The Billionaire Ex-Wife and the Beggar He Became novel Chapter 353

"And if we don't?" Henrietta asked through gritted teeth.

"Then your whole family can go to hell," Winona replied, her tone utterly unforgiving.

The chilling finality in her voice sent an involuntary shiver down Henrietta's spine. Before she could react, Winona had hung up.

Staring at the dead phone, Henrietta felt a flicker of fear. She could almost see the hatred in Winona's eyes, as if she wanted to devour her whole.

Previously, Henrietta had always felt that Winona owed her, that Winona owed Felicity. So she had tormented Winona in every way she could, wishing she could pour boiling water on her head every day, not for a quick death, but for a slow, agonizing one. It was the only way to appease the rage in her heart.

All because she had seen her own flesh and blood, barefoot in a pigsty, feeding pigs, and gathering their feed from the mountainside. And if she had found Felicity just two months later, her daughter would have been married off to a man twenty or thirty years her senior. How could a mother not feel hatred? How could she not!

But she had never considered whether Winona might hate her in return.

At this moment, hearing Winona's calm, cold command for her family to go to hell, she faintly remembered the Winona from before she was sixteen—a truly brilliant and clever girl. From elementary to middle school, Winona had been first in her class in every subject. She had maintained that record until she was forced to drop out in her first year of high school.

Winona had desperately wanted to stay. She had even told Henrietta that as long as her parents agreed and let her continue her education, she would wear Felicity's hand-me-downs, atone for Felicity's suffering, and serve as Felicity's personal maid every day. Anything, as long as they didn't kick her out.

But she and Teague had still heartlessly thrown her out.

Thinking back now, it was possible Winona hated them. But why should she? They weren't her real family anyway.

Henrietta couldn't wrap her head around it. She just thought Winona was greedy, a snake trying to swallow an elephant.

"Excuse me, Mr. Shepherd. We've done business before, so you should remember me. Five years ago, when your construction company had a cash flow problem, you borrowed two hundred million from me for a short-term loan. I made a neat twenty million off that deal, and I've always been grateful. But…"

The speaker was a large, burly man who specialized in high-risk financing. Teague recognized him. Five years ago, he had indeed borrowed two hundred million from this man. His company needed to front the costs for a project, and despite its size, the more projects they took on, the more their capital was tied up. He was just three days away from securing the funds. So, he borrowed the money for just three days.

In those three days, the man had made twenty-four million. Teague had been grinding his teeth in anger when he paid it back. But as the man had said, he didn't have to borrow it. If he did, that was the price.

Teague had paid back the principal and interest through clenched teeth and had sworn never to deal with such people again. He never imagined that this same man would be at his doorstep today, trying to evict his family.

"What is your relationship with Yves Prescott?" Teague demanded.

"I'm just one of Mr. Prescott's humble followers. Is there a problem, Mr. Shepherd?" the man asked, his face expressionless.