Chapter 300

Katrina furrowed her brow as she switched off her phone.

The thought of wealthy people dabbling in shady dealings was nothing new to her. Over the years, she had grown accustomed to her comfortable lifestyle and had no desire to face a harsher reality.

Placing her phone aside with a sigh, Katrina glanced at Joyce and said, "I need to use the restroom."

Joyce got up to assist her mother.

Once Katrina was inside, Joyce quickly stepped out,her eyes darting to the phone Katrina had left on the bed.

"Joyce, I need a hand, please," Katrina called from inside.

"I'm on my way," Joyce answered hastily, placing the phone back exactly where it had been and heading to help her mother.

When they came back, Joyce sat down and eagerly began peeling an orange for Katrina.

Katrina observed her daughter with a hint of surprise."You're in an unusually sweet mood today, aren't you?"

Joyce beamed at her. "You're my mom.Why wouldn't I want to take the best care of you?"

Katrina's face softened into a smile.

Joyce continued, "Mom, you've always been there for me, haven't you? I know I can count on you to keep me safe. I'm so thankful you're my mom."

Joyce hardly ever spoke so openly, and it nearly brought Katrina to tears.

That night, Joyce stayed by Katrina's side, looking after her before heading home. For the first time in a while, Katrina felt genuinely comforted.It felt like her child had finally started to mature,making all the sacrifices she had made feel worthwhile.

When Joyce returned home, she found Daniela immersed in reviewing a pile of reports.

A secretary stóod beside Daniela, briskly updating her on various work matters.

Daniela caught sight of Joyce entering and narrowed her eyes slightly but said nothing.

Cedric quickly took a seat beside Daniela.

He wasn't interested in Joyce, but he thoroughly enjoyed being the center of Daniela's attention.

A little pampering now and then didn't bother him at all.

As Cedric moved closer to her, Daniela offered a faint smile before turning her attention back to the documents spread out in front of her.

Joyce felt like she had just been subjected to an overly sugary moment. Mumbling something under her breath, she stomped upstairs.

When Joyce returned downstairs, Daniela's secretary was already gone.

Joyce threw herself onto the living room sofa,exuding a newfound sense of confidence.

Even Caiden couldn't help but notice how much Joyce's mood had improved.

"So, what's the deal? Did someone bail you out of your debt mess?" Caiden asked, raising an eyebrow.

Joyce let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Yeah. Who needs a useless dad when l've got someone who actually steps up?"

Caiden instantly caught the meaning behind her words.

He didn't care much and shrugged it off as something that didn't affect him.

Caiden turned his attention back to the TV, while Daniela cast a calm, measured glance at Joyce. To Daniela, there were people who would never learn restraint, no matter how many times life knocked them down. And Joyce was exactly that type of person.

Settling on the couch, Daniela opened her laptop and started typing with purpose.

She'd already had a nagging feeling that something didn't add up.

Katrina had claimed to be out of options, yet somehow she'd managed to gather millions to secure Joyce's release.

Katrina,who had been Caiden's wife for years, might have stashed away a small fortune. But did she truly have access to a hundred million? That question alone stirred Daniela's suspicions.

With swift precision, she hacked into the banking system and retrieved Katrina's recent transaction records. As expected, a seven-figure transfer had landed in Katrina's account just one day before Joyce's release.

Daniela tapped on the screen, and the sender's name popped up.

Erika Schmidt.

Daniela recognized the name instantly-it was Katrina's mother, a notorious gambler. Katrina had often supported Erika financially in the past, so it wasn't shocking to see some money flowing back her way.

But still, where did Katrina manage to secure a hundred million for Joyce?

Daniela checked every phone number linked to Erika,her fingers dancing over the keyboard.

It didn't take long for her to uncover all of Erika's recent calls and messages.

One message, in particular, grabbed Daniela's attention.

"There's a man named Doug Fairburne. I told him you need money, and he said he's willing to help. If you keep him company, he'll transfer the funds right away."

Daniela angled her laptop, letting Cedric read the message glowing on the screen.