Chris came to his senses and looked at Thelma, opening his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. He seemed a bit weary, lowering his head and leaving with heavy steps.
Sam Noah also had Oscar taken out, and the banquet finally quieted down. Everyone acted as if nothing had happened, laughing and discussing this year’s year-end bonuses, with people continuously coming up to toast Thelma and Sam Noah.
Everything became so harmonious, as if what had just happened had been formatted in everyone’s minds.
After the banquet, the two got into the car. Tyler was already asleep, and Thelma held him in her arms. She asked Sam Noah, “Are we going back to Maplewick for the New Year?”
“No need.”
“But mom is all alone in Maplewick…”
“You don’t have to worry about her; there are many relatives back home. She won’t be lonely.”
Thelma nodded, thinking about how Sam Noah’s relationship with Ruth had never been very good. After a moment of thought, she asked, “Noah, is your cold relationship with mom because of me?”
Of course, Sam Noah was aware of the unpleasantness between her and Ruth back then.
Sam Noah held her hand and said, “It’s not like that; don’t overthink it. My relationship with her has always been this way since I was young.”
Thelma didn’t ask any further.
Because many media outlets attended the year-end banquet of Sam Group, the next day, news about Ava and Oscar’s scandal, as well as Ava’s history with drugs, was thoroughly exposed, quickly becoming the headline of entertainment news.
It is known that the domestic crackdown on drugs is very strict. As a public figure, Ava’s involvement with drugs basically ruined her career. As Ava’s family, Susan and Chris also underwent checks and drug tests immediately.
Ava had only tried drugs once out of curiosity, and because Oscar told her that meth wasn’t that addictive, she tried it. Although she hadn’t touched it again afterward, the fact that she had used drugs was real. Even if it was just once, it was still drug use, and no matter how she tried to explain, she couldn’t clear her name.
Because of this, she had to endure public backlash and faced enormous compensation. Although her endorsement with Sam Group hadn’t been officially announced yet, the contract had been signed, and it clearly stated that if her image caused losses to the company, she would have to compensate ten times the signing price.
Fifty million, ten times is five hundred million.
Five hundred million, how could she possibly pay that? But if she couldn’t pay, she would have to go to jail.
So while everyone was happily enjoying reunion dinners at home for the New Year, Ava was locked up in a detention center undergoing investigation. Susan and Chris, because of her, were also taken to the drug control center for various tests, and fearing they might be hiding drugs, Chris’s home was sealed off for inspection.
As a result, Chris’s hotel was also affected, with revenue plummeting to rock bottom.
On this day, Susan returned from the detention center after seeing Ava. Ava cried and begged her to let Chris bail her out. After all, she was her own flesh and blood, and Susan couldn’t bear it. As soon as she got back, she knelt down to Chris and begged him to pay the compensation for Ava.
Chris had been called in multiple times because of Ava’s situation and was utterly exhausted. As soon as he heard Susan’s words, he immediately exploded, “Now she knows she’s wrong, now she regrets it. What was she doing back then? Why did she have to hang out with that little punk? Look where that got her!”
Susan cried, her eyes swollen like walnuts. Just thinking about Ava going to jail made her heartache. She clung to Chris’s leg and pleaded, “If you don’t help her, she’ll have to go to jail. She’s still so young; going to jail would ruin her!”
Chris pushed her away, angrily saying, “You still have the face to ask me to help her? Don’t think I don’t know what she did to Thelma back then! I loved you so much, trusted you both so much, and this is how you repay me? If she really didn’t drug Thelma, why did she leave behind a video?! Do you think I’m stupid? Can’t I see through this? I regret believing in your mother-daughter relationship with Thelma, and now I’m caught in the middle. How can I face my two daughters? Your daughter is a person, but my daughter isn’t?”
Susan kept crying, “She knows she’s wrong, Ava really knows she’s wrong. Please help her just this once. She’ll definitely be obedient and good to you in the future.”
