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Chapter 786:
“Look at you,” he sneered, taking in her coffee-stained blouse, her red and blistered face, her matted hair. “What the hell happened to you? You look like something off the street. And you have the nerve to stand there and judge me p>
Alycia laughed—a harsh, hollow sound. “Judge you? I’m stating the facts. You threw me out of the house for a woman who was never even pregnant. You discarded your own daughter for a lie. And now you’re broke and alone, and you deserve every last bit of it p>
The words struck Richard like a blade. His face turned purple. He lunged forward and seized Alycia by the collar, lifting her partway off the ground. “This is your fault!” he screamed, spitting in her face. “If you hadn’t been so stupid—if you hadn’t provoked June Powell—none of this would have happened! The company would still be ours! We would still be rich! You ruined everything! I wish you had died instead of your mother p>
Alycia’s eyes blazed. She dug her nails into his wrists and forced him to release her, then shoved him back hard. He stumbled into the pool table, sending balls rolling across the floor.
𝘕𝗲𝗐 𝘄е𝘦k𝗹𝗒 с𝗵a𝗽𝘵𝘦r𝗌 𝘰𝗇
“My fault?!” she screamed. “You’re the one who’s greedy! You’re the one who thought with anything but your brain! Lexi was never pregnant, you idiot. She was a plant. June sent her p>
Richard froze. He stared at Alycia, his mouth hanging open. “That’s impossible. I saw the pregnancy test. I saw the ultrasound. The doctor at Presbyterian signed off on it p>
Alycia threw her head back and laughed—a wild, hysterical sound that made the people around them turn and stare. “You stupid old man. You can buy anything in this city for five hundred dollars. A fake pregnancy test, a fake ultrasound, a fake doctor’s signature. June paid her to string you along, drain you dry, and turn you against your own family. And you fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker p>
The truth crashed over Richard like a tidal wave. Every piece clicked into place—Lexi’s sudden appearance, her insistence that he transfer all his funds to a secret offshore account, her disappearance the night before the FBI raid. He had been played. Played by a call girl and a woman he had once dismissed as a helpless orphan.
Humiliation and rage collided inside him, and he exploded. He drew back his fist and drove it into Alycia’s cheekbone with everything he had.
Alycia flew backward and slammed into the edge of the bar. She cried out, and blood poured from her split lip. She tasted copper as she collapsed to the floor, stars bursting behind her eyes.
“Shut up!” Richard roared, advancing on her. “Shut your mouth, you useless little bitch! This is not my fault! It’s yours! All yours p>
He raised his foot to kick her. Before he could, two large bouncers seized him from behind and dragged him away. He thrashed and screamed as they hauled him toward the back door.