Laura’s Victory Second Chance

Chapter 33

Elara shot Robert a frustrated look, hoping he would come over and soften his stance. Instead, he made a beeline for Olivia, clearly intent on embarrassing Laura.

Elara was exasperated. Robert was the definition of a bad teammate today. Elara found Laura’s boldness baffling–apart from that man, it was likely tied to the lawyer who’d left. Maybe that man even knew Laura’s true identity, which would explain his support.

Elara kicked herself for not realizing this sooner. Who was Alistair, really? The fortune he left was definitely more than just 700 million dollars. Suddenly, she looked at Laura differently; in her eyes, Laura was no longer just an inconvenience, but a valuable asset.

“Robert, why aren’t you over here apologizing to Laura?” Elara called out.

Robert crossed his arms, looking equally annoyed. “Mom, have you forgotten that she made me kneel? Why should I apologize to her?”

No matter how stunning Laura looked today, the fact that she made him lose face was unforgivable. To Robert, Laura was nothing compared to the gentler Olivia.

Elara felt like smashing her head against a wall. Her idiot son was driving her crazy.

On the other hand, Olivia was pleased to sense Robert was at her side. It felt like a small victory, especially since he openly acknowledged her presence in front of everyone.

‘At least Robert is on my team,‘ she thought. ‘Even if you have shares, Laura, you will have nothing after you give them to my dad. Enjoy your moment. I’ll be the final winner.‘

David was still trying to charm Laura. “Laura, come on. Mrs. Brown has apologized. There’s no reason for you to stay mad. This bracelet is beautiful, and it suits you perfectly.”

Laura’s expression remained cool and indifferent. The idea of being the daughter–in–law of the Brown family didn’t impress her. “Do you like it? Then keep it for your daughter,” she replied sweetly.

“Laura, now you’re just being difficult. Are you still upset with Dad? Liv is my daughter, and so are you. I promise I won’t favor one over the other.”

Laura smiled, but her eyes were cold. “If you’d said that before the party started, I might have let it slide. But unfortunately, it’s too late for that.”

In the past, she could’ve blamed their behavior on being dazzled by Olivia. Now she saw the truth: no matter what Olivia did, they would always forgive her, while she herself was just a pawn in their game.

“Too late? What do you mean by that?”

Laura pointed toward the hall entrance. “Look who just walked in–Mr. Sinclair.”

David’s interest was piqued as he licked his lips. “Laura, let’s not forget the promise you made to me before…”

James had already approached, and Emma felt the urge to escape. “Honey, I have a headache. You entertain Mr. Sinclair,” she said, hastily covering

her head.

“Mrs. Sharpe, one moment, please,” James called out.

Emma, nervous, toyed with her hair and avoided eye contact with James. David was too lost in his thoughts about the shares to notice the tension. “Mr. Sinclair, welcome back!”

James was serious. “Mr. and Mrs. Sharpe, I need to ask you something important.”

David leaned forward, intrigued. “What is it?”

James cut to the chase. “The funds on this card have been moved.”

David immediately denied it. “That’s impossible! None of us have touched that card for years. It belonged to Mr. Godfrey and was meant for Laura. Why would we ever touch it?”

Emma’s face turned pale with guilt as Laura casually toyed with the ring on her finger, a teasing smile playing on her lips. “What do you mean you —wouldn’t touch it? Dad, you give Mom about 300 thousand dollars for pocket money each month. Since Olivia came back, Mom’s been out

shopping with her every day.

“I’ve seen a few of their purchases–things costing several hundred thousand or even over a million. Where is that money coming from?” Emma clutched her clothes tightly, trying to keep her composure. “That’s just my private money,” she shot back defensively.

Someone present chimed in, “Mrs. Sharpe is so rich. I ran into her at the mall the other day. She bought a set of emeralds for 6 million dollars without batting an eye.

Chapter 33

Another said, “Oh, and I remember seeing her at the beauty salon, loading 3 million dollars into her account. I thought Mrs. Sharpe was generous

then.”

In a family like the Sharpe family, it wasn’t unusual to drop tens of or hundreds of thousands at a time, but millions raised some serious red flags.

David’s mind raced back to Emma’s recent shopping habits. She had bought him a few high–end suits, far more expensive than usual, not to mention the gifts for Olivia.

At first, he thought she was just excited about Olivia’s return, but now it felt like something was seriously off. He shot Emma a dark look. “Did you use the money?”

Realizing the tone of the conversation was shifting against her, Emma quickly tried to explain. “Honey, I… I only used a little. I was short that day when I was shopping for Olivia, and I meant to return it later.”

David’s heart sank. Deep down, he knew she had made a deliberate mistake. This was embarrassing enough without it getting worse, but what could he do? She was still his wife.

“Mr. Sinclair, this is a misunderstanding. Emma didn’t embezzle anything intentionally; she just borrowed a bit. Just let us know the amount that’s missing, and I’ll have my secretary transfer it immediately.”

He thought Emma hadn’t used too much. After all, they hadn’t seen Olivia in years; it made sense that Emma would want to make up for lost time.

James responded flatly, “Currently, the balance on the account is just over 500 million dollars. We can only confirm the balance for now; the detailed statement will be available once the staff returns tomorrow. Originally, there were 700 million dollars on the account, plus interest. So the amount Mrs. Sharpe has borrowed is between 130 to 200 million dollars.”

Hearing that figure made David’s face go pale. His smile froze, and his fingers trembled as if he were walking a tightrope. He knew Emma and Olivia had been shopping, but he had no idea they had spent over a hundred million. All he could think about was how to cover that kind of debt.

Laura, keeping her cool, added, “No matter how the Sharpe family treats me, they raised me for years. I’m not even counting interest—just make sure there are 700 million dollars on the account.”

Even after ten years, the interest on 700 million dollars would be substantial. Laura had every right to reclaim the principal. To Emma, however, this felt like a betrayal.

James turned to David. “In that case, please transfer 155,100,000 dollars immediately, Mr. Sharpe.”

David’s hands trembled even more as he thought, ‘Over 150 million dollars? And transfer immediately? Did James really think I could just pull that amount out of thin air?‘

Seeing David hesitate, James pressed on. “Mr. Sharpe, would you prefer to pay by check or do a transfer?”