Chapter 8 Lending Another Five Million

• Lucas could be heard wailing on the other line, “Save me, Sis! You won't be able to see me ever again if you don't come over now!”
• The look on Heather's face changed instantly. “What's going on? Where are you?”
• “I'm at Cloud Casino! I need you to come over with all the money you've got, Sis!”
• “You...” Heather grew so mad that she nearly fainted on the spot.
• Carmen snatched the phone over and asked worriedly, “How much do you owe them, Lucas?”
• “You're Lucas' mother, right? He owes us a total of five million. You have one hour to bring us the money, or I will chop his arms off!” said a man in the background before the line went dead.
• “Five million?” Carmen nearly dropped the phone as she staggered backward.
• Where are we going to get that much money?
• “I told you not to spoil him so much, but you wouldn't listen to me. Now look what he's done! How are we going to get five million?” Heather exclaimed anxiously and angrily as she took the phone over.
• “He's my only son, Heather! I need him to look after me when I'm old, so it's only natural that I spoil him!” Carmen protested with tears rolling down her cheeks.
• “What do we do about the five million?” Heather asked.
• After giving it some thought, Carmen came up with an idea and said, “Why don't you call Mr. Wallace for help? I'm sure the men at the casino would respect him enough to let your brother go!”
• “Even if they respect him, they're still going to want their money back!” Heather did not want to ask Walt for help at all.
• “Then ask him to lend you five million! He was able to lend you thirty million, so what's another five million?” Carmen protested shamelessly.
• Heather's face turned red with rage when she heard that. “Mom! Are you seriously asking me to trade my body for money again? Is that all I am to you?”
• “You're going to be with Mr. Wallace the day after tomorrow anyway, so you might as well ask him for a little more money while you're at it! If you manage to please him, he might even lend you forty million!” Carmen replied in the most matter-of-fact tone possible. She genuinely believed that was the right thing to do.
• “You...” Heather was so mad that she couldn't even finish her sentence.
• “Let me handle this, Heather,” Alex said with the divorce papers still in his hand.
• “You?” Heather and Carmen asked in unison while shifting their gaze toward him.
• One of them had anger in her eyes and the other disdain.
• “That's right. I'll pay off the five million that Lucas owes,” Alex said.
• I still have the black card that Dad left me. Even fifty billion wouldn't be a problem for me, let alone five million!
• “Shut up!” Heather shouted angrily.
• Alex may have been a lazy bum who never made any efforts to achieve success in life, but he never talked big nor pretended to be someone he wasn't. However, he seems to have changed a lot lately. It's as though I don't even know him anymore!
• “I'm serious, Heather.”
• “Shut up! You keeping your mouth shut is the greatest form of help you can give me!” Heather refused to hear him out.
• “Go sit in a corner or something, you worthless piece of trash!” Carmen said while shoving Alex aside.
• She then turned toward Heather and continued, “Heather, the guys at the casino are monsters who would do anything for money! They'll chop your brother's arms off if you don't ask Mr. Wallace for help!”
• Heather's chest was heaving while her body trembled all over.
• She wanted to save her brother, but she absolutely dreaded asking the man she hated most for help.
• Her eyes were filled with resentment and disappointment toward Lucas as she said, “Let me make this clear, Mom. This is the last time I will ever help Lucas out. If he doesn't learn his lesson, then he will be on his own the next time he gets himself into trouble!”
• Carmen was so intimidated by Heather's stern tone that she nodded profusely in response. “I promise I'll discipline him this time, Heather!”
• Heather took a deep breath to calm herself down before saying, “Give me Walt's number!”
• Quickly looking up the number, Carmen read it out to her.
• “Don't go to Walt for help, Heather! I really am able to help you out!” Alex shouted angrily.
• Heather simply shot him a disappointed glance and gave Walt a call.
• “Hi, Walt. This is Heather. Are you free right now?” she asked after giving it some thought.
• Walt could be heard chuckling over the phone a few seconds later. “Ah, Heather! I'm with a client at the moment, but I can go see you right away if you need me to.”
• Heather's lips curled into a bitter smile as she found his laughter pretentious and annoying, but she knew she had to please him.
• After telling Walt what happened to Lucas, she said, “It's fine if you can't help me out, though.”
• “Cloud Casino, huh? I don't know the boss that well, but he should be willing to do me a favor,” Walt replied.
• “Thank you in advance, then. Let's meet up at Cloud Casino,” Heather said.
• “Please, there's no need to thank me! I mean, you know how I feel about you! You're still home, right? Wait for me; I'll go pick you all up in twenty minutes,” Walt replied and hung up the phone.
• Feeling relieved after hearing that Walt was willing to help them out, Carmen began insulting Alex again. “Honestly, comparing you and Mr. Wallace only frustrates me even more. The fact that we need an outsider like him to resolve our own problems just goes to show how useless you are! All you can do is talk big!”
• Carmen then shot Alex a disdainful look before leaving the house with Heather to wait for Walt.
• Alex took a deep breath to calm himself down. He wanted to follow them and see how things would turn out, but he didn't feel safe leaving Stanley home alone.
• “How about I take you out on an adventure, Stanley?” Alex asked while glancing at Stanley, who had a depressed look on his face.
• “I don't want Mommy and Grandma to scold you like that, Daddy,” Stanley said.
• Alex felt his heart ache when he heard that. “Your mommy and grandma won't scold me anymore after this, Stanley,” he said with a faint smile while patting Stanley on the head.