Silence Walks Beside Us by Eli Dane Cade 183

Posted by ADMINMMADMIN, ? Views, Released on February 21, 2026

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Pinterest Telegram

Chapter 183

In the end, Ash still met with Dexter.

The meeting place was not at the Moreno residence, but a restaurant near the Turner family.

It had only been a few short days since they last met, but Dexter looked haggard, as if he had aged a lot.

55 vouchers

“Jewel, thank you for coming to see me… Oh no, I should call you Ash now, but I’ve been calling you Jewel for so long, I’m really used to it.” Dexter even had a few white hairs at his temples.

Dexter even had a few white hairs at his temples.

Seeing him so dejected and disheartened, Ash didn’t feel a shred of pity. She knew that he had brought this upon himself.

No one was to blame but him.

She lifted the cup in front of her and took a sip. “Just say what you want to say. We’re not close enough to exchange pleasantries.”

“Ash… I know we’ve done a lot of wrong to you in the past, but you wouldn’t have grown up so well without us. The birth parents are important, but the ones who raised you are no less important.”

There he went again, playing the guilt card. This was Dexter’s usual tactic.

Ash raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable. “First of all, don’t call me Ash. You don’t have the right. Secondly, I would be better off without you. Don’t think of your upbringing as some kind of favor.”

“I… I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not forcing this on you. I… Jewel, can I call you Jewel then?” Dexter looked dejected, his mood extremely low.

She frowned slightly. “What is it you want to say? Stop beating around the bush. If you’re not going to tell me, don’t waste my time. I have other things to do.”

“Your sister, her face… It’s been disfigured. Did you know?” Dexter took a deep breath and slowly spoke.

Ash’s expression remained cold. “And? I know now. What does it have to do with me? We’re not related by blood. We’re practically strangers, and not the friendly kind either.

“Am I supposed to react in a certain way? Is that why you’re here? Or are you expecting me to pay for it?” Ash asked pointedly.

Dexter’s face was flushed with embarrassment. “We… we’ve declared bankruptcy. We have very little liquidity left, so… can you help us?

‘Don’t worry, just consider this a loan. I will definitely repay you within this year, I promise. Is that okay? Just 150 thousand is enough.”

Ash glanced at him. “As you said, you’ve already declared bankruptcy. In that case, how can I lend you money? What credit do you have to repay it?”

Dexter lowered his voice and looked around mysteriously. “Well, I have a good way to make money now. It requires some start–up capital, but in just three months, there will be a tenfold return. We’re guaranteed to profit.”

“Pyramid scheme?”

“No! You might think it’s a pyramid scheme, but it’s not. I can guarantee that this is risk–free. It’s a promising start–up project, and very few people know about it right now. So we can seize this opportunity and make a fortune.

10:30 Sat, Feb 21 ·

Chapter 183

(11

55 vouchers

“Jewel, trust me. I will repay you both the principal and interest at once. I’ll give you 300 thousand. Double the amount.”

Ash’s face twisted in disgust as she stood up. “I thought you were borrowing money for Samantha’s treatment. Now it seems I’ve thought too highly of you.”

“No, no! It’s also for Samantha! No, for you too. I hope to give you both a better life, Jewel. Do you still remember Sofia Garcia? She’s in very bad shape and urgently needs money for treatment.”

The mention of Sofia gave her pause. She frowned slightly and looked at him. “What did you say? Sofia is still alive?”

Dexter’s voice was much lower, clearly lacking confidence. “She’s still alive. Sofia asked us to keep it from you because she was afraid you’d be distracted.”

He was afraid Ash wouldn’t believe him, so he took out a photo from his pocket. The photo was a screenshot of a chat, which looked very old.

Ash glanced at the time. It was from four years ago, when she was still in college.

She asked, “Sofia asked you not to tell me, so you didn’t? Was it really her wish, or did you instigate and abet her? Where is Sofia now?”

Dexter’s face flushed red and then turned pale. “It’s not what you think. You were busy with your studies at the time, and you had already spent so much time on her. She felt that she was old and shouldn’t affect your life anymore.”

Ash sneered. “Affect my life? What a good excuse. You actually believed such a far–fetched reason? She was tortured by stomach cancer at that time, and you… you were able to fake her death?”

She thought, ‘No wonder Dexter refused to let me attend the funeral back then.

‘So that’s how it was. Everything finally makes sense.

“I can take you to see Sofia, but can you promise to lend me 150 thousand? I’ve been paying for her hospitalization expenses all these years. Jewel, for Sofia’s sake…”

Ash clenched her fists, her face growing darker. “Are you done? Can you shut up now? How dare you keep using Sofia?”

“How can you even say that? Have I ever treated Sofia badly all these years? I’ve been taking care of her all these years, and her living conditions are much better than most people’s.” Dexter was obviously putting on an act.

Ash clutched the photo, her lips pursed. “Where is Sofia now?”

“The 150 thousand…” He was still thinking about money at a time like this.

He was still thinking about money at a time like this.

Ash closed her eyes slightly and thought, ‘How could Dexter possibly do this to Sofia?”

Back then, it was Sofia who single–handedly raised Dexter, even selling her house to pay for his education. Dexter later became successful and earned some money, but he never gave anything back to Sofia.

Sofia, as always, said nothing and didn’t seem to care. She kept saying that as long as Dexter was doing well, she was happy

Back then, Dexter was an orphan no one wanted. If it weren’t for Sofia’s kindness in taking him in, he would have starved to death decades ago.

Ash said, “How can you do this? You don’t seem to remember even a little bit of Sofia’s kindness in raising you all these years. Since you haven’t done it yourself, what right do you have to ask me?