Chapter 3

"I just feel bad for Mr. Salle's five-year-old daughter. She's tugging on his pants and calling him 'Dad,' yet he doesn't even want to acknowledge her existence," Madison said. At that, Jordan noticed the change in Vincent's expression. It became gloomy for a split second before he composed himself. Jordan and Vincent were father and son, who had spent so many years together. Jordan immediately knew from that subtle change that something was up. He'd initially thought Madison was only making things up, but he wasn't sure now. "Dad, do you… Do you really have an illegitimate daughter?" he asked. Vincent's expression immediately became pained and tortured. His lips trembled as he said, "There's nothing of the sort. Don't spout nonsense." Jordan knew what that response meant. His anger disappeared, leaving him with only disappointment. "How could you do this, Dad? I can't believe you got yourself a mistress now that Mom's sick… "Who's the little bitch? Is it that secretary of yours? I told you from the start that she's up to no good, didn't I? Is she your mistress?" Vincent didn't say anything. His attention was focused on Madison's livestream. As he listened, he mumbled, "This can't be. How could anyone have known about this?" Jordan snapped, "Stay clear if you don't want anyone to learn about it! Someone's bound to find out if you've done anything!" "This is the Locke family's long-lost daughter, Madison, right?" Vincent asked. "Who else could it be?" Jordan didn't want to talk about other people right now. "Dad, you still haven't told me what's going on between you and that woman." Vincent had already regained his composure. His expression turned cold. "I don't have an illegitimate daughter. I'll explain everything to you after I've met Madison. And don't tell your mother about this!" Jordan fell silent. Judging from the look on Vincent's face, it looked like Madison was in deep trouble. Could it really be just slander? Vincent didn't act like it was fake, though… "Wait! Dad, are you heading over there right now?" … Jordan sat in the car and took some time to send a message to the group chat. Jordan: "Madison is dead meat. My dad's heading to the Locke residence to talk to her now." Rebecca: "Is it because of what happened during Madison's livestream earlier? Can you apologize to him on my behalf, Jordan? Maddie just doesn't know any better. Please ask Mr. Salle not to be mad at her." Jordan: "You've always been like this, Rebecca. When will you stop being such a saint? I'm not like you—you might be able to stand Madison, but I can't. My dad can't stand her, either, so he's going to teach her a lesson. Who knows what other trouble she'll cause in the future?" Keith: "Wait. Your dad is such a mild-tempered guy. I can't believe he's actually gotten angry over something!" Queenie: "Madison needs to be taught a lesson. If she has the nerve to snatch Becky's evening gown today and spread rumors about Mr. Salle, she might just use all our families' secrets to garner more attention tomorrow." Rebecca watched as her friends started chatting excitedly because of Jordan's words. Most of them were against Madison's actions and in support of teaching her a lesson. After some thought, she went to knock on her parents' room. Shortly after, someone knocked on Madison's door. Madison opened it to see her father, William Locke, and Tanya standing outside. They didn't look too happy. Because of what had happened during the welcome party, they both felt like they owed Madison and wanted to make things up to her. Now, however, she'd gone and caused trouble again. William wasn't good at communicating with his children, especially with Madison, whom he hadn't spent any time with. He didn't dare to be too harsh, nor did he want to let her off lightly. "Vincent is coming over. Do you know why?" "Yeah." William's gaze was a mixture of anger and resignation. "Why did you have to go say those things if you knew the situation would end up like this? You… You need to stop with those livestreams. It's not like we'll let you go without money." "It's my job," Madison said coldly. Rebecca stood behind William and Tanya. She said in a small voice, "Maddie, those livestreams you do are a little… disgraceful. If you really want to work and be popular, you can join the entertainment industry. "Ethan has connections there. I can talk to him if you really want to become a star. I'm sure he'll help you out." Madison glanced at her before saying, "He's my brother." Rebecca's face crumpled. She looked aggrieved. Tanya wanted to stand up for her, so she wasn't too nice to Madison. "Maddie, don't be so hostile to Becky. She… She's our daughter, too." She couldn't help finding Madison insensible. She was nothing like Rebecca, who was obedient and compliant. William sighed when he saw how stubbornly Madison was acting. "Vincent will be here soon. I want you to wait for him downstairs. Apologize to him when he gets here and tell him you won't say anything like that in the future. Do you hear me?" Madison didn't respond. All she did was return to her room to put on a cardigan. Then, she followed them downstairs. Vincent and Jordan arrived as soon as the Lockes got downstairs. The father and son entered the house, both having ugly looks on their faces. Jordan was incensed when he saw Madison. He pointed at her and snapped, "You've got some nerve, Madison. How dare you—" "Jordan!" Vincent barked. "William is still around. Show some manners!" William didn't mind at all. "Why are you telling Jordan off, Vincent? It's all Maddie's fault, anyway. Hurry up and apologize, Maddie!" Madison sat on the couch and leisurely sipped her coffee. "Did you want something from me?" Vincent wasn't fazed by her attitude. He asked, "Did anyone tell you about the things you said during the livestream?" "Yes." "How much did they pay you?" This was the most likely possibility Vincent could think of—a business competitor was trying to get him where it hurt and make him lose his composure. "No one paid me anything." Vincent didn't buy it. "I'm good friends with your father, Maddie. I can sweep this matter under the rug, and you can come to me in the future if you're ever short on cash. "You need to know that you can't accept money from just about anyone, though! Your father and I might be friends, but that doesn't mean I won't get mad at you." He'd been in the business world long enough that he had a commanding presence. Most youngsters would feel afraid when seeing him like this, even Jordan. However, Madison looked unruffled. She continued sipping her coffee leisurely. Vincent turned to leave after saying his piece. William followed him, apologizing profusely. They had just gotten to the entrance when Madison suddenly said, "She wanted me to ask you whether you've already bought her birthday present." Vincent abruptly stopped and whipped around to look at her. She continued calmly, "She said she doesn't like that diamond tiara. She likes the colorful one. Did you buy the right one?" Vincent's calm expression suddenly morphed into one of torment. The birthday tiara was a secret only he and his daughter knew—even his wife wasn't aware of it. "Did you… Did you really see her calling me 'Dad'?" he asked. "Yeah." "Is she…" Madison stiffened. Then, she nodded. Vincent clenched his fists and trembled all over. He became choked up as he said, "She… She was only five! It's all my fault for not protecting her. I was too busy with my work and missed her birthday." He suddenly bent over and started crying. Jordan was stunned by this. He turned to look at the Lockes, who were equally shocked. Madison was the only one who looked calm—she was probably the only one who knew what was going on. "Dad!" Jordan had never seen Vincent cry like this before. The latter took some time to calm down. Then, he wiped his tears away and looked at Madison earnestly, "Maddie, can you help me find her?" Madison turned to him to answer him. Then, she saw the black energy pulsating around his and Jordan's faces. She asked, "Is your wife not at home, Mr. Salle?" Vincent shook his head. "No. She hasn't been feeling well recently and was admitted to the hospital. I just returned from visiting her there." "If you head to the hospital right now, you might be able to save her life," Madison said. Vincent and Jordan were rendered speechless.