Chapter 333

Joyce had been married Doug for a while. She had mastered the art of torturing people.

Alexander couldn't imagine lowering himself to the extent Joyce had.

So, when Joyce presented her conditions, he scoffed at them.

Determined to claw his way out of the abyss, he threw himself into action.

He began slashing profits to attract partnerships,attending minor events he once dismissed as beneath him, and courting small businesses he had long ignored.

Alexander wasn't clueless-far from it. His years in business hadn't been idle. He knew the game. So,the day he scored a new client, he was all smiles as he swung by to pick Richard up from the hospital.

"This deal looks promising. But with such a hefty deposit, can you manage it?" Richard sighed heavily.

"I'll figure something out. You just focus on getting better, Dad," Alexander replied.

Richard fell silent, his brows furrowing in thought.Finally, he said, "I still have over five million on hand.For the rest, you might have to consider selling our villa."

Alexander stiffened, his jaw tightening. "But you've always said the villa is Grandpa's legacy. You swore we'd never touch it, no matter what."

Richard said with a weary sigh, "But what choice do we have? We can't just sit back and watch the Bennett family fall apart."

Alexander's eyes darkened. After a moment, he spoke, his voice quiet but firm. "Don't worry,Dad.I'll find a way to save the Bennett family-and the villa." With that, Richard waved him off, retreating upstairs to rest.

The Bennett family's assets were already mortgaged to the hilt.

Even so, they were still short by over ten million.

For a man who had grown up surrounded by privilege, who had once basked in the glow of Daniela's unwavering devotion, Alexander found himself in uncharted territory.

Never in his wildest dreams did he think ten million wouId ever keep him up at night.

He reached out to every connection he had across Olisvine, but even after exhausting every favor,he was still eight million short.

Just as desperation began to creep in, his phone buzzed with a message from Joyce. "Have you thought it through?"

The sight of her name made his blood boil. His grip tightened around the phone, his knuckles turning white.

He didn't want to think about it.

But as his options dwindled, he felt the walls closing in.

He'd been hanging by a thread, down to his last roll of the dice.

The weight of her words-be Joyce's slave-hung over him like a guillotine.

Joyce wasn't just offering help; she was dangling it like bait, knowing full well the humniliation it would cost him.

That evening, as Daniela left work, Alexander waited for her outside.

"What do you want?" Daniela asked, her tone laced with disdain. Just the sight of him seemed to sour her mood.

"| need to talk."

If he had to swallow his pride, he'd rather do it in front of Daniela.

"Can you lend me ten million dollars?" he asked.

Daniela raised an eyebrow.

" need it urgently," he continued. "Just for a month.I'll pay you back with interest. Market rate, of course."

Daniela just looked at him. "Given our history, do you really think it's appropriate to come to me? Or do you think we're close enough for this kind of favor?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but Daniela cut him off with a shake of her head. "We're divorced,Alexander.What makes you think you have the right to ask me for anything? Do you have no shame?"

His cheeks flushed, the sting of her words sharper than he'd anticipated. "It's not like I'm asking for charity. I said I'd pay you back-with interest."

Daniela retorted, "Do you think I need your interest?That's not the point." Of course, she didn't. He knew that.

"But I've run out of options," he admitted. "I don't know who else to ask."

Daniela's frown deepened. "And that led you to me?"

Her cold indifference was like a dagger to his chest.

"Do you really hate me that much?"

"It's not about hate, Alexander. It's about moving on.There's no reason for us to stay connected anymore.We're not in the same world. Can't you see that?"

Daniela had ascended to a realm of unimaginable wealth and power, while Bennett Group teetered on the brink of collapse, unable to scrape together even ten million.

They really were living in completely different worlds now.

The sky grew darker eventually.

A cold wind swept through the streets, carrying the first drops of rain. As the storm rolled in, Alexander stood alone,his despair as heavy as the weight of the falling night.