Dumped Then Claimed By A Billionaire (Nerissa and Owen) novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16 The Con Artist

Chapter 16 The Con Artist

Given the circumstances, since Hunter had already decided to cut ties with Dylan, it was only sensible to make the break completely clean, so there would be no messy entanglements later on.

When Dylan and Winifred heard this, they were practically over the moon.

‘Cut-off agreement? Right, how did we not think of a formal severance agreement? They thought ‘Our lives are going so well right now.

‘What if Hunter shows up again someday with Nerissa in tow? At the moment, it’s just a verbal break. There’s no proof at all But once a severance agreement is signed, we won’t have to worry about any of that.’

“We’ll definitely sign it,” Winifred said, turning to Ivy. “Ivy, go print out a severance agreement.”

Ivy was a senior in high school that year, and the family had a printer at home. As for the content, a quick online search turned up plenty of ready-made templates.

Besides, Ivy had no desire to have anything more to do with Hunter or Nerissa.

So in less than ten minutes, Ivy had prepared two copies of the severance agreement.

When Hunter took the papers, his hands trembled.

He looked at Dylan, his eyes slightly red.

In that moment, countless memories from the past flashed through his mind.

Seeing his father like this, Dylan frowned faintly. “You were the one who brought up cutting ties in the first place. Now that it’s time to sign, are you having second thoughts?

“Once words are spoken, they can’t be taken back. Whether you like it or not, this relationship ends today.”

‘End it now, Dylan thought. ‘I don’t want this father anymore. He’s done nothing but drag me down.’

Hunter did not hesitate any further. He signed both copies briskly, pressed his thumbprint into the red ink, and said with reddened eyes, “Dylan, from this day forward, I am no longer your father.”

After saying that, Hunter turned to Nerissa. “Nerissa, let’s go.”

Nerissa nodded slightly and followed him out.

Winifred slammed the door shut with force, as if she were avoiding a deadly plague, terrified of having any further association with the two of them.

Hunter stared at the tightly closed door. When he thought of his son’s utter ruthlessness, his heart ached unbearably.

No one knew how much pain he was in at that moment.

When Lyra returned, Nerissa and Hunter were already gone from the Stratford household.

Lyra was puzzled. “Where’s Nerissa?”

Winifred explained what had happened.

Lyra was furious. She felt Nerissa was unbelievably foolish; she had finally married into a blue-blood family, only to divorce so easily.

It completely ruined Ivy’s prospects.

“Useless trash,” Lyra snorted coldly. “Even when an opportunity drops into her lap, she still can’t climb her way up the social ladder. I knew it. Nerissa was bound to divorce Owen sooner or later.”

When Lyra heard that they had also cut ties with Hunter, she finally relaxed and went on, “Winifred, Dylan, you did the right thing.

“Our family is proper city people. We naturally shouldn’t have anything to do with those mud-on-their-boots types. It’s just a shame I bought so many premium ingredients.”

To curry favor with Nerissa, Lyra had bought all the groceries from an imported supermarket, sparing no expense and spending several thousand dollars.

When Winifred mentioned that Nerissa liked seafood, Lyra had even splurged on a king crab.

“It’s not a waste, Mom. Cutting ties with people like them is something worth celebrating.” Winifred said.

“Winifred’s right.” Dylan nodded. “Mr. Holloway Successfully unlocked! it of province today anyway. I’ll go buy some

wine he likes. We’ll have a proper family dinner.

Dylan might not have been a good son, but he was definitely a dutiful son-in-law.

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Chapter 16 The Con Artist

After saying that, Dylan went out to buy the wine.

Ivy looked at Winifred. “Mom, do you think Nerissa can really get into Yiorlian School on her own?”

For some reason, Nerissa’s promise to get into Ylorlian School by herself kept echoing in Ivy’s mind.

She was afraid Nerissa might surpass her again.

Winifred rolled her eyes. “Get into Yiorlian School? With her skills? Maybe in her next life. Without our help, she can forget about ever studying at Yiorlian School.”

Ivy let out a sigh of relief and wondered, ‘Mom was right. Nerissa’s not smart; there’s no way she could get into Yiorlian School. If she had any sense, she wouldn’t have agreed to divorce Owen.’

*****

Nerissa followed Hunter out of Dylan’s apartment complex.

Looking at Hunter’s back, Nerissa spoke calmly, “Grandpa, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Hunter shook his head. “I’m not sad at all.”

Hunter was lying.

After all, Dylan was his own son by blood. Hunter never imagined the day would come when he’d sever ties with his son.

“Grandpa, this is all my fault. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have fallen out with Dylan,” said Nerissa.

Before Nerissa could finish, Hunter interrupted her, “Nerissa, this has nothing to do with you. I raised an ungrateful son, and honestly, maybe this had to happen so I could see his true colors.

“I’m still healthy, still able to work, and still earning my own living. If I end up having to go to him for help only after I’ve fallen seriously ill, that will be true despair.”

Hunter looked at Nerissa. “I should be the one apologizing to you. I wanted to find you a good school, a better environment, but I never expected-”

Guilt-filled Hunter’s eyes. He thought, ‘A child’s failure is the father’s fault. This is all my doing.’

“Grandpa, you don’t need to apologize. I’m capable. Even without their help, I could still get into Yiorlian School.” Nerissa placed her hand on Hunter’s shoulder, showing a protective stance.

“I’ve learned a lot from the Calloway family this past year. Not only can I study hard, but I can also earn money to support you,” she added.

“From now on, all you have to do is wait for me to take care of you and enjoy life,” she smiled.

Hunter smiled and nodded, “Alright, I believe in you, Nerissa.”

At that moment, Hunter thought Nerissa was just trying to comfort him, never/imagining she’d really follow through on her promise.

As Nerissa stepped out of the complex, she could see the villas across the river.

She smiled and asked, “Grandpa, what do you think of those villas over there?”

“They look nice,” Hunter nodded. “Our boss mentioned that there’s an artificial lake in that villa area, with swans and ducklings.”

Nerissa pointed with a delicate hand. “Grandpa, let’s buy a villa here someday. I’ll even hire two housekeepers to take care of you.”

Hunter chuckled softly, “Nerissa, as long as you, I don’t care where we live.”

Nerissa didn’t rush to explain.

Hunter would soon see just how capable she really was.

Around 4 p.m., Nerissa received a WhatsApp message from Clive, asking her to meet at a café, clearly something important.

Nerissa arrived at the café on time.

Just as she reached the entrance, she bumped into a man in a suit.

The man pointed at her, furious. “Is that you? A liar, and you still have the nerve to show your face.”

Nerissa had once stood at the top of the world, admired by many, but no one had ever called her a liar.

She stopped, confused, and looked at him. “A liar? What did I lie to you about?”

Only then did she realize this was Luke, heir to the Merritt Group.

Luke frowned. “That day in the elevator, Lennox kindly helped you, but you betrayed him by calling the excessive internal

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Chapter 16 The Con Artist

heat depletion, nearly killing Lennox.”

The angrier Luke göt, the more he struggled not to lose control; he hated hitting wornen, or else he’d want to throw Nerissa to the ground and beat her senseless.

Nerissa’s memories flashed sharply. She frowned deeply, her expression turning serious. “You mean, he didn’t take that medicine?”

Luke stared at her. “No, Lennox never took that medicine. Didn’t you say that if Lennox didn’t take the pills you prescribed, he’d collapse into a coma three days later?

“Today’s the third day. But Lennox hasn’t fainted; under Levil’s treatment, he’s completely recovered. You’re a fraud.”

Nerissa patiently explained, “Depletion and excessive internal heat are very similar. In the final days of the illness, symptoms may appear to ease even without medication, but what’s really happening is that the condition is worsening gradually.

“If he doesn’t take the medicine, he will definitely collapse by 9 p.m. tonight.”

This wasn’t an exaggeration.

Nerissa was a doctor.

She had seen many stubborn patients before.

Luke sneered inwardly, ‘He’s supposed to collapse before 9? Nerissa really has nerve. Even after her tricks got exposed, she’ s still twisting the truth. Shameless.’

Luke said, “Do I look like some fool you can trick? It’s long past that time, and you’re still trying to fool me. Do you even know who Levi is? He’s the heir to a genius physician.

“Levi personally diagnosed Lennox. I don’t think he was wrong. Levi also said your prescription contains highly toxic ingredients, extremely dangerous. One slip, and it could cause serious consequences.”

‘How could a teenage girl compare to Levi?’ Luke thought.

Nerissa glanced at the time on her phone. “Everything in the world exists in balance. Poison, when used properly, can become an antidote. It’s normal for others to misunderstand my prescription.

“But I can assure you that I never lied to you. Moreover, traditional medicine has a profound heritage spanning thousands of years. Interpretations vary between people; every practitioner has their own approach.

“Levi may be the heir of a genius physician, but that doesn’t mean his skills surpass mine.”

Nerissa’s last sentence was clearly full of confidence.

Yet coming from her, it carried no arrogance, just a natural certainty, as if she were simply stating a fact.

She pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from her bag, wrote down her number, and handed it to Luke. “Here’s my contact info. If Lennox falls into a coma, contact me immediately.”

Nerissa gave her number partly out of respect. Lennox had saved her once./

Otherwise, Luke’s rude attitude would have made her refuse to waste any time on him.

Luke laughed as if hearing a joke, mocking Nerissa wildly, then threw the paper onto the ground, “I’ve never seen such shamelessness. When Levi made his name in Aosthorne, you hadn’t even been born yet.

“Lennox is already healed. How could he collapse before nine? Don’t try to scare me.”

Nerissa didn’t get angry. Her expression remained calm as she simply looked at Luke. “If that’s the case, then I wish you good luck.”

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