After the divorce, he begged

Chapter 252

The more Michael thought about it, the angrier he got.

A

Vouchers

For Michael, Amelia was like a needle that had been lodged deep in his heart for decades, tormenting him day

and night. He hated her with every fiber of his being, but he just couldn't force her out of his life.

“All these years, Grandpa never mentioned her or tried to find out about her, but Oliver would sometimes chat

with him about how Rebecca was doing,” Max said, seeing right through everything. “If you ever mess with

Rebecca's kid, Grandpa definitely won't let you get away with it.”

The clause in the agreement letting Rebecca's child buy back those shares at the original price was Grandpa's

way of making up for what he owed Rebecca.

Grandpa never said anything outright, just to save face.

But for Michael, as Grandpa's son, not realizing this is kinda weird.

“Max,” Michael said, his eyes sharp as a hawk’s as he fixed his gaze on him.

Max met his eyes head-on.

He stood his ground, not a hint of fear in his eyes.

“Just be straight with me. Are you trying to help Amelia and Rebecca?” Michael's eyes were like daggers, ready

to strike if Max so much as admitted it.

Max didn’t answer. Instead, he shot back, “What do you think?”

Michael's face darkened. “Better not be!”

Max stayed silent.

No one could tell what he was thinking.

“If I ever find out you've got even a shred of mercy for Amelia and Rebecca, you can forget about ever marrying

the person you love,” Michael warned.

Max's eyes were unreadable, showing no emotion at all. “Who?”

“You know exactly who,” Michael replied.

A trace of confusion flashed in Max's eyes.

That reaction made Michael start to doubt himself. ‘Wait, did | guess wrong? Maybe Max doesn’t actually like

her? But if that’s true, then why has he carried a school photo in his wallet for more than ten years?"

“If that’s all, I'm heading out,” Max said, rising to his feet and giving his suit a quick, crisp adjustment. For a

moment, the chill he carried seemed to seep into every corner of the room-somehow, that icy vibe was just part

of who he was. “I've got an early meeting tomorrow.”

14:15 Wed, Oct 8 M...

Chapter 252

“Go ahead,” Michael replied.

Max gave a brief grunt in acknowledgement, then strode out of the study without another word.

Just as Max reached the door, Michael suddenly called out, “Max”

Max turned around. “Is there something else, Dad?”

20

Vouchers

“As long as you keep the company running smoothly and make sure Rebecca and her people don’t get their

hands on those shares, | won't meddle in your marriage,” Michael said, testing the waters. “You can even marry

someone with no family background if you want.”

Max gave him a bland look, said nothing, and strode out without a change in expression.

A minute later, Max slid into his car.

As the door shut with a solid thud, his expression frosted over, eyes turning pitch-black and unreadable. For a

moment, the ice in him seemed to chill the whole interior. Then he whipped out his phone and fired off a

message to Winston: [Dig up info on someone.]

Once he hit send, he scrolled through his photos and shot over an old school pic-definitely had syears on it,

a girl in uniform.

Max: [I want her location. One week, max.]

Winston: [Sure thing.]

Half an hour later, Max pulled up to his place, the weight of the day still heavy on his shoulders.

He stepped inside, the familiar silence of his hdoing nothing to thaw the chill in his heart.

After mulling it over for a long while, Max finally shot a message to Amelia.

Amelia saw the message the next morning.

Max: [Aunt Amelia, if Rebecca wants to buy back the shares you once held at the original price, Quinn family

rules say anybody inheriting shares has to pass a capability test first—you know how it goes.]

“Mom,” Rebecca called out as she cdownstairs for breakfast, seeing Amelia totally absorbed in her phone.

“What are you looking at?”

Amelia Jensen handed her the phone.

Rebecca read the message, word for word.

After she finished, her expression didn’t change much. She just asked, “What's the skills test?”

“Usually, they hand you sdying company and want to see if you can pull it back from the brink,” Amelia

explained, knowing this wasn't just them trying to make things hard for you.

“Do | get a deadline?” Rebecca asked.

14:15 Wed, Oct 8

Chapter 252

5 vouchers

Amelia Jensen was always straight with her daughter. “Other people do, yeah. But for you? Nope. Since you're

only buying back the shares that were originally yours, you get them whenever you manage to revive the

company.

But for anyone else in the Quinn family, there's always a timer ticking.

The quicker you turn the business around, the more shares you score.

But if you take too long, you get nothing.

“Got it,” Rebecca said, making a mental note before digging into her breakfast.

Seeing her daughter completely unfazed, Amelia thought to herself, ‘She’s really destined for something great.”

Staying calm when facing big challenges-now that’s a rare trait.

“Once | move those funds under your name, that’s when things get official,” Amelia Jensen said. “They'll toss

you a dying company and see if you can turn it around.”

She hadn’t mentioned it before since she honestly thought, after all these years, that old rule would've just

faded into the background.

But turns out, it’s still around.

Rebecca nodded. “Yeah.”

Amelia Jensen said, “Just tellwhen you're ready.”

Rebecca answered decisively, “Once | get the divorce papers next week, I'll be ready.”

“That soon?” Amelia’s voice wavered with concern.

Rebecca had only gotten into all this a little over a month ago. Even with all the tshe'd poured into it, there

was still a ton she hadn't figured out yet.

“The longer | drag things out, the more I'm going to overthink and hesitate,” Rebecca said, fully aware of her

own tendencies. “Honestly, nobody ever waits until they're truly ready-sometimes, you just have to dive in once

things are settled.”

Part of it’s just acting on impulse.

Part of it is having a deadline breathing down your neck.

Waiting until you're absolutely, completely prepared before doing anything? That almost never happens.

“Alright,” Amelia said, respecting every decision her daughter made.

Over the next few days, Rebecca dedicated herself to her studies even more.

During that time, Jack reached out to her.

We