All her life, it had been just her and her mom. Ione had scraped and sacrificed to give her everything she could—every comfort, every ounce of love—within her means. And this man? What had he ever done for her? What right did a deadbeat who'd never bothered to be a father have to stand there and judge them? Darcy lifted her eyes. Her voice wasn't loud, but every word sliced like a razor—sharp, cold, and cutting straight through John's chest for everyone to hear. "John, you have no right to say that! A man who abandoned his wife and daughter, who provided no financial support and showed no concern, has absolutely no right to question how my mother raised me! "For 23 years since you divorced Mom, you missed every parent-teacher conference, every time I had a fever, every time we struggled to scrape up my tuition. Now you just say 'I'm your dad' casually and think you can use the identity of a father to pressure me, to make me feel guilty? No way! "Legally? You owe my mom every penny of that child support—plus interest, not a cent less. Morally? You skipped out on 23 years of being a dad to me. That debt's so heavy, you'll never carry it to your grave. Don't even try to lecture me about being polite. Learn how to own up to your mess first. "Square all these debts—then you can come stand in front of me and say the word 'father.' Otherwise? You're not even worth the air you breathe." John's face alternated between red and white. Being exposed in public made him burn with shame and anger. "You—" Darcy smoothed her hair and gave him a cold smile. "I did the math. The child support for raising me? At least a few million dollars. Tell you what, I'll be generous and round it down. Wire my mom five million dollars." John froze. Five million? He didn't have a dime to his name. How the hell was he supposed to cough up five million dollars in child support?For all these years since marrying into the Moss family, Susan had used the excuse that they were "one family" to set John's annual salary at just one dollar. To put it bluntly, if John even wanted to buy a pack of cigarettes, he had to ask Susan for the money. Zora frowned, speaking up for John, "Darcy, John is still your father, after all. Isn't what you're saying a bit too much?" "Oh? Then will you pay it for him?" The corner of Darcy's mouth lifted in a faint, cold smile as she turned her head to look at Zora. "You're his daughter too, Ms. Moss. You're more sensible and understand the bigger picture than I am. I'm sure you'd be willing to pay this money for him, right?" Zora was speechless. She had only wanted to use John to provoke Darcy. Why would she spend a single dollar for him? Especially when it was five million dollars! "Darcy, that's not the right way to put it. Since when does a daughter demand money from her father?" "Oh. So it seems you don't want to pay." "You—Zane, you be the judge. Do you think I'm right or not?" Zane's deep-set eyes looked at Darcy. He knew Ione was Darcy's bottom line. One could bully Darcy, but bully her mother, and she would truly fight to the death. But Zora was his fiancée. In front of his future father-in-law, he had no other choice but to nod. "Yeah. You make a fair point." "Hah! Who the hell are you two to judge anything?! You can't even wipe your own asses clean, and you dare to meddle in other people's business?!" Cindy crossed her arms, just about to curse the scumbag and the bitch. Just then, a ding sounded. The elevator doors opened. A triumphant smile appeared on Zora's face as she pulled Zane out of the elevator. "Forget it. Darcy is just confused right now. But I believe she'll understand in the future. The bond of blood can never truly be severed." Lucian lagged a couple of steps behind them, looking up to read Darcy's expression. Knowing that Darcy, like him, hadn't exactly won the parent lottery, Lucian felt a slight ripple in his heart. Actually, they were quite similar—no family support, having to rely only on themselves. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for Darcy. But ever since Darcy found out his true identity, she hadn't greeted him with the same friendly smile as before. Lucian sighed inwardly and didn't say anything more, simply following the others. "Darcy, was what you said earlier true? You really want John to pay child support?" Cindy blinked. Darcy's voice was calm. "I originally wanted to leave him alone and let him be. But no, he keeps provoking my mom and me, even causing my mom to be hospitalized. And now he's badmouthing my mom, saying she didn't raise me right. Since verbal warnings don't work, we'll just have to make him pay—literally. Only when the knife is at his throat will he feel the pain. "And only that kind of skin-deep pain will make him back off." Cindy completely agreed. "Absolutely! That's exactly how you deal with scumbags like him. I've heard about it. John's annual salary at the Moss Group is one dollar. The Mosses guard him like he's some kind of thief. When he can't pay up, he'll be a laughingstock, and he'll end up begging you for mercy. You absolutely must not forgive him!" A cold smile appeared at the corner of Darcy's mouth. Forgive? Hah. I'll never forgive him in this lifetime. "By the way, are you planning to sue him directly, or will you get a lawyer?" Cindy asked again. Darcy replied, "I'll get a lawyer. But there's no rush. I'll handle it after I finish this current bid proposal." Cindy said, "No way! I can't stand that scumbag for another second! Listen, I know a lawyer. One of Aethelburg's top divorce attorneys. I'll send you the contact info." Zephyr, who had been quietly observing, suddenly spoke up, "Who is it? A guy or a woman? How come I didn't know you had lawyer connections?"