Billionaire

Chapter 253

Jacob was in the hospital, and Chloe had no clue. She drove over to Saint Ryan Hospital, heading straight to the VIP section where Jacob’s room was. The whole floor was eerily

quiet.

Chloe walked down the long corridor and finally reached the door of his room. It was slightly ajar, and she could hear Jacob’s angry voice spitting out.

“Lisa, how could you be so stupid? Why did you plagiarize in such a big competition with the world watching? I’d rather see you come in last than make a spectacle of yourself and drag us through the mud.

“Do you even understand what Belle Époque is facing now? Our stocks have tanked, the internet is boycotting us, and the empire I’ve built over decades is crumbling because of

you

“The biggest regret of my life, Lisa, is having a daughter like you. You’re nothing but a curse on the Meadows family, a complete disaster.

“If you had even a fraction of Chloe’s talent–no, a tenth–we wouldn’t be in this mess…

“Why couldn’t Chloe be my daughter instead of you…”

Jacob’s voice softened as he uttered those last words, almost a whisper–a mix of lament and self–pity. But Lisa heard every word. She could tolerate many things, but mentioning Chloe always set her off.

“Yeah, why isn’t Chloe your daughter? Why did it have to be me? Why did you bring me into this world only to lose me? If I had grownup here, had the education Chloe had, hadn’t been abused by John, and had everything I needed, maybe I’d be just as exceptional as Chloe.

“This is your fault. You owe me.”

Jacob was shaking with anger. “Lisa, you’re hopeless.”

“Dad, do you really think Chloe is your perfect daughter? If she was, she wouldn’t have exposed me at the competition. If she truly cared about the Meadows family, she would have put our reputation first, not have me get caught in a plagiarism scandal. Doesn’t she get that I represent Belle Époque?”

Jacob fell silent, then sighed deeply after a moment. “Yeah, why couldn’t she see the bigger picture?”

Chloe, who had been eavesdropping outside, couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity. She had harbored a sliver of hope that Jacob had changed. But no, he was still the same–selfish

as ever.

He didn’t care about her or Lisa. All he cared about was his own reputation.

Chloe pushed the door open. “Lisa, you stole someone else’s work, and you think you’re in the

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Chapter 253

right?”

“And how is your plagiarism scandal my fault? Didn’t I do everything I could at the competition to uphold Belle Époque’s dignity, to salvage our reputation?

“You did something despicable and shameless, and now you’re blaming me?”

Jacob suddenly snapped back to reality. “Yeah, Chloe and you were both at the competition. Chloe didn’t report your plagiarism. How can you blame her?”

But Lisa was seething, pointing angrily at Chloe. “You really think this has nothing to do with you? Aren’t you friends with Miss Y? Would she have come forward to expose me without your encouragement? She’s the chief jewelry designer at QUEEN now. She left fashion design years ago. Everything has been fine for so long. Why did she choose the competition to accuse me of plagiarism?”