That evening, Carson called Lina again. His tone was much more subdued and approachable. After assessing the local housing market, it seemed he had reconsidered her value, leading him to adopt a more conciliatory attitude.

"Lina, I've given it some thought. We both made errors; we were too hasty," he began. "But, regardless of all that, you shouldn't have left with our daughter without saying anything. My mom's been crying repeatedly, longing to see the child."

"Let's get together and discuss this properly," he continued, trying to sound reasonable. However, the reality was starkly different. When they first found out the baby was a girl, Carson and his mother had quickly formed a united front.

"I'm the only son, and the Adams family can't end with me," he had insisted. "If you're not willing to end the pregnancy, then just let it go on. But as long as it's not a son, don't expect to be embraced by my family."

Recently, Carson Adams seemed to have developed some sort of selective memory, conveniently forgetting the promises he once made. With a self-righteous tone, he asserted, "What good is all your money? The most important role in a family is the father's. A father's love can't be replaced by any amount of cash."

Lina Jenkins couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh, really? Then I guess I should hurry and find a new dad for the kid."

"Thanks for the tip. I'll sign up on a dating app right away."

Carson scoffed, "A woman with a child? You think anyone would want you?"

Lina laughed even harder.

"They might not care about me, but they'll definitely care about the money, right? Whoever marries me gets two houses and a car. Who in their right mind would ever say no to that?"

With that, she ignored his enraged shouting on the other end and hung up the phone. Lina thought to herself, Carson probably wouldn’t get a wink of sleep tonight.

The next morning, Lina Jenkins received a call from the building manager, informing her that a Mr. Adams was waiting outside to see her. Lina had expected Carson Adams might try to contact her, but she hadn't thought he'd do it so soon. After all, it was a weekday, and taking time off work would mean losing pay—something Carson couldn't stand.

Still, Lina had no plans to meet with Carson. His mild-mannered appearance was just a front. The real Carson was temperamental and prone to anger, and Lina had no desire to risk putting herself in a dangerous situation.

"I don't know any Mr. Adams," she told the building manager smoothly. "With Thanksgiving coming up, there are a lot of scammers around. Please make sure no suspicious people get past the gate."

A few minutes later, her phone rang. It was Carson, his voice simmering with barely controlled anger.

"Lina Jenkins, don’t push it! Do you have any idea how much I spent on a plane ticket to come here? Over $1,200!

"You're just holding a grudge because I didn’t marry you, aren't you? If only you could have had a son, we wouldn’t be in this mess, would we?"