Before I could utter a word, Kylie cut in coldly.
“You want to take Ariana away? Fine. Let’s see if you even have the means to raise her. What if you just sell her off to some mountain village and vanish again?”
“How do you plan to test my capability?” I asked fists clenched tight.
This time, I had rushed back in such haste just to see the two of them still wearing my old lab uniform.
The worn-looking suit might have seemed shabby, but it was both radiation-proof and bulletproof.
Even after the brutal beating earlier, I was only bruised on the surface, with no real injuries.
That suit had protected me.
“Whatever you’ve got, bring it out. Show us something worthwhile,” Tanner sneered.
“Daddy, I’ve been secretly saving for years. There’s a hundred thousand dollars on this card. I don’t eat much, and I also feed stray dogs and cats. I can support myself.”
The tears I had just swallowed rose again, blurring my eyes.
Gently, I slipped the card back into her pocket and said in a hoarse voice, “Don’t worry. Daddy will show them something worth seeing.”
I took a deep breath and dialed that number directly.
A faint chuckle came from the other end.
“Hehe, Brody, you’re finally back. But instead of reuniting with your wife, you’re calling me?”
“Sir, there’s something I need to say,” I said solemnly, inhaling deeply.
“My wife has remarried and even has a child. I want custody of my daughter, but they want proof of my capability.”
Before I could finish, Tanner suddenly snatched the phone from my hand.
“Old man, you're that punk Brody’s boss? Haha, he wants to act all high and mighty in front of our President Jones? Even if I lent you a hundred guts, would you dare show up?”
There was a pause.
On the other end, my superior was clearly stunned. It must’ve been the first time anyone had dared to call him an old man.
“Alright. I’ll borrow your guts, then. I’m sending people over now.”
With that, he hung up.
“Brody, the guy you called is just as full of bluff as you are. Says he’s sending people? What’s he gonna send some of your day laborer pals to impress me?”
Tanner burst out laughing.
Kylie shook her head in disappointment and spoke coolly, “Brody, sign the divorce papers and get lost while I’m still calm. Otherwise, soon, you won’t even have the chance to leave.”
“Ariana, come back with me!”
“Remember, your father no longer exists.”
My daughter clung tightly to the hem of my shirt, refusing to let go.
But under Kylie’s pressuring gaze, she lowered her head and hesitantly stepped back toward her.
I gently pulled her back.
“My precious girl, from now on, you never have to be afraid of anyone again. At least in this country, no one dares lay a hand on you.”
“Kid, stop pretending. President Jones is the sky in the capital.”
“Then that sky is about to fall.”
The moment the words left my mouth, a deafening roar filled the air.
People instinctively looked up.
“Look! What kind of planes are those?”
“They don’t look like civilian aircraft. Why are they flying so low?”
Under the stunned gaze of the crowd, several aircraft landed steadily right in front of the Jones Group headquarters.
Powerful gusts of wind swept through the crowd.
In that instant, everyone’s expression shifted.
