Destroyed Us for Your Bastard? Say Hi to Your Cellmate, Ex! - Chapter 57: Chapter 57

Richard stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the glittering city night. In his whiskey glass, the ice had already half-melted.
Since Quinn had rejected all of them and taken leave from school, he had wanted to wait for her at her apartment. Instead, he learned that his company was suddenly in turmoil, forcing him and the Morrisons to return to the States in disgrace.
"Mr. James, we have a problem."
His assistant hurriedly entered, fine beads of sweat on his forehead.
Richard frowned and turned, seeing the report of his company's plummeting shares on the assistant's trembling tablet.
"When did this happen?" His voice suddenly turned cold.
"Half an hour ago," the assistant swiped the screen to reveal more documents. "Additionally, seven government departments—tax authorities, business regulators, banking supervision—have launched a joint investigation into the group. Even worse, the Morrison Group that's tied to us is now..."
He swallowed hard and opened a video clip.
Footage of Mr. Morrison being taken away by police was being frantically broadcast across all major media outlets.
Richard snatched the tablet with shaking hands, his chest heaving violently.
The Morrison and James families facing trouble simultaneously—this was no coincidence.
At three in the morning, the James family mansion remained fully lit.
"We've uncovered some information," his father threw a stack of documents onto the coffee table. "It appears overseas capital is behind this scheme. The Lewis Group has partnered with three other companies and suddenly begun aggressively targeting us."
Richard's brows furrowed as he stared intently at the materials. "Lewis Group? Isn't that..."
"Yes, that boy's family business," his normally composed father now looked deeply anxious. "We underestimated him."
"What's worse, the bank has just notified us they're recalling our loans early, and several major clients have simultaneously terminated their partnerships! Now our company might..."
Richard's phone lit up with an anonymous message:
[Since you enjoy experiments so much, I'd like to see if you can pass the test I've designed for you]
With a loud crash, he smashed the phone to the floor.
The next morning, James Group stock plummeted as soon as the market opened.
Richard was frantically fielding questions from board members in the conference room when he received a call from an unknown number.
"Hello, Mr. James. It's been a while."
On the other end was Madelyn, who had secretly escaped while everyone was abroad.
Richard signaled for the meeting to pause and walked into the hallway. "Where are you?" he asked grimly.
"Does it matter?" Madelyn giggled. "I've seen the news. This is your karma!"
Richard turned his head, seeing only his haggard reflection in the glass. "Are you involved in this?"
"I don't have that kind of power," Madelyn's laughter suddenly turned sharp. "But I did provide some documents from your study to certain people. Seeing you like this now makes me so happy!"
The call abruptly ended. Richard tried to call back with a dark expression, but the phone had been turned off.
Within a month, the James Group's funding chain completely collapsed.
Richard stood at the courthouse entrance, watching as his company was sealed off. The once-mighty business empire now couldn't even pay the cleaning staff's overdue wages.
"Richard James!" He turned to see Madelyn standing across the street with a middle-aged couple in shabby clothes. The woman, her face wrinkled, was tightly gripping Madelyn's wrist.
"Help me!" Madelyn suddenly broke free and ran toward him. "They want to sell me to an old bachelor in their village! I—I don't want to go!"
Before she could finish, her foster father stepped forward, his muscular arms locking around her shoulders like iron clamps.
"Mr. James, I apologize," the man smiled obsequiously, revealing yellowed teeth. "I brought her here today to ask if you still want her..."
"Do whatever you want," he turned to leave, his eyes filled with indifference. "I won't get involved anymore."
Madelyn's scream behind him was suddenly silenced as her foster mother stuffed a dirty cloth into her mouth.
"Ungrateful girl! We were planning to use you to get something out of them, but none of them want anything to do with you anymore. Now hurry up and come home with us! We gave birth to you, and you owe us!"