Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 1464

The phone number's real-name registration had been wiped, and she hadn't received a single notification. No wonder; she likely wasn't supposed to get any alerts anyway.

Bella didn't dwell on that detail now. She was moments away from confronting her human cash-cow.

Everything was supposed to go flawlessly. If The Blood-Debt Vultures hadn't shown up violently after Debbie's hand was severed, the three of them could have simply divided the money once the $1.2 billion cleared.

Better late than never!

Just as Lucas stepped inside and was about to pull the door shut, Bella slammed her hand forcefully against the wood.

Startled by the sudden impact, Lucas looked out and immediately released his grip in sheer panic.

From the hospital bed, Debbie asked, "What's wrong?"

Bella strolled into the room effortlessly, her eyes locked onto Lucas.

She took a few steps forward, watching Debbie's pupils dilate in horror. She offered a cool, calculated smile. "Long time no see."

As Debbie's expression visibly crumpled into terror, Bella murmured softly, "What, are you thrilled to see me?"

Debbie stammered, "Why... why are you here in the middle of the night?"

This was a disaster. Had Lucas betrayed her? Impossible. That was $400 million on the line.

A man like Lucas would never throw away $400 million for a woman.

Besides, in Debbie's eyes, Bella wasn't exactly dripping with irresistible charm.

Though striking, she could never hold a candle to her former daughter-in-law.

From the instant she locked eyes with Bella, Debbie's heart pounded wildly against her ribs.

She frantically darted her gaze toward Lucas, exchanging a desperate look.

Bella looked at the pair of them in sheer disbelief. She walked over to the sofa, sat down, and opened the laptop she had brought with her, immediately launching the banking software.

"Does it even matter? I'm sitting right here now. You can't possibly think you can bypass me to split this money, right? Debbie, considering how much you already owe me, how do you have the sheer audacity to scheme against me? If it weren't for you, would I be in this desperate situation? If it weren't for you, would I be reduced to this?"

Just recalling the sheer terror of being hunted by debt collectors made Bella's blood boil.

If Debbie hadn't scammed her, she wouldn't owe The Blood-Debt Vultures a fortune.

Debbie let out a dry laugh. She was chained to this hospital bed anyway, unable to take a single step outside. Even if she secured the money, she had nowhere on earth to spend it.

Why should she care about consequences?

"I just don't like you, and I refuse to give you a dime. So what if I decided to team up with Lucas and screw you over? What are you going to do about it? Are you going to chop off my other hand right here in the hospital?"

She thrust her remaining good hand toward Bella. "Even if you take this one too, my life is already ruined. Could it get any worse? Let me give you a reality check: between the mutilation you orchestrated and the trauma from the car crash, I also have cancer. My life rotted away a long time ago. I have zero hope and absolutely no future.