Next One Is a Babe

Chapter 2098

Aurora couldn't resist snapping back, "Your hardship has nothing to do with me. My feelings for you were gone the moment we broke up, and my money is my own, so don't think you can just leech off me!"

She was furious, and her chest was rising and falling rapidly as her voice raised in volume.

However, the man chuckled wickedly. No words could get through to him, and he looked as if he had resigned to his shamelessness. "I think you might want to consider letting me leech off you after hearing this—you're more famous than I am, and your son has an army of fans supporting his career. If I were to spin a few rumors to drag his reputation through the mud, his fans might turn on him again. If you were smart, you'd give me a bit of money and let me go my merry way. If you choose to go head- to-head with me, I can't promise just how much you'll lose."

He was the scum of the earth, and his face looked like an inviting punching bag. However, Ian and Cindy did not plan on roughing him up at the moment. In fact, they were both calm as they stared at him steadily.

There was no telling what the man had suddenly thought of, for he said, "Actually, I regret leaving you the way I did. Had we not separated, I bet I'd be living off your riches right now." He sounded rueful when he said this. He sighed and added, "We go way back, don't we? Why don't you just give me the money to shut me up? I'm not asking for much, and it certainly won't be worth the trouble that could come from your refusal to pay me the money. I'm sure you don't want to see me lingering around either, so I'll leave as soon as I get that check and I won't show up in front of you ever again."

Ian spoke up from the side. "In that case, tell us how much money you're asking for and we'll see if

you're being reasonable."

Surely enough, the man was far from being reasonable. He jerked his chin as he put up a hand to show his five fingers and said, "Fifty million; don't tell me it's too big of a sum. After all, I know how easy it is for you celebrities to make money in the industry. You make hundreds of millions in a year from a movie payout alone, so fifty million shouldn't mean much to you."

Ian snorted. "Where did you get such information?" Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

The man ignored him and said, "It doesn't matter. I have a life to live, and this fifty million should cover me for a good few years since I have no fortune to my name right now. Moreover, my daughter's kid needs the money for medical treatment, so I have to pay for it. I need money to get by every day, and I can't settle for less. Give me fifty million and I'll get out of your sight."

Ian sputtered. "As if. I won't give a single penny to a guy like you, so don't think you can get any money out of us with such lame threats. I'm telling you—I don't care about what the public thinks of me. You should know if you read the news that my reputation has been dragged through the mud more times than I can count, so go ahead and say whatever you want to the press."

The man let out an insidious bark of laughter and turned to look at Aurora after a moment of thought. "He might not be worried about his reputation, but I'm sure you won't want to see your son's career ruined. I'm only asking for fifty million, but you're both so stingy that you'd rather risk your careers." Cindy had been silent throughout this as she stood by the side with her lips pressed into a grim line, but the man suddenly turned and looked at her. "I can't believe you're putting up with a man like him. If he's such a Scrooge, I'm sure you aren't living well either. He probably won't give you anything to spend on."

Cindy ignored him.

The man pondered for a second before he clicked his tongue and said, "Let's just make one thing clear —I won't leave until I get the full sum of what I've asked for, and if you can't give it to me, I'll have to leak some dirt on the both of you on the internet."

Aurora looked up at him. "What dirt do you think you have on us? You can't post anything online that could possibly hurt us."

The man shrugged and leaned against the armrest of the couch. He crossed his arms and said confidently, "I can say anything I want about the both of you online, and it would cause a stir one way or another. Words hardly take effort, and I have nothing to lose."

When Ian heard this, he chuckled humorlessly. "I guess you really aren't afraid of us calling the police on you."

The man quirked his lips and challenged, "Who cares if you call the police? Even if they take me into custody, I'll be released in a few days, and I can still show up in front of you over and over again. You won't be able to escape me even if you move out of here."

Ian nodded. "In that case, let's just call the police and have them throw you in a holding cell for a couple of days. People like you shouldn't be allowed out on the streets extorting money from innocent people. You know what? It's a good thing you broke up with that woman. After all, you deserve to spend the rest of this life alone."