answers sounded pretty convincing.
Cleo clicked her tongue. “Your mom really came prepared. She’s clearly determined to latch onto you, Maxine.”
Maxine didn’t care at all. She flipped to the next page of her PDF. “She’s just doing this livestream to stir up public pressure. Even if it goes to court, there’s no way she can make me pay off her gambling debts.”
Besides, it was questionable whether Mona would even dare go to court. If Mona’s money really was lost gambling, she’d probably get detained if she went to the police.
Cleo shrugged and switched to another app. “Just be careful, okay? Don’t let them drag your name through the mud. These days, a lot of people online don’t care about the truth. Watch out for harassment.”
Maxine nodded. “I know. I’ll be careful.”
It was already late by the time they got home. Jessica was fast asleep, so Maxine didn’t feel comfortable letting Cleo head back alone and had her stay
over.
The next morning, Cleo got ready for work and was about to drop Jessica off at kindergarten. But as soon as she reached the door, she let out a startled
gasp.
Hearing the noise, Maxine rushed out to see what was going on. Cleo’s face was flushed with anger as she handed Jessica to Maxine, her hand still covering Jessica’s eyes. “Call the police!”
Cleo quickly pulled out her phone and did so.
