Scum Daddy Dreams Of Stealing My Mommy!
Chapter 289: You Deserve the Eighteenth Level of Hell!

Chapter 289: Chapter 289: You Deserve the Eighteenth Level of Hell!

Christopher Hart listened to it all, his handsome face showing a complex expression, akin to doubt, surprise, and curiosity.

Was he really this childish in the past?

Lucas King watched his reaction and guessed what he was thinking, figuring the boss also deemed his past self a bit...foolish.

"President Hart, do you see if we should... delete it?"

"..." Christopher Hart pondered for a while, then turned his face towards him, "Which platform was it published on?"

"You want to see?" Lucas King quickly took out his phone, operating it while speaking, "Now the platforms all have a voice feature. President Hart, since you can’t see, you can listen directly."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he found the novel, clicked "Listen to the book," and the restaurant was immediately filled with a broadcaster-like, clear and fluent reading voice.

Benny Palmer seemed to open the door to a new world, leaning over to watch: "Is it that interesting? But isn’t it awkward to listen to a romance novel with such a mechanical voice?"

Lucas King looked at him, "Then maybe... Young Master Palmer, you can read it to President Hart with emotion and vigor?"

"You little..." Benny Palmer slapped him on the head.

Christopher Hart didn’t speak. His stunning face remained calm, and his gaze quietly settled on the table, attentively listening.

The children had been rowdy, but suddenly they too quieted down.

Hope asked softly, "Brother, what is this? The news?"

Ethan shook his head, "Doesn’t sound like it."

"Then what is it?"

"Shh..." The children’s discussion was interrupted by their father, gesturing them to be silent.

Seeing him listen so attentively, Lucas King knew it wouldn’t be likely to get deleted.

Sure enough, Christopher Hart asked a caretaker to bring his phone, had Lucas King find the page to bookmark, and then bluntly said, "You all can leave after you finish eating. No need to see me out. I’m going upstairs."

Watching the wheelchair leave, Lucas King was full of astonishment: "He’s really savoring his own drama, President Hart truly has a unique taste!"

Benny Palmer chuckled, full of scorn: "All to please a woman... truly pathetic."

"Young Master Palmer, don’t speak too soon, lest you get a slap in the face."

"Get lost!"

------------

The three youngsters stayed at the Imperial Garden for the night, but their dear dad had no mood to accompany them.

Mr. Hart, like a teenager lost in the internet world, was engrossed in the world of romance novels, unable to extricate himself.

Until Amelia Garcia’s call came through.

"Have you arrived?" Engulfed in the bittersweet atmosphere of first love, Christopher Hart’s voice softened involuntarily, "Tired? Did you get to the hotel?"

Amelia Garcia thought she had missed his call and that he would have questions now, but unexpectedly, he was unusually tender.

"The plane was delayed, just got out of the airport, saw your call..."

"Hmm, the kids missed you, wanted to talk to you."

Amelia Garcia was astonished—huh, lost his thick skin? Using the kids as a shield, when his possessive madness was well-known.

But since he said so, she had no choice but to go along: "Is that so? Since the kids missed me, let them take the call then."

The man’s tone rose slightly, "Have nothing to say to me?"

"What’s there to say to you?"

He was about to retort, but suddenly remembering the content of the novel he’d just read, he inexplicably chuckled, "Still the little girl who tagged along behind me every day, endlessly calling out for Brother Christopher."

"..." Amelia Garcia was taken aback by his sudden comment, tongue-tied for a moment, "You... cut it out, bringing up old trivial matters."

"But they are all beautiful memories."

"..." The woman fell silent again.

He now selectively forgot the unpleasant moments, remembering only the beautiful ones, and seemed quite content.

Her raising old grievances now seemed rather petty.

In a brief silence, Christopher Hart’s heart softened a little more, and his longing for her flowed uncontrollably, "Thinking of you so far away, and still days before you return, I feel quite empty. Amelia, did you miss me?"

Amelia Garcia, fighting the goosebumps, coolly replied, "No, I am finally out here on my own, not needing to tend to you, not being oppressed by you, I couldn’t be happier."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Then... who was it that couldn’t rest easy, asking Benny Palmer to check on me more often?"

"..." Amelia Garcia’s mind buzzed, not expecting Benny Palmer to be such a blabbermouth, "I... I wasn’t worried about you, I just didn’t want you to lose your temper again and scare the kids."

"Speaking the opposite of your heart."

"I am not! Forget it, I’m not talking to you anymore, I have work to do, hanging up!"

The line was cut off from the other end first, leaving only the dial tone in his ear, but this time Mr. Hart wasn’t angry. Instead, he smiled slightly, delight written all over his face.

It seemed his Amelia had been moved again, she just wasn’t ready to admit it yet.

It was late, the children must have gone to bed, and the entire villa quieted down.

A caretaker came in to turn him, focused on catching up on the novel, he pretended to be sleepy and ordered, "Don’t come in tonight, I’ll call you if I need anything."

"Yes, Mr. Hart."

After the caretaker left, the wayward Mr. Hart retrieved his phone from under the pillow, bypassing the voice feature to read directly from the screen.

Benny Palmer was right; the mechanical voice was embarrassingly bad for listening. Reading the text was a far more immersive experience.

------------

Amelia Garcia didn’t expect that a casual visit to a luxury goods store while away from work would lead to meeting someone she knew.

Snow Fitch’s birthday was drawing near, and considering her friend’s support over the years, she planned to buy a thoughtful birthday gift.

Unexpectedly, as she reached for a handbag, someone else grabbed it at the same time.

Upon closer inspection, she was so surprised her jaw almost dropped.

It was Betty!

Betty, upon seeing her, also felt she was mistaken, but when she noticed Amelia Garcia’s shocked and disbelieving expression, she confirmed she had not seen wrong.

"What are you doing here?" Betty asked first, as if Amelia had no business being there.

Amelia Garcia smiled lightly, "What a coincidence."

"Are you here for Kane?"

"No, just for work."

Betty watched her, suspicious.

Amelia Garcia didn’t care whether she believed her or not, looking courteously at the limited edition handbag in Betty’s hand, she inquired, "Do you want this bag?"

Betty looked at the bag she was holding, her chin lifted slightly: "Of course I do!"

She nodded, smiled as usual, turned away, and moved on to another design.

Finally, she chose a classic style, asked the sales associate to wrap it up.

When Amelia left the luxury store, Betty emerged from one side, "Do you have time? Let’s chat."

Amelia Garcia glanced around, "You’re talking to me?"

"Who else?"

"But between us... there doesn’t seem much to talk about."

Amelia Garcia didn’t emphasize earlier, because she felt it wasn’t necessary, but now that the other party had actively sought her out, she thought for a moment before saying, "I truly didn’t come back because of Kane. He doesn’t even know I’m back, and I will leave as soon as my work is done, so rest assured, I won’t be an obstacle between you two."

Betty’s expression was somewhat complex, her gaze drooping as she fell silent for a few seconds before speaking, "I’m not with him, and I won’t be in the future either."

Ah?

Amelia was shocked, "You... broke up?"

That was fast!

Betty smiled, "We were never together to begin with, so there’s no breaking up."

"..." She was at a loss for words.

The girl then asked, "So, can you sit with me for a while?"

Seeing the other’s bright young face, with a guileless air about her, Amelia couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

In truth, she had long since figured out that this girl wasn’t ill-intentioned, merely spoiled and willful from being doted on.

But now, because of being disheartened in love, her usual arrogance was gone, replaced by a demeanor that aroused a bit of pity.

Sitting down in the coffee shop, Betty placed her newly purchased purse on the table and slowly pushed it toward her, "If you like it, I’ll give it to you."

Ah?

Amelia was taken aback once again.

She knew her family was fabulously wealthy, not just ordinarily rich, but there was no need to just give away a luxury purse like this, right?

Especially since they couldn’t even really be considered friends.

"Uh... no need, I’ve already bought a different one." Amelia patted the shopping bag beside her and pushed back the purse Betty had offered.

Betty pursed her lips but didn’t insist, quietly sipping her coffee.

Amelia was pressed for time. After an awkward sit, she had to take the initiative, "Miss Betty, you wanted to talk to me about... What exactly? And you and Kane... What happened between you two?"

"I have nothing with him. As soon as he returned to the country, he made it clear to my parents that he wouldn’t marry me. I’m someone with status; it’s not like I can’t get married. Why suffer the humiliation? So I just let it go."

"..." Listening to these words, Amelia didn’t know whether to offer comfort or congratulations.

After all, an unwilling partnership is never sweet, and it was good that she could let go.

But she feared that words of congratulations might sound like she was reveling in another’s misfortune.

"Why are you silent? Do you dislike me that much? Is it because I caused you trouble before?" Betty asked all at once when Amelia remained quiet.

"No, no..." Amelia quickly shook her head, offering a polite smile and speaking the truth, "I don’t know what to say, but it’s good that you can let go of this relationship..."

"Actually, I’m quite heartbroken. I liked him, really... liked him for quite some time. I finally had an opportunity to get closer, but I never expected him to be so dismissive."

Amelia truly didn’t understand why this girl insisted on pouring her heart out to her—they weren’t even acquainted!

"You’re the only woman I’ve ever seen Kane like. I’m really curious about what he likes about you..."

This—

Amelia thought to herself: I don’t know either.

"So, can I follow you around and observe for a few days? I want to understand you better."

Amelia was in the middle of drinking her coffee and nearly choked on it when she heard these words.

"Miss Betty, you just said that you had given up on this relationship, so why do you still want to understand me? Do you still intend to imitate me by...?"

"Of course, I won’t become your substitute, but I want to know where I fell short."

"..." Amelia continued to drink her coffee but shook her head internally, utterly speechless!

It seemed they were all just too idle!

"Miss Betty, I’m in a rush, so if there’s nothing urgent, I’ll leave first." Amelia really didn’t have the energy to deal with such an idly anxious rich girl, found an excuse to stand up, and without giving Betty a chance to stop her, hurriedly fled.

She did somewhat understand why Kane didn’t want her.

The two of them were simply not from the same world.

She was still a carefree, innocent young girl, how could she play the role of a matriarch in a wealthy family?

After meeting Shaw, she casually mentioned this incident.

Shaw was also confused and puzzled.

"Could she be deceiving you intentionally? Wanting to get close to you, then seize an opportunity to get back at you?"

Amelia felt a chill down her spine when she heard that.

"Sister, once we wrap things up here, let’s return to the country sooner. After all, this is their turf." Shaw probably had watched too many TV dramas and was quite earnest in her advice.

Amelia didn’t see it that way, though; she’d just been away on a business trip for a few days and was missing the kids terribly.

Her phone rang, and thinking it was someone calling, she grabbed it, hoping to chat with the kids. But upon checking, she saw it was an unfamiliar number.

"Hello?"

"Amelia Garcia, your true colors have finally shown."

The sudden accusation confused her. She checked the number again, then put the phone back to her ear, "Who is this?"

"You don’t recognize my voice?"

At that remark, Amelia felt the voice was familiar. She racked her brains and suddenly remembered—

"Wendy Hart?!"

"It’s me."

Wendy Hart... Why was she calling? And what did she mean about her true colors showing?

"What do you want?"

"What do you think?" Wendy’s voice sounded weak and rather ominous, which is why Amelia hadn’t initially recognized it.

But they hadn’t been in touch for a long time, and this sudden call...

"You swindled my brother’s assets and quickly fled the country, still claiming your return wasn’t for ulterior motives!" Wendy’s words were sharp and vicious, "Women like you, why don’t you get hit by a car when you walk out. My brother is in that state, and yet you’re still eyeing his fortune! Are you even human?"

The barrage of accusations left Amelia bemused.

"Wendy Hart, what are you talking about? When did I swindle all your brother’s assets? And my trip abroad was strictly for business; I will return after it’s done. Where did you hear all these absurd slanders?"

"Slanders? Nearly all the assets in my brother’s name have been transferred to you, isn’t that a fact?"

Amelia’s head buzzed for a moment, recalling the agreement Christopher Hart had asked her to sign, and explained, "Your brother did pass some property to me, but it’s all for the children. I’m just supervising it and won’t misappropriate a single cent."

"Enough with your act! Even my mother knows about this and was so angry she ended up in the hospital! Amelia Garcia, you deserve to go to the eighteenth level of hell!"

Before Wendy could finish her sentence, her coughing intensified on the other side of the line, and it became choppy.

Amid the chaos of voices, it sounded like someone was calling out, like there was an emergency...

And then, the call was cut off.

Amelia sat stunned, unsure of where the problem lay.

Shaw asked her, "Sister, what’s the matter?"

Without responding, Amelia immediately picked up her phone to call Imperial Garden.

But for a long while, no one answered.

Christopher Hart was supposed to be in the house; how could the phone not get through?

Could something have happened?

And Emma Carter, Emma Carter was hospitalized? Did they have an argument, mother and son? And again, because of her?