Chapter 359

Henry contemplated whether he should swindle Zoe out of her entire fortune when her message popped up on his screen.

Zoe had ended things with Dominic and lost their baby, so the compromising video couldn't harm him anymore.

"How could you two do such a thing?" Evelyn took a sip of water before marching to the children's room to reprimand them.

"Regardless of our personal conflicts, she's in her seventies! What if the shock had made her ill?"

Lily blinked her big innocent eyes. "But Mommy, you could heal her if she got sick."

"I'm not magical! I can't cure every disease in the world!"

"But she didn't get sick! She was screaming at you!" Lily muttered under her breath, "Mom, we can't let people treat you badly!"

Evelyn's heart melted at her daughter's protective words.

"Nobody's bullying me. I'm tougher than that," she reassured them, trying to sound convincing.

"But you didn't come home last night... Henry and I waited so long... Uncle Michael said that horrible man took you away..." Lily pouted stubbornly. "When we're bigger, we'll make him pay!"

Touched beyond words, Evelyn scooped her daughter into her arms. "I can protect myself, sweetheart. You and your brother just focus on growing up happy and healthy! How about I take you both out for ice cream?"

"Yay! Mommy, it's been forever since our last ice cream date!" Lily sniffled dramatically.

Meanwhile, Henry had already replied to Zoe's message.

Zoe stared at the cryptic response from the anonymous sender, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"A thousand Beta Coins? What in the world are Beta Coins?" After a quick internet search, her confusion turned to shock.

Beta Coins were an untraceable international cryptocurrency.

She had to admire the blackmailer's cleverness. Demanding traditional currency would have allowed her to involve the authorities, but this method protected her reputation while emptying her wallet.

A price check made her gasp aloud.

Each Beta Coin traded at twenty thousand dollars. A thousand coins meant twenty million dollars gone.

Zoe's stomach twisted. Though Dominic had paid her one hundred fifty-five million, that money represented years of sacrifice. Losing twenty million felt like having chunks of flesh carved from her body.

After an agonizing internal debate, she purchased the cryptocurrency and transferred it to the specified wallet.

Henry immediately powered down his laptop the moment the transaction cleared.

"Henry, your birthday is coming up soon. Let's go shopping for new outfits, shall we?" Evelyn changed clothes and gathered the children.

Their bodyguard waited patiently by the door.

"Mommy, this uncle cooks amazing food." Spotting the bodyguard, Lily immediately turned to Evelyn. "He made us dinner last night! We ate everything!"

Evelyn smiled at the bodyguard. "Thank you for looking after them."

"Just doing my job," the bodyguard replied modestly.

Once in the car, Evelyn checked her phone and found a photo from Sophie, who was getting her nails done.

"Evelyn! Found this incredible nail salon! Come join me! Bring the kids too! I have HUGE news to share!"

Evelyn grinned at her best friend's message, already guessing what the "huge news" entailed.

"Should we go see Aunt Sophie?" she asked the children.

"Yes! I love Aunt Sophie!" Lily cheered immediately.

Henry simply nodded his silent agreement.

Thirty minutes later, Evelyn arrived at the upscale nail salon with Lily and Henry in tow.