Chapter 664: Empty Threat
After placing the order, Ruby leaned back in her chair before looking directly at Mary.
"Surely you’ll pay for everything, right?"
Mary couldn’t help but let out an amused laugh.
"Are you here to discuss something important, or did you simply come here looking for a free breakfast?"
She casually crossed her arms before smiling faintly.
"If it’s the latter, then that’s perfectly fine. I’ll consider it charity."
Hearing those words, an almost imperceptible trace of appreciation flashed through Ruby’s eyes.
’What a pity... If Mother had succeeded in getting rid of Adam back then, all of this wealth would have belonged to us today. And I would have been the one who would be saying those lines.’
Unfortunately, reality couldn’t be changed. Taking a slow breath, Ruby finally spoke.
"Here’s the situation."
Without hiding anything, she explained everything that had happened to her brother.
When she finally finished, Mary remained silent for several moments before lightly tapping her fingers against the table.
"So... From everything you’ve told me, this entire situation is your brother’s own fault."
She tilted her head slightly. "So why exactly are you here?"
Ruby’s expression stiffened. "Aren’t you going to help us?"
Mary looked at her as though she had heard the greatest joke in the world.
"And why exactly would I help someone like you? You betrayed me. You kept me in the dark. You treated me like a fool. So tell me... Why should I help you now?"
For several seconds, Ruby simply stared at Mary.
Then, to everyone’s surprise... she burst into laughter. "Mary..."
Her smile gradually became mocking.
"Are you really this stupid, or are you simply pretending to be?"
Mary’s eyes immediately turned cold.
However, instead of becoming angry, she merely smiled.
"If you have something to say, then say it. There’s no need to play childish word games."
Ruby’s smile widened.
"Fine. It’s actually very simple. You’ll give us money."
She looked directly into Mary’s eyes before speaking each word clearly.
"I want at least fifty million dollars."
Mary almost laughed. "Why would I ever do something like that?"
Ruby’s face instantly darkened.
"Because if you refuse... I’ll expose the fact that our families are connected. If we’re going down, we’ll drag you down with us. You’ll lose your reputation as well."
Mary was genuinely caught off guard.
For a brief moment, her entire body froze.
’This child... when did she become this ruthless?’
Taking a slow breath, Mary gradually regained her composure.
"Let me think about it."
With those words, she stood up from her chair. However, Ruby had already anticipated this reaction.
She immediately stood as well, blocking Mary’s path.
"Where do you think you’re going? I’m giving you exactly three minutes. If you don’t make your decision right now, I won’t let you leave."
Her expression became increasingly sinister.
"Or perhaps... I’ll simply release the news immediately."
Mary quietly stared at Ruby. Instead of panicking, she slowly began to chuckle.
"Very well. Go ahead. If you can’t even give me enough time to think properly, then there’s no point in discussing this any further."
She smiled calmly. "After all, you’ve already made the decision for me."
Ruby’s expression immediately changed. This wasn’t the reaction she had expected. She had assumed Mary would become frightened.
Instead... Mary seemed completely indifferent. Ruby clenched her teeth so tightly that her jaw visibly trembled.
"...Fine. You can think about it. But remember this. You have exactly half an hour. I expect your answer before then."
Mary smiled warmly.
"Don’t worry. I’ll definitely give you a wonderful response."
Without looking back, she turned around and walked away.
This time, Ruby didn’t stop her.
Several minutes later, a few men casually walked over to Ruby’s table.
They were the thugs Ruby had secretly hired beforehand to intimidate Mary if negotiations failed.
One of them frowned.
"What happened? Why did you suddenly cancel the plan? We could’ve kept pressuring her."
Another man smirked greedily.
"Hell, maybe we could’ve forced her to transfer all the money from her bank account."
Ruby rolled her eyes before letting out a cold laugh.
"You’re thinking too much. She came here with bodyguards. Why would someone like her ever be afraid of people like us?"
She leaned back in her chair before adding calmly,
"I’d even bet twenty dollars that those bodyguards have been watching this café from the very beginning."
Hearing that, the thugs immediately fell silent.
None of them wanted to provoke trained security personnel.
Meanwhile, Mary returned straight to her apartment.
Instead of immediately contacting anyone, she locked herself inside her room and quietly analyzed the entire situation.
Several minutes later... she finally let out a long sigh of relief.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
Picking up her phone, she sent Ruby a single message.
"Go ahead and expose us. At worst, people will simply realize how different distant relatives can be from the main branch of a family."
When Ruby read the message, her face immediately darkened. She finally understood something.
Mary was far more difficult to manipulate than she had expected.
Since Mary had failed to become her weakness... Ruby immediately shifted her target.
Aurora. After all, Aurora was still just a child. Surely she would be the weakest link.
Children cared deeply about their reputation at school.
As long as Aurora believed that everyone at school would find out about her family’s relationship with Ruby’s family, she would definitely become frightened.
’No child wants to become the center of gossip. She’ll definitely give in.’
Thinking that her plan was foolproof, Ruby immediately contacted Aurora.
After listening to everything Ruby had to say, Aurora merely chuckled.
Then she calmly replied with only two words. "Dream on."
Ruby’s smile instantly froze.
Aurora genuinely couldn’t understand Ruby’s confidence.
’What era does she think we’re living in?’
Even if Ruby started a livestream and publicly accused them, how many people would actually believe her without solid evidence?
However... Aurora had severely underestimated Ruby’s desperation.
Without wasting another moment, Ruby immediately started a livestream.
With tear-filled eyes and a pitiful expression, she began telling the internet how her own brother had been sent behind bars because of the schemes and betrayal of his so-called relatives, painting herself and her family as innocent victims while twisting every fact to gain the sympathy of countless viewers.
She made one thing perfectly clear. "I am not trying to protect my brother."
Her voice trembled as she looked into the camera.
"He is indeed a disgusting man, and I won’t deny that."
She paused for a moment before taking a shaky breath. Her eyes gradually reddened as tears welled up inside them.
"But... It was my mother’s constant pressure that pushed me to the point where I wanted to end my own life."
Her voice cracked with emotion.
"Not only that... the Waters family refused to help us. They just stood by and watched as everything fell apart."
She lowered her head, allowing a few tears to fall onto her lap before hurriedly wiping them away with the back of her hand.
"I truly don’t blame the Waters family..."
She forced out a bitter smile.
"But it’s only two hundred thousand dollars. Can’t they simply lend it to me? I only want to hire the best lawyer possible. I just want my brother to receive a fair sentence... nothing more and nothing less."
Once she finished speaking, she stopped the recording and immediately uploaded the video.
Unfortunately for her, reality was far crueler than she had imagined.
The video quality was poor, the lighting was terrible, and the audio contained constant background noise.
As a result, it barely attracted any viewers. Those who did watch it weren’t moved in the slightest.
Instead, they began criticizing her. Many people pointed out the obvious flaws in her story.
"If the Waters family wasn’t involved, why are you demanding money from them?"
"This logic doesn’t make any sense."
"You’re saying you don’t blame them, yet you’re emotionally blackmailing them?"
"Your brother committed crimes. Why should someone else pay for his lawyer?"
One comment after another flooded beneath the video. Very few people sympathized with her.
On top of that, because the platform had restricted the video’s visibility, it wasn’t being recommended to many users.
Its view count barely moved. Watching the numbers crawl upward at an agonizingly slow pace, Ruby began panicking.
’Why isn’t anyone watching? No... this isn’t how it’s supposed to happen.’
Meanwhile, Aurora happened to come across the video. The moment she watched it, she couldn’t help but chuckle.
’This little monkey... Did she seriously think she could manipulate public opinion so easily?’
Taking a deep breath, Aurora immediately began digging through every piece of information related to Ruby and her family.
Since Ruby was still shamelessly attempting to blackmail the Waters family over such a ridiculous matter, Aurora no longer felt the need to hold back.
One by one, she exposed every important detail on the internet.
She revealed the timeline of events, Ruby’s family’s previous actions, their attempts at extortion, and the countless contradictions within Ruby’s own statements.