The Prison-Made Queen novel Chapter 794

But what happened after that?

He waited weeks for an update, and nothing came. Whenever he tried to call her back, she was either "too busy" or her phone miraculously had "bad reception."

Eventually, Clive got the message. His sister’s "help" was nothing more than pretty words meant to get him off the phone.

He had spoiled her rotten for years, and this was how she repaid him. Between his own lingering resentment and his father's fury, Clive felt absolutely zero sympathy for her now.

He let out a scoff, the sound quiet but dripping with icy sarcasm. "I told you she only cares about herself. It's just a shame it took the rest of the family this long to see it."

He thought back to his own desperation, how easily she had brushed him aside. "When things were great, she was the first in line to take her cut. Now that the ship is sinking, of course she’s nowhere to be found. Besides, she's married to Milford now. She’s a Sherwood. Who's to say she didn't have a hand in setting us up?"

Zeus stood by, his brow heavily creased. If it had just been their father venting, he might have still believed Tamara was being coerced by her in-laws. But hearing Clive—her fiercest defender—turn on her solidified the truth.

It was a bitter pill to swallow. "I never imagined she could be this cold-blooded," Zeus muttered. "Dad practically worshipped the ground she walked on. Every good thing this family had went to her first. Even if she couldn't actually help, the least she could do is show her face."

Hackett was lying in a hospital bed, hovering near death, and Tamara couldn't even be bothered to make an appearance. It was beyond heartless. Zeus had always thought she was just a little spoiled, a little entitled. He hadn't realized the rot went straight to her core.

Listening to his sons confirm his worst fears made Hackett's chest tighten with unbearable pain. He coughed violently, gritting his teeth.

Zeus was the first to break the silence, looking away as he pressed his lips into a tight line. "Dad, you know I’ve sunk everything I've earned into my research and the new lab. I don't have liquid assets. I might be able to scrounge up about fifty thousand dollars for an emergency fund, but that’s it."

Fifty thousand dollars?

It was a joke. A drop in the bucket compared to the massive financial crater the Sloan Group was facing. Trying to stage a corporate comeback with fifty grand was purely delusional.

The light in Hackett's eyes dimmed drastically. He slowly turned his gaze to his youngest son.

Clive instinctively shrank back, terrified of the crushing expectation in his father's eyes.