Chapter 139
Chapter 139:
Once they left Frida’s villa behind, Alden kept nudging Helena for answers. “What did you and Grandma talk about back there p>
“Oh, nothing too serious. I just told her how mean you were to me, so she would scold you p>
With a dramatic toss of her chin, Helena spoke in an exaggerated tone, adding just the right touch of attitude. There was something rare about the way her eyes sparkled, full of mischief and light. It hit Alden like a punch to the chest.
Someone like Helena should never have known pain.
He couldn’t stop the guilt that clung to him. His failure had cost her years of suffering he should’ve shielded her from.
“I deserve the scolding. You’re right—it’s all my fault.” Though he understood Helena was only teasing, Alden responded sincerely. “I swear, I won’t let anything happen to you ever again. Not on my watch p>
Watching a man as reserved as Alden soften like that had a strange effect—it tugged at something inside.
The honesty in his eyes made Helena’s cheeks warm, and she rushed to change the subject. “So, what’s your move with Rylan and the Simpson family’s mess? If it ends up dragging the Wilson Group down p>
“Don’t worry. I’ve got it under control p>
Alden’s decision had been made long before. And today, after watching Frida’s stance, he was even more determined.
Following Frida’s instructions, Chadwick wasted no time getting Rylan back home.
The second they stepped inside, Chadwick, still boiling from the shame his son had caused, let him have it.
Sharp words—”useless,” “pathetic,” “always ruining everything”—lashed out at Rylan, hitting him like thrown daggers.
Maisie had reached her limit. She yanked her son out of the living room, turned right back inside, and jabbed a finger toward Chadwick. “You’re the one who’s never amounted to anything! You’ve spent your whole life losing to that old witch you still call your mother. And now you’re dumping all that shame onto your own kid p>
Chadwick was shaking with rage, his voice low and bitter. “Go ahead. Keep spoiling him like this. See what kind of man he grows up to be p>
A harsh laugh escaped Maisie as she retorted, “So if my son’s a failure, then what does that make the one you had with Delaney? Just a disabled embarrassment to the Wilson name p>
Every story starts at gαℓησν𝒆𝓁s․com
“Everywhere he shows up!” The moment Maisie mentioned Delaney Hughes and Alden, her voice was filled with resentment. “You’ve got no one to blame but yourself. You tried to get Delaney out of the picture before you even got close to her fortune. And where did that get you? That brat Alden got away, and you walked away empty-handed! If he hadn’t meddled, would Frida have shamed our son like that p>
Chadwick rubbed his temples, already drained from the heated exchange.
Even so, something in Maisie’s rant sparked a thought.
Back when Delaney was still alive, he’d failed to claim her fortune. What if Alden had inherited it instead?
Considering Alden’s condition, the Hughes family never saw him as an asset. It was unlikely they’d back him financially through Hughes Group.
So, if he had any real money, it could only have come from Delaney herself.
That possibility twisted into a plan, and Chadwick wasted no time calling Rylan back.
This time, he told his son to stop worrying about the Simpson family’s downfall. Let the mess spiral. Even if Wilson Group took a hit, they wouldn’t interfere.
He knew one thing for sure—once the company began to bleed, Alden’s redevelopment project would be one of the first to suffer.
And if that happened, Chadwick planned to watch closely. Would Alden pull out his own funds to keep it afloat?
By Monday morning, Helena was back at Nexus TV.
She had been preparing for this—her debut as a news anchor. It was supposed to be a turning point. But just before she reached the building, her phone rang with a name she didn’t want to see.
It was Emily.
Emily launched into a frantic plea. “Helena, please. Just talk to Alden for me! My family is falling apart! Every single project has been shut down, and the debt’s drowning us. Mom can’t even get out of bed, and Dad… he left us behind! I’ve got no one else. We’re sisters—can’t you just p>
The crying didn’t stir anything in Helena. No pity. No smugness.
She only saw one truth—Emily had built her own collapse.
There was nothing left to hear. Helena ended the call and blocked the number without hesitation.
When she finally arrived at the station, her coworkers were already buzzing about the latest headlines. It turned out that the mighty Wilson Group, the wealthiest powerhouse in Cheson, had leaked their internal financial records the day before.
The report painted a grim picture. The group had taken a massive hit, and several ongoing ventures were already being pulled. Even the redevelopment project, overseen by Alden, was at risk of being shut down.
That news struck Helena like a blow to the chest.
If Alden was watching his dream crumble, he must be feeling terrible right now.