Chapter 987

Daniela showed up on her own.

As she drove, Hamilton sat in stunned silence. He switched off his phone, too shaken to speak

Daniela kept her full attention on the road.

A sharp gust of cold wind swept past as they continued on.

Hamilton slowly turned his head, eyes settling on Daniela's calm profile. After a long pause, he spoke in a trembling voice. "Daniela, I've been swindled out of a lot of money."

Daniela kept her gaze fixed on the road, steering clear of the heavy traffic. "Hmm," she replied quietly.

Hamilton went on. "I spent my whole life working hard, and now, at this age, someone tricked me out of so much money. I can't handle it."

It was strange.

Years later, whenever Hamilton thought back to that day and everything he said to Daniela, shamne would creep in.

He was nearly falling apart in front of his daughter-in-law, all over lost money.

But back then, the words had come without hesitation.

Around Daniela, his defenses dropped. He couldn't hide how broken he felt.

f he had to open up to anyone, it would be Daniela.

His unreliable brothers, his letdown of five sons, and even Cedric, who was not close with him-none of :hem felt like the right person to turn to.

3ut Daniela-his daughter-in-law he once dismissed-felt like the only dependable one right then. "Daniela..." Hamilton's voice cracked as he looked at her steady expression-so calm, like nothing could shake her. Maybe that was why he couldn't stop himself. "I was scammed. A huge amount! That was the money I'd set aside for my grandkids."

Hamilton felt completely overwhelmed.

Daniela handed him a tissue without taking her eyes off the road. "If you mean the babies I'm carrying, they won't need that much."

She kept a steady expression as she maneuvered through the traffic.

"What do you know?" Hamilton said sharpy. "Children are precious. Everything they eat or useshould be good enough for royalty. My grandchildren, at the very least, deserve a full team of devoted caregivers. As they grow, they must go to top international schools and learn horseback riding, archery, piano, and violin-each taught by the best. All of that costs a fortune. My grandkids are meant to have the best from the moment they're born. And when they grow up, they'll have to get married, raise kids, and be ready for houses, cars, and weddings. You have no idea how overwhelmed I am right now."

Daniela gave a soft laugh. "Cedric will handle all of it. You really don't need to stress."

After all, Daniela-being the richest person alive-already had everything she could possibly need.

Surely,Hamilton didn't need to feel so burdened.

"You'll only understand once you become a grandparent. You and Cedric, as their parents, will handle some things, but I also have a duty. If I don't prepare, they might think.their grandfather didn't care."

Daniela gave a small nod as she turned the wheel. She didn't argue with him and said lightly,"Then keep working hard."

Hamilton sniffled and pulled out another tissue. "I'll have to return to my old line of work-there's no other way. I've got a whole family depending on me. Everything costs so much. Just thinking about it makes my heart hurt. Daniela, you know that feeling, right? Like you've been hollowed out? My head is still spinning."

Daniela gave a faint smile. "Really? Then treat it as a lesson from life. But do you really have to let it drag you down like this?" Hamilton shot back. "Why not? It's a huge amount of money."

Daniela parked in front of the villa. "Didn't you put most of your money into New McCoy Group? You'll get returns later. Think of it as a smart investment. Don't worry. Cedric's good at making money-he won't let you take a loss."

Hearing that, Hamilton let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and watched Daniela walk toward the house. But he stayed back, uneasy and reluctant to go in.

Daniela turned back, car keys in hand, and saw Hamilton lingering at the door. She smiled. "Want to know how to bounce back from a rough patch quickly?"

Hamilton assumed she was about to launch into one of those long, motivational speeches.

He pressed his lips together. "I'm too old for pep talks."

"Nope," Daniela said. "What really works better than any pep talk is seeing someone who's worse off."

At first,Hamilton didn't get what she meant. Still, he followed her inside.

As soon as they opened the villa door, two ghost-pale faces greeted them.

Hamilton instinctively took a step back.

His two brothers lunged at him, grabbing onto him as they cried out.

"Hamilton, Josh is completely heartless! The news just said hé ran off-he actually ran away! We're his brothers! It's bad enough to scam outsiders, but he cheated us! That was everything I owned! What do l do now? I'm ruined! I swear, I'm going to jump off a building!"

While their cries filled the room, Daniela tossed her keys on the shoe cabinet, settled onto the couch,and turned on the TV like nothing unusual was happening.

The screen was showing the latest news about the fraud scandal.

One image showed Josh stepping onto a private jet.The female news anchor spoke clearly. "We urge the public to stay alert and beware of financial scams."