Chapter 294



After a pause, Jake finally spoke, his voice steady. “No one will dare to harm Kallie as long as she stays here.”

Beside him, Edgar chimed in with a hint of curiosity, “I wonder if she has opened the gift you sent her, given all the misunderstandings you two have faced…”

Jake responded with a resigned smile, “This is all I can do for her now. Ensuring she doesn’t suffer because of me is the best I can hope for.”

Just then, Jake’s phone buzzed with an incoming call. It was Dean.

As Jake answered, Dean’s mocking laughter filled the air.

“Jake, what miserable place have you ended up in now? Under which bridge are you sleeping tonight?”

Without giving Jake a chance to reply, Dean jeered further, “Oh, wait. My ever-so-talented brother couldn’t possibly be that down and out. How about I get you a job in one of the factories on the assembly line? How does $2,500 a month sound to better your life? Ha-ha!”

Jake replied icily, unbothered, “You’re laughing now, but I’m not convinced you’ll end up any better than I am.”

Dean scoffed dismissively. “Just give up. It’s survival of the fittest, and you’ve lost. I’d suggest you leave Burmoos unless you want me to make your life miserable.”

Jake murmured Dean’s words and said, “Survival of the fittest. But it’s not yet clear who the winner is.”

Frustrated, Dean retorted, “Still dreaming of a comeback? Face it. You killed our mother. I didn’t press charges, but the family elders have disowned you. You won’t inherit a dime from the Reeves Group, and you’re buried in millions of debt. You’ll spend your life in the gutter.”

Jake hung up, his resolve unfazed.

Dean, mistakenly thinking he had crushed Jake’s spirit, felt a surge of triumph.

At that moment, a knock interrupted Dean’s smugness.

Dean, clearly annoyed, responded irritably. “What now? Can’t you see I’m trying to rest?”

From outside the room, a voice responded, “It’s me.”

Upon recognizing the voice, Dean sprang to his feet, though he made no move toward the door. Instead, he directed a scornful laugh toward the entryway.

Dean sneered, “Stan, still lurking around? Thought you’d have the decency to leave by now. You managed to sideline Jake for me, and I paid you handsomely with two hundred thousand. We’re settled. Just because we coincidently share a last name doesn’t make us equals. I’m in a generous mood today, but push your luck, and I’ll have you thrown out.”

With a haughty tilt of his head, Dean signaled his complete dismissal.

Outside the door, Stan’s momentary silence gave Dean a sense of triumph.

However, this was abruptly broken by Stan’s laughter, a chilling, unsettling sound that grated on Dean’s nerves.

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