Chapter 598

Chapter 597:

He ignored Gaston entirely — Gaston, who stood like a dark and menacing shadow behind Jocelyn — and moved directly toward her. He positioned himself in the center of the living room, in the widest, most open space in the apartment, the spot that would offer the clearest possible view to any watching eye.

Jocelyn and Gaston registered it at the same instant. He knew about the live stream. This was not a visit. It was a setup.

Richard lunged forward and seized Jocelyn’s hands. He looked around the room vaguely, as though addressing the walls themselves, his face contorting into a mask of theatrical anguish.

“Your mother,” Richard wailed, his voice reverberating through the apartment. “Your mother has terminal lung cancer p>

The live chat erupted.

Richard sobbed, tears streaming freely. “The doctors say there’s a chance. There’s a new targeted therapy. But it’s so expensive. We can’t afford it p>

He dropped to his knees, dragging Jocelyn’s hands down with him. His grip was like iron.

“Jossie, you’re her only daughter. You have all of this —” he swept one arm wildly around the apartment while clinging to her with the other — “please. Uncle Richard is begging you. Save your mother p>

He leaned forward, preparing to prostrate himself fully before the cameras.

𝘋𝗈w𝗇l𝘰𝘢𝖽 р𝗗F𝗌 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝖾 𝗈n

Gaston moved with lightning speed. He grabbed Richard by the collar and hauled him back to his feet, cutting the performance short. But the damage was done. The display was complete.

It was a masterclass in public extortion — a calculated, ruthless exploitation of the live cameras designed to back Jocelyn into a corner she could not escape.

The live chat went completely off the rails. The viewers, unaware of the history and the manipulation, were swept away by the emotional spectacle without hesitation.

“How could she just stand there p>

“It’s her mother p>

“She has billions. Just pay for the treatment p>

A tidal wave of moral outrage crashed over the stream. The pressure was immense, suffocating, and entirely inescapable.

Jocelyn stood in the center of the room, her body turning to ice. She looked at her uncle’s tear-streaked, calculating face. She looked at the invisible weight of millions of unseen eyes judging her. For the first time since she had married Gaston, she felt the full, crushing pressure of being publicly tried and condemned.

Jocelyn stood frozen, the blood turning to ice in her veins. Her uncle’s wails echoed through the cavernous penthouse, but they were swallowed by the roar in her ears — the sound of a million faceless voices typing, judging, condemning. Her phone on the counter was erupting with notifications in a cascade of hatred.

Gaston’s grip on Richard’s collar tightened, his knuckles going white. His eyes were obsidian chips — cold and murderous. He spoke into the tiny microphone on his lapel, his voice a low, lethal command to his security chief.

“Clear the building. Cut every signal. Now p>

“No p>

The word was barely a whisper, but it was sharp enough to cut through Gaston’s rage. Jocelyn’s hand was on his arm, her fingers pressing into the hard muscle. She shook her head, her eyes wide and luminous with a terrifying calm.

Don’t, she mouthed. That will prove everything they’re saying.