The Road to Rebirth Her Fresh Start and His Late Sorrow by Helena R. Bates

Chapter 129

Albert stared at Lucy, who was practically vibrating with excitement, his eyes dark with frustration. Without a second thought, he slapped her hard across the face.

Smack-!

Lucy froze in shock, her hand flying to her cheek as the sting set in. "Dad, how could you hit me?" she asked, disbelief coloring her voice.

"How could I not?" Albert yelled, his voice rising with each word. "We've lost all contact with Hackett, and even the people I sent out can't be reached! Do you understand what that means?"

"Lucy, they might be in trouble because of you! Was Baldrick worth risking the entire Allen family over?" Lucy flinched at his words, fear creeping into her heart as she stared at the contorted features of her father.

"Dad, you're overreacting," she tried to reason, her voice shaking slightly. "Hackett's probably just busy with Lena and can't get to the phone."

But before she could finish her sentence, her phone rang.

it up, answering urgently,

Hackett's last location to a shack outside Featherwood, but it burned down last

was dumbstruck,

drop. Her voice turned sharp, almost

on the line, as if the person on the other end was grappling with

him, and find him fast!" Albert ordered, panic lacing his voice. Lucy mirrored his

hastily before the line went

by a growing sense

you've been embezzling

had

alone, Lucy's mind spun. Only Baldrick knew about the embezzled

Damn it!!!

previous night, an hour later, the Allen family's dirty laundry was splashed across the internet. Money laundering, exploitation of minors, and using threats to coerce business partners-this scandal was ten times worse than Lucy's previous tabloid

on shaky ground, crumbled under