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, "Hello?

tracked Hackett's last location to a shack outside Featherwood, but it burned down last night. It's nothing but

you say..." Albert was dumbstruck, his mind refusing to process the

overhear, felt her heart drop. Her voice turned sharp, almost

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

lacing

hastily before the

call ended, Lucy and Albert stared at each other, both paralyzed by a growing sense of dread. Suddenly, a group of officers burst into

you've

barely had time to process what was happening

the embezzled funds. Did

Damn it!!!

dig deeper into the events of the previous night, an hour later, the Allen family's dirty laundry was splashed across the internet. Money laundering, exploitation of minors, and using threats

shaky ground, crumbled under the weight