CHAPTER 438

"Don't get all flustered! Use your head!" Victor glared at Max stonily and snapped, "The Whitfields aren't the only ones at Dusktown we can collaborate with. I'll talk to them and buy us some time. The whole thing happened so suddenly that none of us were prepared to be dragged into the Whitfields' mess. In order to prevent losses, what we have to do with the time we have now is to make a contingency plan!"

"We need to realize as much of our assets as we can. We'll proceed with the collaboration with the Whitfields, but we'll call it quits the moment we can. Our profits may not be entirely unscathed, but the most important thing for us is to cut off the Whitfields as soon as possible. At least then, we'd have a way out even if they decided to shortchange us."

Max gaped at the old man in bewilderment. "The Whitfields are one of the most prolific families in Dusktown. Surely they would honor their word?"

Hans gave him a look and said pensively, "Now that you've brought it up, I just remembered that we have leverage against the Whitfields. They must sign an agreement, or we'd never be sure if they would go back on their word."

Within minutes, Hans sat at the desk and began penning a simple agreement. It was a sentimental and heavily embellished agreement, but the gist was that Katrina's swapping the babies had nothing to do with the Cavendishes and that there was to be no animosity between them and the Whitfieds.

After reading the letter, Max gazed at Victor with renewed admiration and praised wholeheartedly, "You really know what you're doing, Dad!"

Victor scoffed and said sardonically, "Of course not. How else do you think our family got to be whereUpstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

we are now?"

Following this, Victor took the agreement and headed to the Whitfield Residence, where he handed the document to Aidan.

Aidan looked grim after he read the terms and bit out gravely, "We've given you an inch, and now you're asking for a mile?"

Victor sighed. "Look, Aidan, we wouldn't want to turn against you if there were any other way, but as things stand, our hands are tied. I'm just looking out for my family."

Aidan clenched his fists angrily. He was the only heir to the elite name of the Whitfield Family, and this was the first time he had ever felt threatened. To make matters worse, Aidan knew he was being backed into a corner. If he wanted to save the Whitfields from what would be a devastating downfall and keep Abigail within the family, then he had no choice but to agree to Victor's proposition.

With gritted teeth and barely controlled rage, Aidan set pen to paper and signed his name.

Victor happily took the agreement back and stood up as he said, "Don't blame me for this, Aidan. I didn't have a choice in the matter, so I had to resort to such extreme lengths. The Whitfields are a prominent family in the city, and you could easily snuff us out with a snap of your fingers. Trust me, had there been a better way to go about this, I'd have never tried to go against you." "Don't gat all flustarad! Usa your haad!" Victor glarad at Max stonily and snappad, "Tha Whitfialds aran't tha only onas at Dusktown wa can collaborata with. I'll talk to tham and buy us soma tima. Tha whola thing happanad so suddanly that nona of us wara praparad to ba draggad into tha Whitfialds' mass. In ordar to pravant lossas, what wa hava to do with tha tima wa hava now is to maka a

contingancy plan!"

"Wa naad to raaliza as much of our assats as wa can. Wa'll procaad with tha collaboration with tha Whitfialds, but wa'll call it quits tha momant wa can. Our profits may not ba antiraly unscathad, but tha most important thing for us is to cut off tha Whitfialds as soon as possibla. At laast than, wa'd hava a way out avan if thay dacidad to shortchanga us."

Max gapad at tha old man in bawildarmant. "Tha Whitfialds ara ona of tha most prolific familias in Dusktown. Suraly thay would honor thair word?"

Hans gava him a look and said pansivaly, "Now that you'va brought it up, I just ramambarad that wa hava lavaraga against tha Whitfialds. Thay must sign an agraamant, or wa'd navar ba sura if thay would go back on thair word."

Within minutas, Hans sat at tha dask and bagan panning a simpla agraamant. It was a santimantal and haavily amballishad agraamant, but tha gist was that Katrina's swapping tha babias had nothing to do with tha Cavandishas and that thara was to ba no animosity batwaan tham and tha Whitfiads.

Aftar raading tha lattar, Max gazad at Victor with ranawad admiration and praisad wholahaartadly, "You raally know what you'ra doing, Dad!"

Victor scoffad and said sardonically, "Of coursa not. How alsa do you think our family got to ba whara wa ara now?"

Following this, Victor took tha agraamant and haadad to tha Whitfiald Rasidanca, whara ha handad tha documant to Aidan.

Aidan lookad grim aftar ha raad tha tarms and bit out gravaly, "Wa'va givan you an inch, and now you'ra asking for a mila?"

Victor sighad. "Look, Aidan, wa wouldn't want to turn against you if thara wara any othar way, but as things stand, our hands ara tiad. I'm just looking out for my family."

Aidan clanchad his fists angrily. Ha was tha only hair to tha alita nama of tha Whitfiald Family, and this was tha first tima ha had avar falt thraatanad. To maka mattars worsa, Aidan knaw ha was baing backad into a cornar. If ha wantad to sava tha Whitfialds from what would ba a davastating downfall and kaap Abigail within tha family, than ha had no choica but to agraa to Victor's proposition.

With grittad taath and baraly controllad raga, Aidan sat pan to papar and signad his nama.

Victor happily took tha agraamant back and stood up as ha said, "Don't blama ma for this, Aidan. I didn't hava a choica in tha mattar, so I had to rasort to such axtrama langths. Tha Whitfialds ara a prominant family in tha city, and you could aasily snuff us out with a snap of your fingars. Trust ma, had thara baan a battar way to go about this, I'd hava navar triad to go against you."

Aidan snorted. "You're too modest, Mr. Cavendish. I think you've got guts."

Victor laughed. "Well, seeing as you all like Abby so much, I take it that the child Katrina swapped in her place doesn't affect you in any way. Besides, Katrina's the guilty one, so why should we both suffer for it? There's no need for us to become enemies, right, Aidan?"

His goody-two-shoes act made Aidan sick.

Having gotten what he came here for, Victor happily left the Whitfield Residence, leaving Aidan to smash a few of his teacups in a rage.

Moments later, Andrew returned home to find shards of porcelain on the ground and a thunderous Aidan, who looked as if he might breathe fire at any given moment. He grew concerned and asked, "Dad, what's wrong? Why are you so angry?"

Aidan was trembling with fury as he ground out, "I underestimated that cunning old fox! H-He's way out of line!"

"Cunning old fox?" Andrew repeated in confusion. Then, he asked, "Are you talking about Old Master Cavendish, perchance?"

"Yes!" Aidan shoved the duplicate of the agreement at his son and snapped, "Take a look for yourself!"

Andrew took the agreement and read it, then sighed as he wordlessly set it down on the coffee table.

"What do you think?" Aidan asked.

"I don't think much of it," Andrew answered, shaking his head in exasperation. "Abigail is Max's biological daughter, and that's a fact that remains unchanged no matter what. If we want to keep her in our family, then we have no choice but to do as the Whitfields say."

Aidan's blood was boiling, and he thought he might be having a stroke for a second. He sat on the couch, rubbed his temples tiredly to soothe the onset of a headache, and took deep breaths to calm himself. Aidan couldn't remember the last time he was this belligerent. He wanted nothing more than to

obliterate the Cavendishes, but he was forced to tolerate them, which was frustrating.

Andrew looked at his father with sympathy. He wanted to say a few words of solace, but his vocabulary felt pitifully limited at that moment. In fact, he had known from the beginning that keeping Abigail in the family was a mistake. However, familial sentiments overpowered reason.

All the Whitfields were swayed by how much they cared about Abigail, leading them to make a choice that returned to haunt them.

Meanwhile, Karina returned home after shopping with Abigail. Karina was belligerent when she saw the agreement on the coffee table. She was so incensed that she skipped dinner and fell ill, as expected, the next day.

Karina had a high fever and a burning sensation in her throat. She was also exhausted, and her chest felt tight. Nothing she did helped ease her discomfort.

As she lay in bed, she suddenly thought of Martin. She glanced at Andrew, who was taking care of her, and asked, "Andrew, could you call Martin for me and have him come home for dinner? I miss him, and I'd like to have him around."

If only she knew Martin did not miss her at all.

Meanwhile, Martin was in Madeline's office at the Oasis Law Office. He reviewed the documents containing information on the Whitfields and the Cavendishes, which he had painstakingly investigated alongside a few of his co-workers.

He was sprawled on the couch and grinning like an idiot, his alabaster skin practically glowing under

the lights. When he was happy like this, he looked almost ethereal.

Leigh came into the office with a glass of juice and sat down next to him. She couldn't resist prodding his cheek as she asked, "Well, don't you look happy? Come on, tell me what happened so that I can have something to smile about, too."

Martin sneaked a glance at Madeline, who was poring over her work right now, then leaned close to Leigh as he whispered, "I never have to go back to the Whitfields ever again! Never! See this?"

He shoved all the information he had compiled on the Whitfields and the Cavendishes into Leigh's hand.

She leafed through them, set them aside, and reached out to tousle Martin's hair. "You seem to cope rather well. Aren't you just the tiniest bit upset about this?"

He cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Why would I be upset?"

"Because the Cavendishes hurt you, for one, and your biological parents are keeping Abigail for the sake of their family business. Aren't you angry about that?" Leigh pressed. As it turned out, all of them here at Oasis were oddballs, even the adorable and harmless Martin.

"No, I'm not angry at all!" Martin shook his head vehemently. "If they were nice to me, Madeline would have asked me to head there for a visit. If they were horrid to me, I'd have every reason not to go back again!"

Leigh wasn't sure what to make of that. After a while, she said slowly, "Well, I suppose you and the Whitfields have gotten something out of this separation. Do whatever makes you happy, I guess."

"That's right! We both got something out of it!" Martin said with a firm nod of his head. "Also—"