She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 562

A cold shiver ran down Sybil's spine. She shook her head frantically.

Edgar nodded, muttering to himself, "With such a massive crisis hitting the family, you need to lock down a wealthy man immediately. I have a friend whose wife recently passed away. He's a self-made billionaire. You've met him—Mr. Ludlow. What do you think?"

"I—I'm already dating someone," Sybil stammered. "Thane, the heir to Crown Dining."

Edgar paused, calculating. "Crown Dining is decent. The family fortune isn't quite as large as Mr. Ludlow's, but if you can guarantee a marriage with Thane, you won't have to marry Mr. Ludlow."

Sybil nodded vigorously, turned on her heel, and bolted back to her room.

Her hands were shaking uncontrollably. Forrest knew everything about the assault, yet he still fiercely protected Loyce. The outcome she had so desperately prayed for hadn't happened.

And Mr. Ludlow? He was a man who had just celebrated his sixtieth birthday, and rumors whispered of his highly abusive sexual tendencies.

Right now, Thane was her one and only lifeline.

But when she finally managed to get through to Thane's number, it wasn't him who answered. It was his mother, Mrs. Crown.

Mrs. Crown's tone was ice-cold, completely devoid of any politeness. "Sybil, I've seen through women pulling your little honey-trap tricks since I was eighteen. My son has lived abroad for years; he's naive and empty-headed. He might not understand your game, but I do. If you know what's good for you, you'll stay far away from him."

"Mrs. Crown!" Sybil cried out desperately. "We truly love each other!"

Mrs. Crown scoffed. "Love? If Lucian Shapiro destroys my family's business, will you still be so deeply in love with a penniless Thane? Aside from his parents' bank accounts, my son has absolutely no redeeming qualities."

Sybil hadn't expected Thane's own parents to speak of him with such disdain, but she knew Tucker had connections with Lucian. There was no way Lucian would actually sink their business. Digging her heels in, she insisted, "Thane has many wonderful qualities. I just wish I had noticed them sooner."

On the other end of the line, Thane, hearing her fiercely defend him, excitedly snatched the phone from his mother. "Wait for me, Sybil!"

The call abruptly clicked off.

"Me? Thane Crown?! I'd rather beg on my knees to a stray dog before I ever bow to that vicious, calculating woman!" Thane swore vehemently.

Linden just smiled sympathetically and ordered his butler to throw him out.

Thane figured he could just crash at one of his family's many hotels, but he was promptly blacklisted from all of them. Not a single property would allow him to stay on credit.

That night, stripped of his parents' safety net, Thane found himself wandering the streets.

He finally understood the crushing weight of his mother's words: *Without us, you are nothing.*

Feeling completely suffocated and defeated, he hesitated for a long time before finally dialing Sybil's number.

Hearing the awkward desperation in his voice, Sybil immediately realized Mrs. Crown was trying to force a wedge between them by making him suffer. She figured that if she just held out for a little while, a mother couldn't possibly let her son sleep on the streets forever.