Chapter 1506

Rhea ignored her mother and strode away, nearly colliding with Fabian, who had just arrived home. "Why are you so impetuous?" he demanded, his dark expression revealing his foul mood.

"Rhea! Stop!"

Rhea merely glanced at him and continued toward the door.

"Rhea! Are you deaf? I'm talking to you! Where are your manners?" Fabian's fury mounted. He started to pull her back, but Maria intervened.

"Hey, calm down. What's wrong with both of you? You only see each other a few times a year! Can't you behave?"

"It's your fault for spoiling her!" Fabian retorted.

Seeing Rhea drive away, he angrily retracted his hand, muttering, "They're all ungrateful punks!"

Maria was stunned. "Who are you calling ungrateful punks?"

"Your daughter, that Anastasia, and that Cameron!"

Fabian loosened his tie, slumping heavily onto the couch. He ran a hand through his hair, his agitation evident. Maria felt a growing unease.

"What happened? Why are you so angry? And Cameron…" She paused, gesturing to the maids to leave them alone. "What happened? You even dared to scold him."

Fabian had never before rebuked Cameron, even in anger; he'd only complain. This was the first time he'd openly cursed him.

"I want to punch him! That bastard deceived me! Does he consider me brother-in-law? If my sister were alive, this wouldn't have happened!" Fabian spat, his anger palpable.

Maria's anxiety intensified. "What happened? Tell me! Don't scare me like this!"

"That bastard awarded the project to the Russells! To the Russells! Alexander's whereabouts are unknown; he might be dead! How could he give the project to an outsider instead of family?"

Fabian had suppressed his rage since the bidding meeting, only releasing it now. He felt betrayed, lied to, and humiliated. He'd told everyone the project was his; now, he faced ridicule and potential financial ruin as investors withdrew.

"How could that happen?!" Maria exclaimed, incredulous. "You said it was settled, that he promised you! Cameron's a man of his word—how could he break his promise?"

"A man of his word?" Fabian sneered. "Apparently, only to the Russells! I thought he valued fairness, but he's just self-interested! A hypocrite! If my sister were alive…"

"What do we do? How do you know the Russells offered him something?" Maria pressed, desperately seeking a solution.