Chapter 1626

Seeing this, Lily remained silent, following closely behind. Fabian had been remarkably successful lately. The new tender was a mere formality; the project was awarded directly to him. Those who had previously harassed him for debt repayment or severed ties now vied for his favor. However, he affected an air of superiority. Standing before the vast project site, he spoke incessantly on his phone.

"Hey, it's not that I don't want to help, but I'm simply too busy. You know I'm swamped with this huge project! Yeah, I don't mean to look down on you… But, Mr. Will, you said differently when you asked me for money. Am I not trying to repay you? I know the economy's tough, but… that's not what I meant…"

He deliberately adopted a mocking tone, relishing Mr. Will's pleas, a stark contrast to the man's former arrogance. Hand on hip, Fabian projected an image of pompous self-importance. Even his wife found it unbearable.

Standing nearby, Maria curled her lip and addressed Rhea. "Look at how conceited your dad has become! What's he so smug about? He only just landed the project. We don't even know if it'll be profitable!"

"National projects are lucrative; profitability isn't the question, only the degree," Rhea replied flatly.

"That's true!" Maria conceded, though her tone remained dubious. Her poker friends now treated her with deference, even letting her win to gain access to the project. However, she was too shrewd to share such a lucrative opportunity. Of course, I have to keep them hopeful. Otherwise, they wouldn't keep letting me win poker or shower me with gifts, she mused. "Ree, have you been extra busy at the lab lately? I wouldn't have seen you otherwise."

Maria looked at her daughter, regretting their limited time together. Rhea's actions at the Rollins' house had astonished her. She hadn't expected Rhea to still harbor resentment over childhood grievances, going so far as to poison Anastasia. Maria reflected that their mistreatment of Rhea might have been the cause. Although poisoning someone is terrible, Tasia's only gotten fatter and hasn't been harmed. And her obesity might not even be from the poisoning! Perhaps it's just because she eats so much. We can't blame everything on Ree! Besides, I went to so much trouble finding doctors for Tasia, we don't owe her anything. Fortunately, Ree managed to sway Cameron. Otherwise… The thought of potential charges against Rhea filled her with anxiety. I took care of her for so long, yet Tasia insisted on reporting her. Has she forgotten everything we've done? I wasted my time on such an ingrate! After all, we can only depend on our own daughter. Look at this lucrative project. If not for our daughter, how could we have gotten our hands on it? "Ree, has that miracle doctor… uh, Austin Fike, been found yet?" Maria asked, searching for a topic of conversation.