Chapter 6
"This jerk! He's totally trashed the Moore family name!"
John smashed his coffee cup on the floor, his face twisted with rage.
The news was blaring on the TV, and amidst the chaos of cameras and flashing lights, Sylvester's words, "Kidney disease, hereditary," made everyone in the Moore family look like they'd just swallowed a lemon. Sylvester's stunt was a slap in the face to the family's pride!
As the head honcho of the Moore clan, John was livid. Usually, he was the big boss everyone respected, but this time, Sylvester had made him look like a fool!
He wanted to string Sylvester up and give him a good old-fashioned beating!
But then, the old man, Michael Moore, sitting on the couch behind him, leaned on his cane and stared at the TV. In a weak voice, he slowly said, "You should think about how to handle Sylvester's marriage."
With that, he got up, leaning on his cane, and a maid helped him out of the living room.
"Mr. Sylvester Moore."
As soon as Michael left, the butler called out, grabbing everyone's attention.
Sylvester, who'd been MIA for three days, stood there with one hand in his suit pocket, his eyes full of defiance and indifference. He didn't give a damn about the stares from everyone else and sauntered over to the TV with a lazy grin, saying, "Not bad, it captured about seventy to eighty percent of my good looks."
Sylvester's flippant tone made it seem like disgracing the Moore family was no biggie, like he wasn't even part of the family but just a spectator.
The Moore family's honor and wealth were not interesting to him. The more trouble the Moore family and John faced, the happier he seemed.
Yeah, Sylvester hated the Moore family. He hated his dad, John.
After dropping that bomb, Sylvester didn't give a hoot about everyone's reactions. That's just how he rolled; he didn't take anyone seriously.
He was about to head upstairs when John's steady voice rang out again.
"Which of the Gray family's daughters do you want?"
Faced with his rebellious son, John felt a mix of anger and love. Despite wanting to give Sylvester a good thrashing, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Of course, the big deal now was the marriage with the Gray family. Didn't matter which daughter ended up marrying into the family, as long as it was one of the Gray girls!
Sylvester didn't stop walking, but a wicked smile crept onto his lips. Without turning his head, he tossed out, "Doesn't matter, I'll cheat on her eventually anyway. After all, I have kidney disease, and it's hereditary."
He shot a disdainful glance at John.
John was fuming.
"Bastard!"
But Sylvester didn't flinch. He walked into the elevator, and as the doors slowly closed, his back looked both noble and infuriating!
The living room fell into dead silence. The faces of the Moore family's two daughters and two sons-in-law were priceless. To them, Sylvester was a wastrel, but he was also the first in line to inherit the Moore family business.
The Moore family had three daughters and one son, with Sylvester being the third kid and the only son. John and Michael had spoiled him rotten since he was young. Even though he couldn't live long, it didn't change his spot as the heir of the Moore family, which naturally bred resentment.
A maid whispered something into the butler's ear, and the butler walked over to John, saying, "The Gray family called, asking us to handle this mess and give a prompt response. Now Vivian is insisting on calling off the engagement."
John frowned, "When did Jack suddenly have another daughter? I only remember him having one."
The butler replied, "I just heard about it too. We had someone look into it, and turns out he does have a younger daughter who’s been living abroad. We don't know when she came back, or how Sylvester met her. I think Sylvester might be interested in the Gray family's second daughter."
The butler speculated based on his own thoughts, having watched Sylvester grow up, even though Sylvester's personality had done a 180 in the past two years.
Man, every time the Moore family thought about it, they couldn't help but let out a big ol' sigh. No one wanted to dredge up what went down two years ago.
John said, "First, get someone to squash this mess and push back the wedding date next month."
As for who he was gonna marry? Honestly, neither Sylvester nor his old man gave a rat's ass about who he ended up with.
'Cause no matter who he married, it wouldn't be the woman Sylvester really wanted. He was alive, sure, but he was like a zombie, using his remaining time to cause as much chaos as possible.
Meanwhile...
It had been three days, and the loan sharks were coming to collect in the afternoon, but Calliope still hadn't figured out a way out.
Looking up at the blue sky, she couldn't help but laugh at herself for being so cocky. What could she do? Who did she think she was?
Her once delicate features were now marred by worry over the debt. Faced with this massive sum, Calliope couldn't think of a solution, but she absolutely couldn't tell David.
With a desperate smile on her face, her usually rosy cheeks now pale, she realized she had only two options. The first was to sell herself to pay off the debt, and the second was...
She was torn inside. Being humiliated by Sylvester and still having to go to him? It wasn't much different from selling herself. But she was at her wit's end, and it was the only way.
Determination filled Calliope's eyes. If she chose this path, it would mean she and David were impossible to get together.
Calliope let out a heavy sigh, closed her eyes, and placed her hand holding the phone on her chest. After hesitating for a long time, she finally dialed the number.
The call was answered after just one ring. The other party simply said, "Hello," and she immediately stated her demand. "I agree to that deal, but I need $80,000, right now, immediately."
With that, she hung up the phone, stood up from the bench by the roadside, and resigned herself to the situation. It was the only option left. Just thinking about that scumbag Sylvester made her shudder with disgust.
As she turned around, she looked at the fountain in front of her and suddenly laughed, a somewhat sinister laugh. She would get the money, but as for marrying that dying scumbag? Dream on!
Jack, who had just hung up the phone, fell into deep thought. Why had Calliope suddenly changed her mind?
"Who was on the phone?" Grace asked as she came down the stairs.
"It was Calliope. She said she agreed to the deal. I can't figure out why she suddenly changed her mind."
Jack was still speculating about what could have happened to make the usually stubborn Calliope change her mind. Grace, on the other hand, sneered and said, "That fool finally came to her senses. What's there to think about? Marrying into the Moore family is better than following Rose and becoming a prostitute!"
Jack added, "But she said she wants $80,000 in cash, right now. If we can't gather it today, the deal is off."
"What! $80,000! That little bitch thinks she deserves that much money!"
Grace's eyes widened in anger, and she couldn't help but scream.
She understood now. Calliope, that little bitch, knew that the Gray family couldn't marry Vivian into the Moore family, so they had to cooperate with her. No matter what the conditions were, the Gray family had to accept them, so she made an outrageous demand? That little bitch was ruthless! Just wait, she'd get what was coming to her!
About half an hour later, Calliope arrived at the Gray family's villa. As the maid opened the door and led her to the living room, it was clear that although the Gray family was still luxurious, there were significantly fewer servants. It was evident that the Gray family was also at the end of their rope and had no choice but to cooperate with the Moore family.
Calliope walked into the living room, and the first thing she saw were the repulsive faces of Grace and Vivian. They always looked down on her with disdain and contempt.