Chapter 140 Leverage
Richard demanded custody of Daniel under the noble–sounding pretense of “taking responsibility as a father.” He had expected
some resistance, maybe even a scene, but to his surprise, Rebecca agreed without hesitation. She said she’d hand Daniel
over that very night.
She was the one who had insisted on having the child back then. And technically, if Daniel had grown into a difficult kid, it was still
her responsibility to raise him right, to guide him back onto the
proper path. But every time she looked at that face, so painfully
similar to Richard’s, rage would start boiling in her chest.
If things kept going like this, she wouldn’t just fail Daniel. She’d probably lose her mind first.
Anne arrived just in time to see Rebecca getting into a car with
Richard. Her mouth fell open.
Seriously? After everything, she’s going back to him?
Anne had once been a lovesick fool too, but at least she’d snapped out of it. She sighed, shook her head, and walked away.
Let people live their own lives. I’ve done enough.
Inside the car, Rebecca sat quietly next to Richard, and he could
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barely contain his excitement. This was the same woman who used to scream at the sight of him, and now she was sitting there
like a docile little kitten.
It’s like we’ve gone back in time, back to when she used to hang
on my every word.
He knew her weak spot, Daniel. If he wanted to win Rebecca
back, he had to start with the child.
At first, he’d dismissed his mother’s advice, but after seeing how
well it worked, he realized she was right. Daniel kept Rebecca tied to him, no matter how much she pretended otherwise. As long as that boy existed, there would always be a connection.
The car stopped outside Whitfield Manor. Rebecca turned to him and said, “Don’t come in. My parents are already on edge.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Since Nathaniel had been discharged, he’d been running himself ragged trying to save the company. Even Cordelia, who’d spent most of her life enjoying the perks of wealth, was out pulling strings. The only ones left at home with nothing to do were
Rebecca and Daniel.
And she knew perfectly well that she was the reason things had fallen apart.
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She wanted to help, but didn’t know how. The least she could do
was stay out of their way.
Meanwhile, Richard sat in the car, basking in his own self–satisfaction as he waited for Rebecca to bring Daniel out.
Nathaniel and Cordelia had never liked him, and with the Whitfield family falling apart, showing up uninvited would only make things
worse.
When Rebecca brought Daniel out, Richard’s eyes lit up.
Everyone knew how much that child meant to her. And yet here.
she was, handing him over.
This has to mean something. She still has feelings for me.
She still had feelings for him; of course she did. Even after he
walked out on her, she’d waited six years. Six whole years.
Sure, he’d rushed things, pushed too hard, triggered her
defenses. But if he just played it right–acted humble, softened his approach–she’d go right back to being the Rebecca who used to love him blindly.
The Morgan family was on the verge of collapse.
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The Whitfields weren’t in great shape either, but they were still
doing better. If he could tap into their resources–leverage Rebecca to patch the holes in the Morgan family–then maybe, just maybe, they could pull through.
But he wasn’t stupid. Controlling Rebecca wasn’t enough. The real decision–maker in the Whitfield family was Nathaniel. And
Cordelia? Just as much of a headache.
His mother had told him to leave it to her. She said she could
handle them.
And he believed her.
She used to be nothing more than a lowly servant. And yet, she’d
climbed her way to the top and became his father’s wife. She wasn’t just tough–she was ruthless, a true survivor.
Like mother, like son. He was certain they could power through
this crisis together. And once they did?
Let the world try and mock us then. I’ll be the only rightful heir to the Morgan name. The Whitfields will be mine too. No question.
Once his mother took care of Nathaniel and Cordelia, Rebecca
would be nothing more than an afterthought.
Richard narrowed his eyes, a cruel smile tugging at his lips. He
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had ways of making Rebecca hand over everything. She’d turn her into nothing more than a parasite, clinging to him just to
survive.
Downtown was buzzing, but Rebecca walked in silence beside a
bouncing, chattering Daniel.
She looked at him, her son, her flesh and blood. Despite all the
disappointment, the heartbreak, and the exhaustion, some fragile sliver of maternal love still flickered deep inside her. Before she let him go for good, she would walk beside him one last time. Even if Richard’s presence made her sick to her stomach, she would
endure it.
Daniel carried the Morgan family’s blood. Richard had brought
him home once, and with that copy–paste face, the Morgans had
adored him.
Back then, even while fighting with Richard, she’d clung to Daniel
like her life depended on it. She’d been terrified that the Morgans
would try to take him from her.
Now, she was willingly giving him back.
Maybe this was the best decision she could make for him. Better
than letting him stay with a mother on the verge of a breakdown.
*****
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“Daddy, who’s the cutest little bunny in the world?”
“That would be a girl named Eloise.”
“And who’s the prettiest bunny?”
“Still Eloise.”
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“Then who’s the handsomest daddy in the whole wide world?”
“Oh, come on. That’s easy. Obviously, the dad of the cutest,
prettiest little bunny.”
“Daddy, you’re so smart!”
Eloise giggled from atop Alistair’s shoulders, her pink bunny–ear
headband bouncing with every step.
With her perched up there, grinning and babbling, she was clearly the happiest and tallest kid on the street.
She kept glancing over her shoulder. “Daddy, will Mommy be able
to find us later?”
“Of course,” Alistair said. “Don’t worry. Mommy never gets lost.”
After leaving the pizza place, the three of them had strolled down
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the pedestrian street for a bit. Then Caroline got a work call, something urgent that needed her signature, so she had to run back to the office for a moment.
It wasn’t far. Ten minutes, tops.
Alistair had kept to the plan and continued walking with Eloise.
Ahead of them, a crowd of kids had gathered around an ice cream
cart.
“Want some ice cream, Eloise?”
“Yes!”
With Eloise still on his shoulders, Alistair strode toward the stand.
Eloise scanned the crowd, then leaned down and whispered urgently in his ear, “Daddy, I just saw your old son.”
She wriggled, trying to climb down. “Hurry, put me down! I’m too
tall up here. He might see me!”
Alistair set her down gently. “Even if he does, so what? You’ve got me. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
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