Chapter 92
Moochers
Bailee thought, ‘How could I have been so foolish? I helped Jackson grow step by step, never realizing he was nothing but an ungrateful snake! If it weren’t for Kayla’s warning, I’d still be in the dark.
Bailee pressed a hand to her chest as if pierced by a sharp needle, trembling from the pain. She bit her lower lip and wiped away her tears, staring through the door gap at the two people locked in passion inside. Her gaze turned icy.
She thought. Jackson, how dare you betray me? You turned years of my trust and effort into a joke. You think you’ll get away with this? Just wait. I’ll make sure you’re thrown out of my life the same way you sneaked in!‘
Summoning all her strength, Bailee turned away. Each step felt like walking on knives as she slowly headed toward the elevator. Her figure looked lonely and helpless.
Kayla knew nothing of Bailee’s ordeal. Following clues from a private investigator, she arrived at a residential building in the south of the city.
To her surprise, Max’s address was very close to the run–down neighborhood where Payton lived. What a coincidence.
Kayla thought in confusion, ‘My mom told me that Max left the company and started his own business. With his skills, he should be doing well. But how could he live here?‘
The more Kayla thought, the more suspicious she felt. She walked slowly into the building. The first thing she noticed was peeling wall paint, like time had carved irregular patterns into the grayish surface.
The walls were cracked and bulged from damp, some even exposing bare bricks beneath.
Faded posters and childhood scribbles remained on the stairwell walls, faint traces of past lives.
The narrow, humid corridor was lined with old chessboards where a few elderly residents sat deeply engaged in games.
The further Kayla walked, the more her frown deepened, and a sense of foreboding grew.
Suppressing her unsettled thoughts, she used her phone’s light to carefully step over the uneven ground. The hallway was dimly lit, with poor visibility even in daytime.
Looking up, she saw broken ceiling lights, wires exposed like tangled spiderwebs, dangerous and chaotic.
The stair railing was rusty. It was covered with countless handprints, rust, and grime, giving off a stale odor.
According to her investigation, Max lived on the third floor. Holding her breath against the foul smell permeating the hallway, Kayla climbed the stairs.
Only on the third floor did she finally lower her hand from her nose, leaning out over the balcony to gasp for fresh air
Once her breathing steadied, she scanned her surroundings and quickly found the address written on the note. But the door was shut tight. Peering through the cracked, dusty windowpane, she saw only darkness inside.
Just as Kayla turned to leave, a dark figure loomed before her and said, “Eli?”
Kayla was startled. She stepped back, even forgetting to breathe. Only when she saw it was a man did she calm slightly, asking in a trembling voice, “Who Who are you?”
The man looked gaunt, with sunken eyes. His right pupil was dull and gray. Wrinkles carved deep lines across his forehead.
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7:57 pm
Chapter 92
A
His temples were streaked with gray, silver strands sparse like frost.
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He emanated deep sorrow, like a candle flickering in the wind. Hearing a girl’s voice, the man frowned slightly. His one good eve fixed sharply on Kayla, his voice cold. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
Despite his wretched state and one good eye, Kayla sensed murderous intent in his gaze. She swallowed hard, studying him. A guess formed, and she ventured. “Are you… Max Carter?”
Max’s expression shifted. “Who are you?” His voice was cold.
Relief washed over Kayla. It was Max. But doubt followed immediately. She thought, ‘Max is only a few years older than Bailee, not yet sixty. But he aged so terribly.‘
Kayla had seen Max when she was a child. Back then, he had been energetic and super charming. Just now, if she hadn’t guessed, she would never have known it was him.
Kayla was confused, thinking, ‘Wasn’t he supposed to have started his business? How did he end up like this?‘
Kayla said, “Mr. Carter, I’m Kay. Don’t you remember me?”
“Kay?” Max repeated, as if recalling something. He narrowed his eyes. His demeanor turned sharp. “You’re… Bailee’s daughter?”
Kay’s eyes lit up with joy. She nodded eagerly. “Yes, Mr. Carter. I’m Kayla. My mother is Bailee. You remember me.”
Max sneered, his gaze turning fierce, a sinister smile twisting his lips. His voice was low and dangerous. “Remember? Of course, I remember!” Every word seemed squeezed through his teeth, dripping with complex emotion.
Kayla, still caught in the joy of his possible nostalgia, missed the deeper meaning in his words.
Suddenly, Max moved. From the shadows, he lifted a basin of filthy water and threw it at Kayla.
Caught completely off guard, Kayla was hit by a wave of foul stench. And then, cold, dirty water poured over her head and face. Her hair clung wetly to her forehead, strands dangling with yellowish vegetable scraps. She looked utterly embarrassed.
The filthy water stung her eyes, forcing them shut. Tears mixed with grime streaked down her cheeks, leaving grimy trails.
Soaked through, her clothes stuck to her skin, the cold biting deep. A light breeze brushed past, and Kayla shivered uncontrollably.
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