"Send your wife to prison. She needs a lesson," said Nadine Lambert, Jericho Bowman's mistress.

Driven by her manipulation, Jericho and his son, Kashton Bowman, had Romina Sandoval imprisoned, subjecting her to three years of brutal torture.

On the day of Romina's release, Jericho and Kashton came to the prison to meet her.

She looked up, her gaze landing on the two men standing in front of her.

Jericho met her gaze.

He was instantly stunned.

What happened to Romina these past three years?

She had lost so much weight.

Gone was her radiant confidence. He found himself staring at a gaunt, trembling stranger.

How could this be? He had pulled some strings to make sure she was well taken care of in prison...

Was she ... faking it?

As scenes from three years ago flashed across his mind, his expression turned indifferent again.

So what if she had been tortured in there?

She brought this all upon herself.

His icy tone showed no guilt at all. "Get in the car. After three years, I suppose you've learned your lesson. You should know better than picking on Nadine from now on."

Kashton was stunned, too.

In his memory, Romina was so beautiful.

She had been luminous and radiant, her smile breathtakingly gentle.

Who ... was this woman? He could barely recognize her.

A while later, he came back to his senses, putting on an icy expression. "Daddy's right. Nadi's nice, so she forgave you. But, Mommy, if you try to hurt her again, Daddy and I will never forgive you."

"Forgive me?"

Romina's expression stayed blank. After quite a while, she scoffed, a trace of pain and mockery flickering in her eyes, "Kashton, I'm your mother. You and your father sent me to jail. Who gave you the right to talk of forgiving me?"

Before her stood the two men she'd once loved most in this world, the same ones who'd put her behind bars three years ago.

Jericho had saved her life. From that very moment, she became obsessed with him.

The Bowman family was nothing compared to the Sandoval family back then, yet she was set to marry him at any cost—defying her mother, abandoning her own family, and leaving with all the money and resources she had.

After marrying him, she abandoned her career to play the perfect wife. Day after day, she buried herself in domestic drudgery, letting her gift for naturopathy wither away.

With all the sacrifices she had made, she thought, at the very least, she deserved Jericho's respect. However, he remained perpetually cold and indifferent.

His attitude toward her affected Kashton, who grew up showing her neither affection nor respect. His most repeated line was, "Mommy, you don't even have a job. You have no right to tell me what to do."

She used to think Jericho and Kashton were born cold.

Until Jericho's unforgettable love, Nadine, came back to the country.

In front of her, his usual icy composure melted away. When he smiled, the outer corners of his eyes tilted upward, and the frost in his gaze was all gone.

For the first time, she realized he could smile this gently.

On their wedding anniversary, her postpartum complications flared up, and she felt the abdominal pain was tearing her in half.

Unable to bear it anymore, she called Jericho for help, only to be rejected by him simply because he was celebrating Nadine's birthday...

Later, she barely survived the operation, where critical condition notices were issued multiple times. However, Jericho and Kashton didn't even bother to show up.

After she was discharged and returned home, what came into her view was a messy home, her sulking son, and her indifferent husband.

Kashton even complained, "What kind of Mommy are you? You were gone for so long! Shouldn't you be at home, cleaning? Look around—see how messy it is? You're so irresponsible. Nadi is so much better than you."

Cleaning?

She had almost died!

Romina bit back her fury. Kashton was just a little boy and didn't mean what he said. Besides, Jericho was born indifferent. Perhaps she should make do.

Compromise was essential in marriage.

After all, they already had Kashton. She couldn't file for a divorce, could she?

Later, Nadine fell from a high platform at a banquet and insisted Romina had pushed her.

Jericho and Kashton vouched for Nadine, not even bothering to check the surveillance footage.

Pressing a hand to her lower abdomen, Romina grabbed Jericho's sleeve, begging him to believe her till her voice cracked.

But he only frowned expressionlessly, slowly wiping his sleeve with a handkerchief.

He was disgusted by her touch.

With a cold sneer, Kashton shoved her aside hard. "You mean bitch. You don't get to be my mommy! Why didn't you die on the operating table while giving birth to me? Then Nadi could've been my mommy instead."

Collapsing to the floor, Romina burst into laughter in desperation. How could she be so stupid, wasting all those years on those two men who never deserved her sacrifice?

Eventually, they had her imprisoned for intentional assault.

She spent three years in prison.

Those ruthless, brutal monsters turned her every day into pure torture.

Jericho and Kashton never even called, let alone visited her.

If not for ... she would have already died in there.

Jericho said icily, "You're an ex-con now, but Kash and I are still here to take you home. You should be grateful. Get in. Nadine is at home. I don't wanna keep her waiting."

Kashton echoed impatiently, "That's right. Mommy, don't be such a drama queen. Nadi promised to make me teddy bear cookies tonight. Let's head back before the ice cream cake I got her melts."

Romina remained motionless as their words reached her ears.

She couldn't help but want to laugh sarcastically.

Teddy bear cookies?

Kashton must have forgotten—those fussy little cookies had been her painstaking creation.

Nadine stole the recipe.

She and Nadine made the cookies with the exact same recipe, but Kashton insisted Nadine's cookies tasted better.

Though Jericho and Kashton were here to take her home, they brought nothing—not even a word of concern. All they cared about was Nadine.

They were her family, but they always sided with Nadine unconditionally.

It was like she was the outsider!

Looking up, she said numbly, "I'm not going back with you."

A trace of impatience and disgust flickered in Jericho's cold eyes.

"What? Romina, you're an ex-con now. Where could you possibly go? It seems three years haven't changed you at all. You're still so willful."

She retorted, "I can go wherever I want. That's none of your business. I know Kashton and you want nothing to do with an ex-con. You know what? I have no interest in staying with both of you either—not after what you did to me."

She had learned her lesson.

Three years ago, she had loved Kashton and Jericho so much. Though they had always given her the cold shoulder, treating her unfairly while getting close to Nadine, she had always expected they'd come around one day.

But not anymore. Three years of torment had burned her hope to ashes.

It turned out her husband and son were never hers to keep.

She didn't want them anymore.

She said to Jericho, her tone indifferent, "Let's get a divorce."

Kashton blurted out, "Mommy, you're already an ex-con. If you get a divorce, what will people think of you?"

Even Jericho was stunned when he heard Romina's words.

He had expected her to play the victim to ask for compensation. After all, money had been her sole purpose for marrying him. But a divorce?

Three years ago, she had gone all out just to stay by Kashton and his side.

And now, she had spent three years in prison.

Suddenly, he realized this was just her tactic to force them to coax her.

At this, he said coldly, "Kash's right. Without us, what could you possibly do? Romina, cut it out already, or you'll only make a fool of yourself."

Romina didn't even bother to respond.

She hailed a cab, indifferent to the driver's uncomfortable gaze.

Before getting in, she turned to look at Jericho and Kashton.

"That's my business," she said. "I'll have the divorce papers dropped by soon. Congratulations—you may go home and share the good news with Nadine. From today on, she'll be the hostess of your little family."

The indifference and coldness in her tone were undisguised.

After saying this, she got into the cab decisively.

As Jericho gazed at her thin figure, a wave of inexplicable irritation surged through him.

His grandfather, Hayden Bowman, and Nadine had urged him to pick Romina up, and he did.

But she actually wanted a divorce?

The old Romina would have wept with gratitude at his mere presence.

She was an ex-con now. Since she was so willful, fine—he might as well wait and see what stunts she could pull.

***

In the cab.

Quite coincidentally, the cab's miniature screen soon played an interview with Nadine.

"Ms. Lambert, you're now the most sought-after Best Actress. Mind sharing with us your future plans for your personal life?" the reporter asked with a smile.

Nadine blushed as her gaze landed on Jericho and Kashton in the audience. "I'm so content with everything I have now. After all, I had two remarkable men by my side in the past three years, which were the hardest times for me."

Their gazes met, and the three of them looked just like a happy family.

The driver, obviously familiar with the area, explained, "Ma'am, I suppose you don't know who this is, huh? It's Ms. Lambert, the Best Actress. That man she's looking at is Mr. Bowman, the CEO of the Bowman Group, and that's his son. On her birthday, Mr. Bowman set off fireworks all night. Ms. Lambert and Mr. Bowman are cut out for each other, don't you think?"

Romina's oversized clothes only accentuated her gaunt frame.

Hearing the driver's words, she looked at the three on the screen, remaining silent for a long time.

After quite a while, she said, her voice slightly hoarse and indifferent, "You're quite right. After all, they're equally shameless."

While she was in prison suffering, Jericho and Kashton were out there, enjoying fireworks with Nadine, showing her career full support.

After enduring their indifference so often, she'd assumed she'd grown numb. Yet now, she still found it so ironic that she wanted to laugh.

The driver instinctively parted his lips, wanting to ask for more. But thinking that he'd picked her up outside the prison, he glanced at her, who seemed so unbelievably fragile. Eventually, he said nothing.

Soon, she closed her eyes for a quick rest.

The cab stopped in front of a house under her name.

She went inside to fetch some cash for the driver before going to the supermarket for basic necessities.

Her assets had been frozen when she was sent to jail.

Now that she was out, she could at least get by financially.

Having been isolated for so long, she felt utterly uneasy when stepping into the supermarket.

She'd even dodge instinctively when the cashier scanned the commodities.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" the cashier asked with concern.

Coming back to her senses, she nodded with a bitter smile.

She was fine.

She was just used to being beaten up in prison.

After leaving the supermarket, Romina received a call from her bestie, Elliana Castro.

Elliana was thrilled when she learned Romina had been released. "I was gonna come back to the country earlier, but I've been stuck because of the typhoon these days... Did you go back to the Bowman's mansion, or..."

"I went back to Breeze Vista," Romina interrupted.

Elliana frowned. "Jericho didn't go pick you up? But he's your husband. He..."

"Elly, I'm planning on divorcing him," clutching her phone, Romina said in a barely audible voice.

Elliana had always been her best friend.

Back then, Elliana had urged her to get a divorce quite a bunch of times, saying she shouldn't make Jericho and Kashton her entire world.

But she had foolishly waited for Jericho to have a change of heart.

"What happened..." Elliana blurted out, wanting to know what had happened to Romina in prison.

But a wave of bitterness surged through her, and her words trailed off.

In the first year of Romina's imprisonment, she had visited Romina a lot.

But she was transferred abroad as a war correspondent later.

After three years, Romina suddenly said she wanted a divorce?

What exactly had happened?

Romina said nothing, a hint of pain and numbness flashing across her face.

Elliana changed the subject. "After you were imprisoned, Samantha took over Penningnell Mansion and turned it into a tourist spot. And Nadine... Anyway, Mimi, I'll be back soon. I'll fill you in when I see you."

Romina said slowly, "Alright."

Her father passed away the year after her marriage.

Her mother cried practically every day after she was imprisoned and fell sick. While behind bars, she cried and begged Jericho to help her mother.

Day after day, she waited in anguish, only to be met with the devastating news of her mother's passing.

And to think that her uncle's wife, Samantha Johnson, actually took over her family property!

Her gaze turned icy at once.

Soon, she tried her best to calm down.

Three years locked away was enough to change everything.

She had been tortured brutally in prison. It took time to seize everything back.

In the Bowman's mansion.

By the time Kashton and Jericho went home, Nadine had already prepared a meal.

Not seeing Romina, she sighed, looking dejected.

"Jericho, does Ms. Sandoval still hate me for what happened three years ago? Is that why she doesn't wanna come back? But she's been to prison. Where could she possibly go?"

"Who cares?" Jericho's tone turned cold.

He couldn't help but frown when Romina's emaciated frame resurfaced in his mind.

Romina had lost so much weight.

On top of that, her past gentleness was gone. Her razor-sharp gaze was so unsettling.

Did she really suffer a lot in prison?

No way.

He dismissed the idea almost instantly.

Nadine had told him that female inmates were all friendly.

Besides, he had pulled strings to ensure Romina was well taken care of.

She hadn't lacked for anything. For her terrible crime, she got off with nothing but three years of confinement.

But Nadine still seemed worried. "What if Sir Bowman asks about her? He asked you to take her home, right?"

Romina had saved Hayden's life back then, and he adored her.

He had forced Jericho to marry her, even offering her astronomical wedding gifts.

She had always been the only granddaughter-in-law he wanted, which remained the same even after she was behind bars.

Jericho shrugged.

"Don't worry. Romina will come back shortly. She may be upset with me, but not with Kash. She knows his graduation is around the corner and will be back before that."

Kashton was nine, but he had skipped three grades and was already graduating from elementary school.

Everyone knew Romina loved him the most. Of course, she wouldn't miss his graduation for the world.

Pouting, Kashton nestled into Nadine's arms.

"But I want Nadi to be there for my graduation."

Nadine tapped his nose playfully with a smile. "Sure. Get your mommy back, and I'll be there. After all, she's an ex-con now. It's best if she skips occasions like this."

Kashton was slightly stunned.

Get Romina back? How?

By ... lying?

A trace of hesitation flickered in his eyes before vanishing completely.

If word got out that he had an ex-con mother, no one would ever talk to him again.

Since Jericho didn't voice any objections, he nodded obediently.

Nadine smiled. But as her gaze fell upon the lavish feast, she couldn't help but sigh, "What a pity—I prepared all these for Ms. Sandoval."

To Jericho's surprise, he didn't receive any call from Romina for the following two days.

It was like she was indeed set to get a divorce and cut ties with him and Kashton.

He frowned, finally deciding to call her.

What he heard was a robotic voice, telling him her number was no longer in service.

He couldn't help but be stunned.

Only then did he realize—after three years locked away, her old number had been deactivated.

She had even deleted her WhatsApp account.

He couldn't reach her whatsoever.

An inexplicable panic and irritation surged through him.

He immediately ordered his secretary, "Find out where Romina lives now and get me her number. Now that she's out, who knows what she'll pull? I won't let her do anything to disgrace my family."

***

Romina had been redecorating Breeze Vista for the past two days.

She could get half of her shared assets with Jericho after the divorce. But she had to support herself before that.

So, she decided to pick up her old hobby—carving quartz.

Apparently, no one had set foot in here for the past three years. Every corner was covered in dust.

While cleaning, she noticed the pair of lion statues that had stood by the entrance were gone.

She called the property management.

The manager explained, "Three years ago, Ms. Lambert was harassed by a hater and was injured. She liked the lion statues, so Mr. Jericho and Mr. Kashton had them moved to her villa, hoping they could keep her safe."

Romina didn't feel surprised at all.

The lion statues had been her painstaking gift for Jericho and Kashton.

They were meant to ward off harm from the two men.

But Jericho had laughed at her for being tacky and coldly returned them.

And now, they stood as protection at Nadine's villa?

After scorning her, Jericho regifted her heartfelt gift to another woman?

She hung up and decisively called 911.

Looking indifferent, she said flatly, "Hello? I'd like to report a crime. Someone has stolen from my home."

Then she hung up.

After giving her statement, she was already beat.

She realized she was running a high fever after the police left.

Mustering all her strength, she went to the hospital to get some medication.

At the sight of her wounds, the doctor advised with a grave expression, "These chronic wounds never properly healed. With those injuries left by repeated beatings, sticks, and ... needles, Ma'am, I'm afraid your body has critically weakened. I suggest you stay hospitalized for proper recovery. Otherwise..."

"That won't be necessary," Romina said calmly without a change in her expression.

She excelled in naturopathy and knew her condition better than anyone.

The inmates—all ruthless, cunning creatures—had left mostly hidden wounds to avoid the guards' notice.

Without her medical knowledge, she'd have already died in there.

Now that she survived the brutal torture, of course, the free air wouldn't kill her.

The physical injuries had faded, but the deepest scars remained—delivered by the man she called husband and the child she bore.

She'd never go back to the Bowman's mansion again.

While the doctor was treating her wounds, Kashton, not far away, spotted her.

He tugged at the hem of Jericho's clothes and pursed his lips. "Daddy, why is she here? Is she sick?"

Only then did Jericho notice her.

He furrowed his brows deeply, disgust flashing in his eyes.

Three years had passed. And she was playing hard to get again? Couldn't she try something new?

She was sick? Yeah, right.

Enough with the act!

"What are you doing here?"

Jericho's icy voice rang out in Romina's ears.

She looked up, only to see him and Kashton accompanying Nadine for a follow-up appointment.

The three of them looked every bit the picture of a happy, loving family.

Putting on a surprised look, Nadine said, feigning helplessness, "Ms. Sandoval, is this pretense really necessary? If you wanted to see Jericho, you could have just come back. After all, you've just been released. Perhaps you should think about how your actions might reflect on the Bowman family..."

Kashton's eyes lit up immediately. Was Romina here to wait for them?

Did she regret not returning home with them?

A flicker of joy passed through his heart.

But then, he remembered what Romina had said before and pouted. "Mommy, you're such a hypocrite. You clearly can't live without Daddy and me and want to come home with us. Why pretend otherwise?"

Jericho sneered, "I thought you actually had some backbone and would never come back. Yet you gave up so soon. Classic you, Romina."

Just then, the doctor said, "Ms. Sandoval, here's your medication."

He handed her the prescription.

As his mind flashed to her wounds, he looked at Jericho and those two standing by his side, frowning with displeasure. "You're blocking my patient's way. Please step aside."

Romina's gaze falling upon the three was utterly cold. She raised her hand, showing them the meds. "See? I'm here for my prescription. Get help if you need it."

Jericho's expression darkened as he frowned slightly.

Romina fell sick right after she was released?

So, when she was imprisoned...

Romina was about to leave when Kashton pursed his lips and grabbed her sleeve.

"My graduation is around the corner. No matter how upset you are, you should come. After all, you're my ... mommy."

The last word was barely audible.

After saying this, he looked at Nadine embarrassedly, as if worried she'd be displeased.

Romina didn't even glance at him.

Pulling his hand away, she said icily, "You've got the wrong person. I'm not your mommy."

With that, she turned to leave.

Just then, Nadine said, "Ms. Sandoval, I get it—you're too ashamed to come back after being in prison. But, still, you're a mother. After being away for three years, are you still gonna ignore Kash? He's your son."

Her voice wasn't exactly small.

Many onlookers cast glances at Romina.

Their attention was attracted by words like "in prison" and "ignore".

They were whispering among themselves.

Then a police officer walked toward Nadine.

"Ms. Lambert, we've received a report claiming that two lion statues were stolen from their residence. Since these statues were featured in your home during a recent interview, I'm afraid you'll need to come down with me to the station for questioning."

Everyone was instantly in an uproar.

Jericho frowned.

Romina was staying at Breeze Vista?

Nadine was dumbfounded, her cheeks heating.

Before she could utter a word, Romina coughed, the indifference on her pale face unmistakable.

She turned to Kashton.

"Kashton is nine—old enough to express his preference for who should be his mother. And I have the right to turn down that role."

Paying child support was her legal obligation.

But no law could force her to love him.

Then she looked at Nadine. "Ms. Lambert, those lion statues are my personal property. Even my husband has no right to deal with them. If you don't return them, you'll soon know what prison feels like."

Jericho suddenly caught her wrist.

As his gaze landed on her face, he was momentarily stunned.

Her wrist was shockingly slender and scorching.

She was running a fever.

But soon, he came back to his senses. "Are you done yet, Romina? You spent three years behind bars. So what? You actually called the cops? Seriously? I gifted the lion statues to Nadine!"

Kashton immediately nodded. "That's right. The only reason I ever called you 'Mommy' was because Great-grandpa and Nadi told me to be understanding. How could you do this to Nadi?"

And Romina even refused to attend his graduation!

Kashton's dissatisfaction grew deeper, while a faint trace of uneasiness surged through him.

The old Romina would have never treated him so coldly. She'd have gone all out to please him just to be part of his graduation.

She seemed like a different person now.

Hearing their questioning, Romina wanted to let out a cold laugh.

To them, her three years of excruciating suffering were nothing compared to Nadine's abrasions.

Due to the high fever, she felt dizzy and could hardly stand steady.

She shook Jericho's hand away and suddenly laughed while looking at him. "So what, you said? Mr. Bowman, you sicken me. If prison is no big deal to you, then why don't you try it?"

Her words were so harsh. If it were three years ago, she would never have said something like this.

Jericho was completely stunned.

She turned to leave decisively.

Wiping her hand where Jericho had touched her, she had only one thought in mind.

She needed to divorce him as soon as possible.

Every second stuck in this marriage was pure torture.

Nadine spent all night in the police station, explaining to the cops.

Yet Romina went straight to sleep after taking her pills.

Waking up groggily, she saw Elliana, who had rushed back.

Elliana said helplessly, "After getting out of prison, you're running a high fever? Your temperature was almost 104 degrees when I got back. I'm so relieved it's gone down now, or I'd have taken you to the hospital."

Fetching her water and medicine, Elliana said with concern, "If you need my help, let me know."

Romina had no intention of recounting those endured in darkness.

Her chest was filled with warmth when she saw Elliana, who hadn't changed a bit from three years ago.

Her husband and son weren't reliable.

But at least she could always count on her friend.

After taking the medicine, she said, lowering her gaze, "Could you draft a divorce agreement for me? Also, I want you to find someone for me."

"You want me to find someone? Who?"

Elliana seemed puzzled.

"The daughter of a death row inmate," Romina explained. "She saved my life in prison, and I insisted on repaying her, so she asked me to look after her daughter after I was released."

Elliana nodded. "Do you know the girl's name and age?"

"Her name is Lina Shannon, and she's six."

Romina's voice was gentle, her complexion slightly improved.

"Alright. I'll draft the divorce agreement as soon as possible," Elliana tucked her in and said softly. "And I'll have someone look for her. Maybe it'll take some time, but I'll let you know as soon as I have a lead."

"Thanks, Elly..." She forced a faint smile.

At the sight of her pale face, Elliana seemed worried.

Patting the back of her hand, Elliana said, "Focus on getting better now. The rest can wait—especially anything to do with Jericho and Kashton."

The smile on Romina's lips vanished the second she heard their names.

Noticing her silence, Elliana continued, "They testified for Nadine without bothering to check the surveillance footage back then. Otherwise, you'd never have been imprisoned—let alone be struggling like this now..."

She didn't continue.

Every word carried her unspoken sorrow for what Romina had endured in prison.

Romina tugged at her lips without saying anything in response.

She was grateful that she didn't die in there. Before seeing each of them, she had already made peace.

Even if Jericho and Kashton had checked the surveillance footage, which proved her innocence, chances were, they would have pretended not to see it and found a scapegoat anyway.

Perhaps she would have still ended up in prison.

Having endured three years of inhuman treatment, she found dwelling on the past pointless.

"Romina..." Elliana softly called out to her.

Coming back to her senses, Romina was about to say something when her phone rang.

It was a call from the police.

They said they had found her lion statues and wanted her to come down to the station as soon as possible.

After hanging up, Romina threw off the blanket and got up.

"What's so urgent? What happened?"

Elliana pulled her slender wrist, looking worried.

She put on her slippers quickly, her expression icy. "The police said they've found my lion statues. I'm going over now."

"But you're still running a fever. Besides, you've just taken the pills. You shouldn't..."

"Don't worry," she interrupted, gripping Elliana's arm reassuringly. "I'm OK."

Since she insisted, Elliana said nothing more and just walked her downstairs.

Half an hour later.

As Romina stepped into the police station, she saw three familiar figures from afar.

Once again, they struck her as a family.

"Ms. Sandoval, we indeed found your lion statues at the entrance of Ms. Lambert's villa. Since they're too big, we'll have to ask you to confirm from the photo whether they're yours."

She frowned as she saw the photo.

They were indeed hers.

"Yes. They're mine," she said.

Immediately, Jericho's deep, grating voice rang out behind her.

"Romina, I've gifted them to Nadine. She didn't steal them from you. Cut out the nonsense and explain to the police now."

She turned around and saw his sullen face.

"Daddy's right," Kashton echoed, pouting. "Those statues were ours, and Daddy willingly gave them to Nadi. How could you say Nadi's a thief?"

Ignoring him, Romina fixed her gaze on Jericho's face indifferently. "Those lion statues are my pre-marital property. You have no right to deal with them without my permission, let alone gift them."

"Gosh, Romina. Just name your price, and I'll buy them. Satisfy?" Jericho said impatiently, compromising.

She frowned.

Recently released and still unemployed, she indeed needed money.

"Besides," Jericho continued bluntly, "do you have any evidence to prove they're your pre-marital property?"

Nadine, who had been standing aside, chimed in, trying to mediate, "Ms. Sandoval, Jericho's right. You're a married couple, and everything's shared. There's no such thing as pre-marital property."

Frowning, Kashton said, "Mommy, those statues aren't cute at all. What are you gonna do with them anyway? Just drop it..."

The three teamed up against Romina.

How laughable.

She let out a cold smile. "I carved them. What are you gonna say about that?"

Jericho and Kashton instantly fell silent.

Biting her lip, Nadine still didn't want to give up. She looked at Jericho, her eyes brimming with tears. "This is all my fault, Jericho... But those lion statues were shown in the interview already. It's not that I don't wanna return them. It's just..."

Once she returned them, it'd be no different from admitting she was a thief.

Hearing this, Jericho immediately spat, "Enough is enough, Nadine. Stop making a fuss over some statues. How much do they cost? I'll pay for them."

Pay for them?

Romina grinned. "You'll do this for Nadine? How touching. Sure. Why not? It's 500 thousand dollars."

Those lion statues were her own hand-carved creations, the only pair in the world.

500 thousand dollars wasn't too much to ask.

"What? 500 thousand dollars? Ms. Sandoval, that's ridiculous!" Nadine's face flamed red with anger.

Jericho sneered, "I knew it. You just wanted the money."

Romina couldn't be bothered to explain.

She was set to relaunch her career, and this money would be the springboard.

"Tell me your card number. I'll transfer you the money right away," Jericho said impatiently, the disgust and contempt in his eyes undisguised.

To him, Romina refused to come home out of spite. And now, she pulled this stunt.

It only deepened his disgust toward her.