Chapter 159
Camilla couldn’t help but laugh out loud when she heard Barnard had sent someone to bring Daisy back to Saddlebrook Estates.
There’s that old saying. You don’t have to worry about the truly clever or the truly wicked—it’s the fools suddenly thinking they’ve got a great idea that’ll get you.
She hadn’t even gotten around to dealing with Davina yet. Davina had just handed her the perfect leverage all on her own.
Ever since that meeting, Camilla could tell Davina’s in-laws were not the type you’d want to cross. They’d kept quiet lately, probably still busy spending the hefty sum they’d squeezed out of the Carter family.
But now? Having Daisy brought back was just asking for more trouble.
Camilla could already picture how this mess would blow up.
She was right—less than a day after Daisy returned, the entire Green family arrived at the hospital in full force. Davina’s parents came too, and the scene they caused was anything but subtle.
Camilla just happened to be at the hospital too, dragged over by Calvin for the same old reason, putting on a show for the board.
The whole extended Green family must have gotten the news from somewhere, because they made a beeline straight for Barnard’s room.
As soon as he spotted them, Barnard felt a headache coming on. His voice was cold, clipped. “You shouldn’t be here. Leave now, and I’ll forget this ever happened. Make a scene, and I’ll call the police p>
“The police? Really?” Ines, Davina’s mother-in-law, clutched dramatically at her chest, her voice extra loud so the whole hallway could hear. “If anyone’s calling the police, it should be us! We should report you for kidnapping! Last time, you said Daisy could stay with us, she’s our family’s blood. You only mentioned Davina leaving. Now you go and have Daisy taken away without even asking, as if we don’t exist p>
Ines wailed and carried on, soaking in the attention. Meanwhile, Carmen, Davina’s mother, gave Barnard a quick once-over with a sharp, appraising look. “Well, well, Barnard. All these years I slaved away for you and you never told me you had your eye on my daughter. I only found out because I heard the Green family had come into money—thanks to my child, apparently. I carried Davina for nine months. Now she’s yours, even her in-laws got a payout, and you think you can skip me? A little something for myself isn’t too much to ask, don’t you think p>
She side-eyed Ines with open contempt. Clearly, even though both families had walked in together, their agendas were totally different, and nobody here was really on friendly terms.
This was all shaping up into a true soap opera.
Camilla had zero interest in getting tangled in the drama. She shot Calvin a quick text, filling him in on the circus unfolding right in front of her.
Carmen wasn’t done talking. She kept counting off demands on her fingers, as if tallying up a shopping list. “I raised Davina all these years. Compared to what the Greens did for her, I’ve done way more. Barnard, you’d better not offer me a penny less than what the Greens got p>
Nash, Davina’s father, jumped in. “She’s right. We shouldn’t get less. At least two houses, that’s the minimum p>
Right then, Davina’s parents and in-laws looked like a pack of hungry wolves, practically salivating over Barnard, sizing him up as if he were just a pile of cash waiting to be divided.
Barnard was totally out of his depth. All those fancy manners and etiquette he’d learned in high society were no help at all here. For a few moments, he just stood there, at a loss for words.
Ines piped up again. “Where’s Daisy? I want to see her. You’d better send her back to us right now, or I really will call the police and report you for kidnapping p>
She shot him a look full of calculation. If she hadn’t already called the cops, it was only because she was hoping he’d cough up more money first.
At the mention of Daisy, Barnard finally found his voice. “When you had Daisy, you didn’t treat her well. She’s not meant to live with you. I’ll help Davina fight for custody. Call the police if you want, it won’t change anything p>
After all, Davina was Daisy’s mother. Having Daisy brought back was her decision. Even if Ines went to the police, nothing major would come of it and Barnard knew it.
That left Ines sputtering, her face tight with anger and disappointment. “Not treat her well? And who says I didn’t? Her father is gone. She’s the only grandchild we have. Did I ever refuse her anything she wanted? But now, that brat spends a few days living rich and suddenly she thinks she’s too good for the Green family. Fine. I don’t need an ungrateful kid like that. Just hand us some cash and we’ll forget about it p>
So much for trying to get Daisy back. All they really wanted was money.
And of course it made sense. Daisy was a girl and couldn’t carry on the family name. For these people, hard cash would always be more important.
Carmen quickly cut in. “My daughter’s out there giving you children and my granddaughter’s living with your Carter family now. Whatever the Green family got, I deserve too, but double. That’s only fair p>
Her shrill voice bounced off the hospital walls like a siren.
Barnard was losing his patience. “Is Davina just a thing to be traded for money to you? You’re all lining up, fighting to get a piece of her payout p>
Ines shot back, “My son just died and she’s the one who ran off with another man behind his back. Why shouldn’t I ask for some compensation p>
Carmen piled on. “She’s my daughter! Do you know how hard I worked to raise her? She’s made it now. It’s her turn to take care of me p>