Chapter 357: Chapter 357: A Desperate Plea

Meanwhile, Grace Sutton spoke cautiously, "Besides the bedding and quilts, should we prepare some food for Cameron’s family? I saw him, and he’s practically skin and bones..."

Grandma snorted at her words, her face grim. "We’re not giving them anything! He didn’t starve back when he was hundreds of thousands in gambling debt, so he’s not going to starve to death that easily now. Don’t let them know we have food here. Otherwise, he’ll just trade it for money and go gambling again!"

Grace Sutton looked awkward. She tried to persuade her, "Maybe... maybe Cameron has really changed this time... He’s already paid off his previous loans... Mom, you should at least give him a chance..."

When Grandma heard that, her thoughts flew to Cameron Summers’s past behavior, and she became absolutely livid.

She slammed her hand on the table and said furiously, "Changed? If he hasn’t claimed to have changed a hundred times, it’s been at least eighty! Was any of it real? How many chances have I given him over all these years?"

Grandma started coughing in a fit of anger as she spoke.

Seeing this, Miss Lowell quickly patted Grandma’s back and said soothingly, "There, there, don’t be angry. Don’t let what Cameron did get you so worked up..."

Melody Summers also hurried to pour Grandma a cup of Calming Tea. "Grandma," she said, "have some tea. It’ll help you calm down."

Grace Sutton wrung her hands, sinking awkwardly into her seat. ’At the end of the day, I’m his sister-in-law. Cameron finally looks like he’s trying to change, so what can I do besides plead his case?’

Once she saw that Grandma had drunk the tea and her anger had subsided, Melody Summers finally spoke. "Grandma, we should at least send some rice to Uncle Cameron’s family. Even if he doesn’t eat it, Aunt Jade and Cousin Clark still need to."

At the mention of Jade Rowan and Clark Summers, Grandma fell silent.

Grandma knew that while Cameron Summers was a scoundrel, his wife and child were truly victims.

At this moment, Grace Sutton chimed in, "I saw young Clark, and he’s as thin as a rail. Is he fifteen or sixteen this year?... Kids that age are right in the middle of their growth spurts. If he doesn’t get enough to eat, he won’t grow properly, and that’ll affect him for his whole life..."

Grandma snorted and muttered under her breath, "I don’t care if he’s tall or not, as long as he doesn’t end up a gambler like his father..."

The others in the living room could only look at each other in dismay.

It was clear Cameron had truly broken his mother’s heart.

In the end, though still reluctant, Grandma finally relented and agreed to give some food to Uncle Cameron’s family.

She sighed and waved a dismissive hand. "Do whatever you want! Just don’t take too much. Bring them some rice, just enough so they don’t starve! Any more than that, and Cameron will just gamble it away!"

...

Melody Summers and Grace Sutton went to the storage room and began gathering supplies for Cameron Summers’s family.

They pulled out two folding beds, a couple of spare sets of bedding, three extra quilts, a stove, a basket of coal, fifty pounds of rice, and some assorted pots, pans, and bowls.

That evening, after Colin Summers returned home, they loaded everything onto a flatbed cart. When no one was around, they pushed the cart to apartment 1101 on the 11th floor...

******

Meanwhile, the Walsh family was scrambling to deal with Zara Walsh’s predicament.

Ever since Zara Walsh had been reported by name for illegally withholding disaster relief supplies, the higher-ups had taken the matter very seriously and launched an immediate investigation.

The investigation yielded shocking results, uncovering an entire criminal network.

Personnel at all levels of Zara Walsh’s department were suspected of conspiring to repeatedly withhold relief supplies and traffic them on the black market. The amounts of money involved were staggering.

Not only that, but they also covered for one another, using their connections and resources to bribe government officials for illicit gains.

Once the authorities received this information, they took immediate action, detaining Zara Walsh and other personnel involved and launching an in-depth investigation.

When this news reached the Walshs, they flew into a panic. The family began frantically pulling strings, calling in favors, and trying every method they could think of to intervene on Zara Walsh’s behalf.

Kylie Walsh even went directly to Roman Rhodes. Disregarding the danger, she waited on a road next to the police station and blocked his car.

Roman Rhodes was driving, lost in thought, when a figure suddenly flashed in front of his car. His heart seized.

Because of the snow, the road was extremely slippery, and the accumulated snow on the street had yet to be cleared. He didn’t dare slam on the brakes, fearing the car would spin out of control.

Instead, he anxiously cranked the steering wheel to avoid the person, nearly hitting the roadside median in the process.

Once the car was stopped, Roman Rhodes rolled down the window, only to find that the person standing in front of him was Kylie Walsh.

He asked in shock, "Kylie Walsh, what do you think you’re doing?! The roads are in this condition, and you dare to stop a car? Do you have a death wish?"

But Kylie Walsh was in no state to care. She wiped her frost-covered face and pleaded urgently, "Roman, my niece is in trouble! Can you help me figure out a way to get her out?"

Roman Rhodes thought for a moment, his brow furrowing. "You mean... the business with Zara?"

Kylie Walsh nodded vigorously. "Yes, it’s about Zara! Roman, we’ve known each other for so many years, and I’ve never asked you for a single thing. This time, I’m begging you—please help my niece!"

Roman Rhodes shook his head and replied in a heavy voice, "The repercussions of Zara’s case are too severe this time. The authorities are taking a hard line and are determined to handle it strictly. Kylie, I can’t help you, and I won’t. You should go home. You’re wasting your time."

’Withholding relief supplies at a time like this... how is that any different from having a callous disregard for human life?’

Roman Rhodes loathed this kind of corruption. Of course he wouldn’t help the Walsh Family. He couldn’t understand why Kylie Walsh thought he would be the one to plead her case.

Hearing his refusal, Kylie Walsh said frantically, "Plenty of other people were reported before and nothing happened! Why is it such a big deal now that it’s Zara? It’s so unfair! ...Besides, Zara was framed! She had nothing to do with trafficking those supplies! She was set up by that malicious snitch who reported her!"

Roman Rhodes almost laughed in exasperation at her words.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and said impatiently, "The evidence is ironclad. They’re about to release an official announcement, so stop trying to argue."

Kylie Walsh stared at him, stunned for a moment, before rushing to deny it. "No, no, no, it’s not like that, Roman, you have to listen... I asked Zara. She said she just let her emotions get the better of her because she wanted to get back at the girl who seduced Yuri. That’s why she made a mistake."

"Zara only held back the shipment of coal meant for The Metropolis Residences! That’s honestly the only thing she did! She had nothing to do with the other trafficking! Just plead her case to the higher-ups, ask them to let her go!"

It was no wonder Kylie Walsh was so desperate. Zara was her older brother’s only daughter, and the Walsh family was counting on her marriage to Zane Simmons to reverse their family’s declining fortunes.

If Zara got into trouble, her marriage arrangement with the Simmons Family would be ruined... At that point, forget the Simmons Family—no respectable family would accept a daughter-in-law with a criminal record!

In the face of Kylie Walsh’s pleading, Roman Rhodes just shook his head grimly. "I cannot possibly help you with this," he replied. "Go home and wait for the official outcome!"

Kylie Walsh looked at Roman Rhodes’s cold, unfeeling expression, and a bitter ache filled her heart. The frigid wind whipped snowflakes against her face, and she could no longer hold back her tears.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. She trembled slightly, her voice thick with sobs as she said softly, "Roman, you know how I’ve felt about you all these years... For the sake of my devotion to you all this time, please, help me this one time..."