when she left he went crazy (Hope and Christopher)
CHAPTER 126

Chapter 126 You Are Not a Member of the Royston Family

I thought of Beata's injuries and my voice turned cold, "Soon, we won't be family anymore."

"What do you mean?" Johnson's gaze shifted, settling suspiciously on Walter beside me. "Who is he, and why did you bring him here?"

"He is Mr. Rogers, one of the top divorce lawyers in Jacquar." I introduced him with a steely calmness. "You will divorce Beata, whether you like it or not."

Johnson's facade crumbled, rage flashing in his eyes. He lunged at me, but the bodyguards swiftly restrained him. His face flushed with fury. "Hope Royston, you're an ungrateful little-! You marry someone powerful and now you treat me like this? Forcing me to divorce Beata?"

I replied calmly, "Whether I am ungrateful or not, my aunt will know."

To me, the only person who truly showed me kindness was Beata, and Johnson had nothing to do with it.

Johnson gritted his teeth and shouted. "Fine! I can divorce her! But I want an equal share of the property!"

I fixed Johnson with a withering look. "What property do you think is left for you to divide? Fine, even if there is, rest assured the lawyer will handle it thoroughly."

"I'm not talking about the property between me and your aunt!" Johnson roared.

I frowned, puzzled. "What property, then?"

"Your property!" Johnson declared with audacious entitlement. "The Valence family estate-you have half of it, right? With all those assets, give me half, and I'll gladly divorce."

His brazen demand was almost laughable. "Christopher Valence and I are indeed getting a divorce, but I won't see a penny of the Valence family assets. If you're so inclined, you can take it up with Christopher Valence yourself."

Johnson smirked, undeterred. "Oh really? That car of yours is worth a fortune, isn't it? Mr. Valence must have given you at least one house, not to mention all the jewelry over the years. I spoke with a lawyer; those are your personal assets. I'm not greedy, just give me seventy percent of those and we'll call it even!:

I took a deep breath, struggling to contain my rising anger, and asked evenly, "Who do you think you are to demand my property?"

I've seen people with wishful thinking, but Johnson's level of delusion was in a class of its own.

Johnson glared at me, practically spitting in his outrage. "Just because I raised you for years, you ingrate with no blood tie to me, you should be thankful for even being taken care of!"

"Johnson Dylan, if you insist on claiming you did me a favor, I have long repaid it. Beyond the fifteen thousand dollars, just the affair with Viktor-if it weren't for Christopher Valence, you wouldn't be standing here today."

My voice remained icy. "As for the rest, the blood relation is with my aunt. It was my aunt who raised me..."

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Chapter 126 You Are Not a Member of the Royston Family

"Bullshit!" Johnson cut me off, eyes bulging with fury. "You have no blood relation to her, you're not even a member of

the Royston family..."

"Johnson Dylan!" The hospital room door flew open, revealing Beata's pale, angry face. She glared at Johnson, her voice trembling. "What nonsense are you spewing? Are you drunk?"

Johnson's unfinished words hung in the air, leaving me stunned. I stared at Beata, dazed and confused. "Beata, he said

I'm not a member of the Royston family?

"Don't listen to his nonsense," she said, leaning weakly against the doorframe and beckoning me inside. "Come in quickly."

I entered, weighed down by a torrent of thoughts. "Alright."

"He was just venting. Don't take it personally," Beata remarked, her eyes filled with concern as they searched my face. "You know how your parents treated you. If you weren't a Royston, would they have risked everything for you?"

With these words, the tension in my muscles slowly ebbed away. Beata was right. If I weren't their child, who would go to such lengths?

Gently, I helped Beata lie down and bent over to tuck the blanket around her. "How have you been feeling these past few days? Any improvement?"

Beata nodded. "Much better. The doctor said after one more round of chemo, I'll just need to rest and recover."

"That's good to hear," I said.

As I moved to stand, Beata noticed the rabbit necklace that had slipped out from under my collar. She carefully tucked it back in. "Make sure you keep this necklace hidden. Don't let anyone else see it." I was momentarily startled. "Why?"

Beata's eyes flickered with a mix of anxiety and candor. "It's too valuable. I don't want anyone with ill intentions to

covet it."

I nodded, feeling the weight of her concern. "Alright, I understand."

This rabbit necklace was a rarity, even more unique than the treasures Mr. Valence had set aside for my child. I could fully grasp why Beata was so protective.

Summoning Walter into the room, I made the introduction. "Beata, this is Mr. Rogers. He'll be handling your divorce."

"Hello, Ms. Dylan. Hope briefed me on your situation while we were on our way up. We may need to go over some specifics," Walter said, diving straight into the matter at hand.

Beata, clearly apprehensive, looked at Walter. "Hello. You seem like a top-notch lawyer. How do you charge for your

services?"

Walter responded with a reassuring smile. "No need to worry. Hope and I are friends, and this is a straightforward case. I'll take care of it pro bono."

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Chapter 126 You Are Not a Member of the Royston Family

I had arranged this with Walter in advance to ensure Beata wouldn't feel any added financial pressure.

Beata glanced at me, and seeing my nod of reassurance, she relaxed. The rest was no longer my

concern.

I exited the hospital room and instinctively scanned the hall for Johnson, but he had already left. His words, however, lingered in my mind, unsettling me. Back home, I couldn't shake the distraction all afternoon. When people are angry and humiliated, their words-beyond the curses-often reveal painful truths.

As Beata had reminded me, my parents had always treated me with such love and care. How could I possibly not be their biological child?

But then, my thoughts drifted to Skylar and how she adored Kimberly, treating her with a mother's love as if she were her own daughter.

Unable to silence my doubts, I finally broke down and called Johnson. "Do you have time now? There's something I need to ask you."

After the confrontation this afternoon, I fully expected Johnson to lash out at me, but to my surprise, he agreed readily. "You want to ask about something I mentioned earlier, right? I can't explain it over the phone. Let's meet."

A sense of suspense gripped my heart. "Alright, how about now?" I responded immediately.

"Not now, at seven tonight," Johnson said, pausing momentarily as if speaking to someone else. Then he continued, "At the coffee shop next to Harborview Haven."

A coffee shop. For most people, such a location was ordinary, but Johnson, being a known gambler, made it unusual.

"At a coffee shop?" I echoed, puzzled.

Johnson coughed lightly, his patience wearing thin. "Yes, a coffee shop. Come if you want; I won't wait for you. It's a

afraid I'll do something to you?"

public place with people coming and going. Are you

I took a deep breath and agreed, 'T'll be there."

Realizing that Beata wouldn't have the answers I sought, I knew I had no choice. I had to replace Johnson. Chapter Comments

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