Before Haley could speak, Shane tugged on her arm. His sharp gaze locked onto Joe as he slightly smirked. "Do you think you can slander my mother-in-law with just your words? Why should we believe you?"Joe straightened his face and huffed, "Believe it or not, I have the evidence. If you don't comply, I'll release the photos anytime."When Yvonne was alive, Joe held onto those photos out of spite. She died not knowing he still had them. Haley exchanged a glance with Shane, feeling her heart sink. Joe did not seem to be lying.Could the photos be real? No matter the content, if Joe got angry and released them, the consequences would be disastrous.Taking a deep breath, Haley forced herself to stay calm. Panicking now would only give Joe the upper hand. "Joe, I might consider releasing Sue and Xena, but you'll have to prove you have the photos first. Otherwise, I'm taking a huge risk."Joe's eyes flickered. After a moment of thought, he nodded. "Alright, three days from now
Joe lay on the bed, breathing deeply. He was terrified of dying. He was only in his fifties and he still wanted to live a long life. He could not afford to let anything happen to him now.Thinking of this, a vicious gleam flashed in Joe's eyes. Haley, that little brat, why hadn't she just died already? If he had known it would come to this, he never would have softened and kept her around. Now, she was nothing but trouble.Taking another deep breath to steady himself, Joe turned to the nurse. "Nurse, when can I be discharged?"The nurse looked surprised. "You’re in no condition to be discharged. The doctor said you need to stay in the hospital for at least ten days to two weeks.""What? No, I can't stay that long! I have important things to take care of!" Joe's agitation caused his chest to ache again.The nurse sighed. "Mr. Carter, Miss Haley already paid your hospital bills. You should stay and rest." She mumbled under her breath, "I don’t understand these rich families. With
After work, Shane went to pick up Haley, and they headed to the hospital together. Joe was holding a photo, looking quite smug and much healthier than a few days ago."Well? I kept my word and brought the photo. Now let Xena and Sue go," he demanded. As for Zoe, her well-being did not concern him in the slightest. Ten days in detention was nothing, and she would be released soon enough. There was no need to make a fuss over her. But Xena was different. She had been pampered all her life and must have suffered greatly in there. The thought of it pained Joe, and he desperately wanted to get Xena out as soon as possible.Haley scoffed and took the photo. She glanced at it and found it was not as incriminating as Joe had claimed. The photo was taken in a private room at a five-star restaurant. Yvonne was surrounded by men in suits, holding a wine glass as if toasting. One man’s hand hovered near Yvonne's waist, but it was clear from her expression and body language that she was
When Haley learned the truth, she didn't know whether to feel happy about Joe's misfortune or pity him. The daughter he had cherished for so many years wasn't even his, and he had been kept in the dark the whole time, giving everything for her.Haley sighed inwardly and shook her head. Next to her, both Shane and Dean had similarly complicated expressions. Shane’s expression remained stoic and unreadable as always, but Dean couldn’t hold back his amusement. Watching the heartfelt reunion between Joe and Xena, Dean struggled to suppress his laughter, almost hurting himself in the process. Joe was, without a doubt, the biggest fool Dean had ever seen. To an outsider, the reunion might have seemed touching, but knowing the truth, Dean found it hilarious. He finally let out a laugh, which echoed abruptly in the hospital room.Joe and Xena turned to him, clearly annoyed. "Why are you all still here?" Joe snapped.Dean cleared his throat, regaining his composure, and retorte
Haley clenched her teeth, trying to control the surge of emotions inside her. If Joe wasn’t bedridden, she would have kicked him already.She grabbed Joe by the collar, her voice cold and unyielding. "Lead the way."She needed to get those photos today to prevent any future trouble and let her mother rest in peace.Joe panted, pleading frantically, "We can talk this out, just let me go…"Seeing Joe's pale face, Shane gently pulled Haley's arm and reminded her, "Finding the photos is the priority."Haley loosened her grip, and Joe fell back into his seat.Under Joe’s guidance, the group arrived at Yvonne’s grave. Joe stumbled, barely able to stand, supported by Sue and Dean on either side. Sue did not dare to breathe loudly the entire time, nor did she dare to look Haley in the eyes. She knew how much Haley had trusted her before. But she had betrayed that trust for Joe's sake, and now she couldn't face Haley. All she wanted was for this matter to end quickly, hoping Haley wou
"How could this be?" Joe stared at the empty box, unable to process what had happened. Where were the photos?Haley's eyes burned with anger as she glared at Joe. "Where are the photos? Are you playing games with us?"Joe's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly shook his head. "No, absolutely not! I swear I put the photos in here... It must be Jack! It has to be him!"Jack Spencer was one of Joe's former subordinates, the one who had helped Joe retrieve the photo a few days ago. The key was with him, and he must have taken the remaining photos!Joe's face went pale as he looked at Haley and Shane with a mix of fear and desperation. "I really don't know anything, Haley, you have to believe me..."Joe had kept the photos only to remind himself of the betrayal he had suffered. He took them out solely to save Xena. There was no way he could have tampered with them.Seeing Joe's genuine panic, Haley felt her heart sink further into unease. Shane pulled Haley into his arms, speaking s
Jack laughed even louder. "You want the photos? Sure, give me twenty million, and I'll return them to you intact."Joe's temple throbbed with anger. "Don't push it!"He did not have that kind of money. He could not even come up with two hundred thousand. All his assets were frozen, and if he hadn't had a heart attack, he would still be in jail. Where was he supposed to get that kind of money?Then he heard Haley's hoarse voice, "Agree to it."Twenty million? Even if it cost her everything, she needed those photos back.Everyone was stunned, including Joe, who looked at her in disbelief. "Are you crazy? That's twenty million! And those photos aren't even...""What did you say?" Haley, lost in her emotions, had not heard the last part of Joe's sentence.Facing Haley's angry, piercing gaze, Joe shrank back. He stammered, "Those photos, though suggestive, don't actually show anything explicit."He had believed Yvonne was cheating on him because of what Zoe had said. And seeing th
Haley lowered her gaze, staying silent. Joe was just as confused, unable to figure out where the money had gone. Sue spoke up softly, "I remember now, I was supposed to handle that money, but later..."She glanced at Joe hesitantly. Joe immediately pressed her, "What happened next? Just say it!"Sue bit her lip and continued, "Later, Mrs. Carter said she and Xena had their eyes on a designer bag that cost sixty thousand, so they took that money. She warned me not to tell anyone or she would fire me. At the time, I wasn't with you yet and was afraid of losing my job, so I kept it to myself."Everyone fell silent. Using someone's life-saving money to buy a bag was incredibly ironic.Jack was triggered and shouting furiously, "I knew it! None of you rich people are good! I'll release those photos no matter what. Just wait and see!"Although the money was technically Joe's to give or withhold, Jack felt betrayed. After receiving hope and then having it snatched away, his mind ha