Revenge is Best Served After Reborn (James)
Chapter 517

A billion dollars was merely a small token for Bea. It was an amount easily within her means and then some.

Colt stood by, barely daring to breathe. He had never imagined Mrs. Burke could be so indifferent, her demeanor and tone over the phone eerily reminiscent of Mr. Burke himself.

On the other end, Marian relayed to Bea every word of Sophie's message over the phone. Bea's anger spilled over, and she knocked her mug to the floor in a rage.

"Damnit Sophie! She's deliberately messing with me! Now that she has James under her thumb, she's become so arrogant! I see it's only a matter of time before she tries to overstep me! If she continues to act as the lady of the Burke family, what will become of us then?"

Bea was furious, and at this moment, Marian stood by her side, too afraid to utter a word.

"It's just a billion dollars, and she thinks I don't have it?" Bea rose and walked into the bedroom.

Beneath the bed lay a large, somewhat aged leather trunk. Marian followed Bea into the room, hesitating. "Madam, this is your last resort..."

Before Marian could finish, Bea had already unlocked the trunk with a code. Inside were bars of gold with serial numbers, coins from the last century, and several jewelry boxes containing intricately crafted gold pieces.

Despite her age, Bea didn't trust any safe as much as this trunk, which held items of great value. She scoffed, "The Devins is a minor family. What do they know of true wealth?"

She then picked up one of the jewelry boxes, its sapphire glistening enticingly. "Just this gem alone is worth a billion. Take it to the Devins tomorrow. Let them see what real value looks like."

Marian couldn't help but protest, "Madam, this gem is a Burke family heirloom, rumored to be from royalty. It's too precious..."

"There are items in this trunk far more valuable than that. Sophie wants me to bleed? She underestimates the Burke family's status in Devonport. What's a billion? Give it to her! When I'm gone, not a penny of this will fall into Sophie's hands!"

"Madam..."

"Enough, take it away, lest it vexes me further."

Though she maintained her pride, Bea felt a sting after Marian left.

The trunk's contents, while valuable, didn't equate to a billion in liquid gold. As the matriarch of the Burke family, she had spent most of her money on jewelry for appearances. These pieces, though costly, weren't money and were all tucked away. It was a true sacrifice to part with anything worth a billion.

Looking around, only the sapphire seemed to meet the price. Offering it to the Devins was also a way to flaunt her status.

After all, not only was it worth a billion, but as a rare item sought after by collectors, it wouldn't discredit her even if it did favor the Devins.

At the hospital, James had his arm wound treated and looked pale as he left the operation room. Sophie glanced at his bandaged arm, asking, "All done?"

"Yes." James' tone was flat. He looked at Colt, who was behind Sophie, and said, "Colt, take care of the Devins' matter."

"Well..."

Colt hesitated, looking towards Sophie, who then said, "No need, I've already asked Colt to handle it."

James frowned, asking, "Already taken care of?"

"What, you think I'm overstepping?"

James pressed his lips together. "You know that's not what I mean."

"Don't worry, I won't go too far. But your grandmother needs to be held accountable for her actions."

"I'm not trying to shield my grandmother."

"I know." Sophie calmly stated, "If your grandmother continues to misuse the Burke family's power, your family's reputation will eventually suffer. Now that Colby is in Devonport, the Burke family can't afford any missteps."

At the mention of Colby, James suddenly looked up. "Would you stand against me?"

Faced with the unexpected question, Sophie paused before responding, "If possible, once our six-month agreement ends, I'd prefer not to be entangled with you."

"Then I'd rather have you as my enemy."

James' eyes were serious. He would rather be adversaries with Sophie than strangers in the future.

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