Chapter 779 The Bold Demand
On the following morning, Natalie went to the old Bayer residence according to Thomas’ wishes at the appointed hour.
Although the old house was located in the middle of the city, it had long lost its former grandeur. A dense wall of green creepers had covered the entirety of the red brick wall and blocked the sunlight from reaching indoors, making the house look more gloomy than it already was.
Natalie was not afraid of ghosts and spirits. She pushed open the rusted iron door and strode right in.
As if to prove her wrong, a black cat suddenly jumped out of the unkempt grass with a yowl and made Natalie jump.
After comforting herself with the reasoning that a stray cat would undoubtedly find comfort in the tall, scraggly lawn, Natalie found herself wondering about Thomas’ motives for inviting her to a place where few people came.
As she walked, Natalie kept a wary eye. Before entering the house, she had sent a location link to Samuel who was keeping an eye on her. As added precautions, she had turned on the real-time recording and online transmission functions of her phone.
Although Thomas had become powerless and disgraced, she was afraid that he might be tempted to act desperately should he feel like he was being backed into a corner.
Within a few steps into the yard, she saw him.
Thomas looked several decades older than when Natalie had last seen him. More than half of his hair had turned white. His face was haggard and worn from the loose skin that hung about his cheeks. In short, he looked as different from the middle-aged man in his prime as he could possibly look.
During their last encounter at the door of Dream’s office building, Natalie had not noticed the stump on Thomas’ left arm. This time, she saw the obvious discrepancy in the length of his left hand compared to his right. As if to complete the puzzling sight, his left stump bulged in its snug gauze enclosure.
Being familiar with human anatomy, Natalie frowned at once. “What’s wrong with your hand?”
“Er,” Thomas mumbled vaguely as he avoided her gaze, “I had an accident. My arm had been cut off by a machine. As the infection was becoming serious, the doctor suggested removing it all to contain the spread.”
“What machine?” Natalie asked, her eyes narrowing further. To her knowledge, businessmen like Thomas did not have any need to operate dangerous machinery.
“I…” Thomas did not know how to answer. The only thing he could do was to change the subject. “I was at the factory for an inspection and I… Never mind, that’s not the point. I came to you today because I have more important things to tell you.”
“Fine,” Natalie said coldly, “let’s get straight to the point. What happened twenty-three years ago?”
Thomas licked his dry lips and wore an unctuous smile. “I’m your father no matter what, Nat. Can we talk about Dexmed Pharmaceutical first? I promise we’ll talk about your grandfather soon.”
“Dexmed Pharmaceutical is my life’s blood,” he continued at Natalie’s curt nod, “and I have paid too much for it to be taken from me. Don’t you think two million for all the shares in my possession to be too cruel?”
“Two million is too little?” Natalie repeated mercilessly, “Dexmed Pharmaceutical had a sterling reputation, no doubt, but it has been declining over the years. Coupled with the recent scandal, you should be content that somebody would pay two million for the mess you’ve made.”
“It’s too paltry a sum for-”
“Two million, if you live frugally, is more than enough for the rest of your life,” Natalie sneered. “You should have thought of that before you betrayed my grandfather and my mother!”
Thomas gazed at her with despair. “I…but I’m your father! It was your mother’s fault that I’d treated you badly before! Without me, you wouldn’t have been born! How is two million enough for me to live out my days? Two hundred million! Give me two hundred million for me to enjoy my twilight years, and I will tell you everything that happened to your grandfather!”
Two hundred million? He’s got balls to ask for a hundred times what he got.
Natalie pursed her lips and regarded the stubborn and shameless man before her.
“So that is why you wanted to meet today.” Natalie stared at Thomas coldly. “Is this your term for a peace negotiation? You want me to spend two hundred million to buy the truth of my grandfather’s death?”
