Chapter 189
It had been too long ago, and there were hardly any traces of the original transaction.
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But after Nyx went missing, that family–feeling cheated–actually contacted the traffickers to demand a refund. Their chat logs became new evidence.
Nyx was rendered speechless. When a situation was so absurd, all she could do was laugh.
Hearing her chuckle, Archie stole a glance at her. “By the way, I still don’t know your name?”
Nyx snapped back to reality, her expression returning to normal. “Nyx Voss.”
“Got it.” Archie trailed after her. “Let’s just have a meal together first?”
“Fine, if not dinner, then let me take you to see the house.” Archie was surprisingly considerate.
Meanwhile, the livestream was blowing up, and the viewership skyrocketed.
Seeing Archie’s eager behavior, his fangirls felt jealous. But they had to admit, Nyx’s heroic display earlier had left them in awe. They couldn’t help but respect her.
In a cramped house filled with the stench of mold and rotten food, a bald middle–aged man suddenly shouted, “Mom. Isn’t this Nyx?”
“Why are you yelling?” an old woman scolded from the kitchen. “Why bring up that dead girl all of a sudden?”
“No, Mom. Look.” The middle–aged man thrust his phone in front of the old woman, showing her the livestream. “That’s Nyx, right?”
The old woman rubbed her eyes, momentarily unsure. She thought, “That wretched girl–is this really her?‘
In her memory, Nyx had been as thin as a ghost, wearing oversized clothes that hung loosely on her frail frame, shoulders always hunched in submission.
But the girl on screen exuded health and confidence. Dressed stylishly, she looked every bit the wealthy young lady–like someone from an entirely different world. Yet, she still looked undeniably familiar.
“If it’s really her, does that mean we don’t have to pay back that 150 thousand dollars?” The old woman’s eyes gleamed with
interest.
Ever since Nyx disappeared, that divorced man had been hounding them for repayment. But the money had long been squandered by her grandson’s gambling. There was no way she could pay back.
If they got Nyx back and married her off to that divorced man, the 150 thousand dollars debt would be wiped clean.
The bald middle–aged man snorted. “150 thousand dollars? That’s nothing. Mom, she’s landed herself a rich man. Look at the guy next to her–he’s a nationally famous nepo baby. You need to think bigger.”
“Huh?” The old woman was stunned. After hearing her son’s explanation, she was dazed for a long while. She thought, ‘How many billions in assets is that nepo baby having? Could we really latch onto such a golden opportunity?‘
“Quick. Contact Nyx and tell her to send us 150 thousand dollars to settle that old marriage deal.” The old woman urged her son to act fast before Nyx got too involved with the rich nepo baby.
The bald man was eager to reach out but had no direct means. Nyx’s phone was still at home.
After som
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thought, he decided to DM the owner of the livestream, claiming to be Nyx’s relative.
Chapter 189
The livestreamer was one of Archie’s friends.
His inbox was flooded daily, and he usually ignored messages, leaving his account to his asset
The internet was full of all sorts of scammers, and the assistant had seen plenty trying to dem com
But this time, the story sounded oddly specific, making the assistant hesitate before reporting it to his bose
The message made its way to Archie, and then to Nyx.
“Are they really your family?” Archie asked Nyx.
Something felt off to him. He thought, ‘If they were really her family, why message a stranger instead of contacting Seyx directly? Did they really have to come to me just to beat around the bush? There’s no way–Kyoudat poudry not toove a phone, right?
Yet, it turned out Nyx really didn’t have a phone with her. She turned to Archie and asked, “Can you lend me a member you
don’t use often? I need to contact them.”
Although Archie was puzzled, he handed one over without hesitation.
As soon as the call went through, it was picked up almost instantly.
A middle–aged man’s eager voice came through. “Hello? Nyx? Is that you?”
Before Nyx could respond, the phone was snatched away.
Amidst the chaotic scuffle: “Let me!” “Give it to me!” “I’ll talk to her!“–the phone ended up in the old womanís hands.
She immediately started cursing Nyx, saying the most unpleasant things she could think of, and even stringing together a barrage of insults. She scolded Nyx for disappearing without a word, causing them trouble.
The balding middle–aged man tried to stop her, mouthing words to remind her to be nicer to Nyx After all, Nyx was their future cash cow,
The old woman shoved her son aside and rolled her eyes. “I know better than you.”
She thought that only by keeping Nyx in check could they make Nyx obedient.
Back in the poor village, when she was young, she had never heard of women being coaxed into submission. They were always beaten and scolded into obedience.
Nyx calmly moved her phone a little farther from her ear. She had heard worse before.
Archie curiously leaned in to listen and was utterly shocked. He had never encountered people like this before. Today was truly an eye–opener for him.
The old woman finally ran out of curses, panting for breath, and got to the point. “150 thousand dollars. Transfer 150 thousand dollars home right now. Pay back your wedding gift money.”
“150 thousand dollars in wedding gift money?” Nyx asked unhurriedly. “Why don’t I know anything about that? I don’t think I ever had that money in my hands.”
“Don’t play dumb with me.” The old woman exploded instantly. “So what if it wasn’t in your hands? Few families would let the bride hold onto the wedding gift. You know that fact, right?”
That 150 thousand dollars was originally meant for her eldest grandson’s wedding, but he gambled it all away, with not a single cent left. Worse, he was now deep in debt.
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Chapter 189
Their family had been worrying about how to cover that debt, and now that the missing Nyx had resurfaced, it was as if heaven had sent them a solution.
Nyx had no intention of being their scapegoat. “The money was never given to me. Why should I pay it back?”
“Bullshit.” The old woman was furious. If Nyx were in front of her, she would’ve beaten her to death for talking back.
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She threatened Nyx. “What will your rich boyfriend think if he finds out you took someone else’s wedding gift money? You think he’ll still want you?”
In the old woman’s mind, accepting a wedding gift meant a woman was already married and belonged to that family.
Nyx fell silent for a moment. She thought, ‘What? Rich boyfriend?‘
Her confusion made her hesitate to respond.
To the old woman, Nyx’s reaction meant she was scared. The threat had worked.
She immediately pushed her advantage. “150 thousand isn’t enough. Let’s make it a good amount–send us a million.”
Archie’s family had billions. Just a drop from his fingers would be enough for them to live comfortably.
Nyx shook her head and chuckled speechlessly. She didn’t say yes or no. Instead, she abruptly changed the subject and asked, “You bought me from human traffickers, didn’t you?”
“How do you know?” The old woman had no legal awareness and didn’t think there was anything wrong with saying it out loud.
She admitted it openly and even mocked Nyx. “What, you think just because you weren’t born into this family, you don’t have to pay us back?”
