The Billionaire’s Secret Quartet novel Chapter 30

When Thalassa saw Hertha answering the phone, her stomach was in knots.

"You're the mother of those four kids, right?" David's voice echoed through the phone again.

Hertha shot Thalassa a pleading look.

Thalassa nodded like a madwoman.

Hertha got the hint, so she nodded back, only to realize that the other party couldn't see her. So she said, "Yes, I am."

This time, David's tone was totally formal, void of any emotion. "Your kids made a mess in the Sinclair group CEO's office this morning. They broke the CEO's trophy, dirtied the sofa, and scratched the table. We won't charge you for cleaning, but you need to compensate for the damages."

At the mention of no cleaning charges, Thalassa was both anxious and pissed.

She was the one who cleaned the CEO's office – how could she do it for free?

As the call was on speaker, the four kids also heard David's words. They exchanged uneasy glances.

They realized that the other party wasn't a fraud, but Lysander's real assistant.

They did visit the Sinclair group this morning and even ended up in the CEO's office.

Dorian looked particularly baffled and apprehensive, fearing he had done something wrong. He had mistaken the real assistant for a fraud and even blurted out that the Sinclair group's CEO was his dad.

He was getting panicky, rubbing his little head, his eyes filled with unease.

Before Hertha could say anything, David started to calculate the compensation, "We won't charge you for Mr. Sinclair's trophy. The costs are for the damages to the desk and sofa. Mr. Sinclair's sofa originally cost $100,000, but due to use, we'll give you a discount. You'll need to pay $20,000. Also, Mr. Sinclair's desk originally cost $200,000. Considering its age and the two scratches, you only need to pay $3,000. So, the total is $23,000. Would you prefer to pay by card or cash?"

Each fee was clearly justified.

Hertha was shocked on hearing this. She didn't know what to do and looked to Thalassa for help.

Thalassa was equally frantic, urgently making a crying gesture to Hertha.

Hertha immediately got the gist. She needed to put on a pitiful act. So she forced out a couple of tears and said in a miserable tone, "I'm sorry. I didn't discipline the kids properly. I know I messed up. But this amount of money... I'm a single mother, how can I afford it? We can barely put food on the table. I'm already exhausted trying to make ends meet, the kids are starving. I don't have this kind of money. Why don't I just give you my life instead?"

When Hertha got to the end, she was crying and sniffling. She looked truly desperate.

Thalassa joined in the crying, truly feeling sorry for herself.

Evelyn, who was in the kitchen, got the gist of the situation. She was quick-tempered, so she plopped down onto the floor and started wailing, "Good grief, I've had such a hard life! I'm starving every day, and that's not enough, these kids keep getting into trouble. I'm so old, instead of enjoying a peaceful life, I'm suffering because of my daughter's issues. My daughter is about to give up her life for others, what am I supposed to do after that..."

Evelyn was sobbing and pounding her chest.

The four kids also realized their mistake. Elowen was scared. Her bright, big eyes were immediately filled with tears. Her childlike voice was helpless and fragile.

"Oh, grandma, I'm so sorry. I know I messed up. I promise I'll never do it again, waa..."

Lysander and David were both speechless.