Chapter 84: The Law Did Not Frame You
Arianna smiled at the phone. What was the bottom line of this elder she had respected, like respecting her father since childhood? He had betrayed grandfather and betrayed her. The direct cause of my grandfather’s illness was him. And now he came again, trying his luck on extortion.
Chester apparently misunderstood her laughter. He spoke with a bit of awkwardness, “You thought that you had been secretive with him in these years, and I have no evidence in my hand, so nobody will believe me? Travis Cooper had wanted to put an end to Sanchez Group, but he stopped halfway and began helping the company. The only reason is that you made a deal with him. You must think that I am shameless, but you need to know Franco Sanchez was by no means a good boss or a good person. That’s the only reason why all of us betrayed him. I followed him for twenty years. But when he finished exploiting the last bit of my value, he kicked me off. I just want to get back what belongs to me. Arian, it’s your bloodthirsty grandfather who pushed me this far!”
“Uncle Luke, please respect the deceased.” Arianna calmly interrupted him.
“Wow, Arian, you are so calm. Has Charles Christopher known your past, so you are not afraid? Do you think a big family like him no longer cherishes their reputation nowadays? But you need to know, on top of all, the force behind Travis Cooper is the old enemy of the Christopher family. They would not bear to accept such a daughter-in-law when there are gossipers out there. You may think your deal with Travis Cooper was only meant to save your grandfather and your family business, but who else in the world would believe you? In the eyes of any bystander, you just behaved like a woman of a conquered nation who chose to please the foe so as not to lose everything or suffer hardship from life. Do you have any idea the Christopher family had a lot of war heroes in the history of their clan? When I tell the story around, those who like to see the shame of the Christopher family will surely try to verify this information. Maybe Charles loves you more than anything, or maybe the Christopher family could even accept you, but with that kind of history, your life won’t be easy in that family.”
He was speaking with such a high spirit that Arianna did not want to interrupt him.
Until he had a break, she finally asked, “So, what do you want?”
“Oh, I like a straightforward girl. One million dollars, and this story will disappear.”
“Uncle Luke, thank you for overestimating the value of my reputation.”
“Arian, it’s the reputation of the daughter-in-law of the Christopher family we are talking about! And your peaceful life in the future with such an excellent man is worth much more than that, right?” Chester changed his tone into cajoling a child.
Arianna continued to chuckle on the other end of the phone.
Chester was a little angry when he heard her laughter, “I offer you a 20% discount, that’s 800, 000 dollars, no less than that. And I need that cash in three days, or you will soon see your name and picture on gossip tabloids. Arian, I have liked you so much since you were a child. I really don’t want to push a girl like you into the fire pit.”
Arianna was really amused, “Uncle Luke, you may say anything you want. I cannot undo what I had done before. And I cannot trust you when you say you will let the story disappear. But I will give you 500, 000 dollars. That’s all the cash I can raise in three days. You may regard it as compensation for your part in our family business, but not a ransom for my reputation. If you still need more, you will have to find it from other sources.”
“Your family owes me much more than 500, 000! Arian, Franco Sanchez had done much worse things than I did, and yet he could feign madness and happily die in a hospital under the care of his granddaughter. And I have to pay for the crimes he committed!”
“Uncle Luke, you may call me if you accept my offer. And, blackmailing is a criminal offense.” Arianna hung up the phone.
Arianna’s heart said, “The law did not frame you. You are abandoned by your wife and daughter only because you deserve that.”
But she did feel sorry for Chester. Just now, he insulted her grandfather and made her unhappy, but according to her understanding, her grandfather could indeed have owed him a lot.
Moreover, the evidence that could put grandfather in prison until he died was destroyed, and the accomplice Chester became a prisoner. If it wasn’t for Arianna’s request to Travis, Chester might not have ended up living in prison these years.
Arianna never really intervened in the company’s affairs. She could not compensate for the loss and insult Chester suffered. She didn’t think Chester was innocent but only thought it was unfair that Chester did not escape from justice because of her. She could use her own 500, 000 dollars in exchange for her own peace of mind.NôvelDrama.Org content rights.
As for what she had done in the past, she could not keep it a secret forever. She never really wished anyone would find out. She only hoped someone could understand and forgive her. Other than that, she was helpless about the situation.
Arianna planned to confess all the things to Charles. She did not feel the need to apologize to him. But if her past would bring trouble to him and his family, then she really would be the one to take the blame.
However, Charles was very busy that day. She dialed a few calls and it showed that the other party was not convenient to answer. He dialed back to her in the evening. He was very sorry and said he had been in a meeting, and the meeting was likely to last till midnight. And he had to get up early the next morning for a long business trip. After saying that, Charles hung up.
Arianna did not have the opportunity to speak out.
That night, Arianna had insomnia again. In the middle of the night, she drank a little wine and smoked a few cigarettes. She seldom loses her sleep anymore these days, and she had given up smoking for a long time because of Charles.