chapter1153

Jackson barely looked at Rosie, just gave her a cold, hard shove away with his foot.

"Don't ask me for help. I'm barely keeping myself afloat as it is. I really can't do anything for you. If you want to beg, go beg Lydia. Maybe she'll go easy on you."

Rosie stared at him in disbelief, tears streaking down her face. She never thought Jackson could be this heartless. And what was he saying? Go beg Lydia? She'd rather die than grovel in front of that bitch.

Mandy's heart twisted at the sight of her daughter being treated so harshly. No matter what, Rosie was still her child. She hurried over, gently lifting Rosie off the floor. Glancing at Jackson's cold expression and at Mr. and Mrs. Hydes who wouldn't even look their way, Mandy swallowed her pride.

"Dad, Mom, Jackson, I'm sorry. Rosie was out of line this time. We'll take her home and figure something out. We won't drag the Hydes family into this mess.

Mandy knew better than anyone that the Gibson family relied completely on the Hydes. If this got the Hydes in trouble, the Gibsons would go down with them, maybe even harder. It was smarter to keep the Hydes out of it. This whole thing really had nothing to do with them anyway. As long as Jackson stayed clear, maybe her family could get back on their feet someday with the Hydes' help.

Jackson didn't even bother to look at them as they left.

Mrs. Hydes let out a heavy sigh. She still saw Mandy as the same sensible girl she'd always known. "Mandy, it's not that we don't want to help you. You know Jackson's situation, he really can't do anything."

Mandy nodded, her voice steady. "I understand, Mom. We'll go now. Please take care of yourselves."

Benjamin was stunned. They'd come here in good spirits. He'd even hoped Jackson could help him transfer to another department, give him a way out of his misery. But instead, Rosie had blown everything up, and now he was in an even bigger mess.

What had he done to deserve this disaster?

In the car, he turned to Mandy, worry etched all over his face. "The Hydes aren't going to help. What are we supposed to do now?"

It wasn't just Lydia they had to worry about. The Shaw family was backing her up. And behind Lydia, there were the Norwoods, the Robinsons, the Jeffersons... How were they supposed to survive this?

The more Benjamin thought about it,

the angrier he got. He desperately wanted to slap some sense into Rosie. How could she be so

reckless, picking a fight with peel.ne

she should have stayed far away

& in Were the

really

Swallow their pride and do as Jackson said-beg Lydia for

forgiveness? He just couldn't bring himself to do it. The whole thing felt like a cruel joke.

Mandy watched Benjamin panic, pacing like a trapped animal, and felt nothing but disappointment. After all these years, every time the Gibson family had been in trouble, she was the one who stepped up, who went to the Hydes for help. Even Benjamin's cushy job as Director of Protocol was thanks to the Hydes.

Now, when their daughter was in the deepest trouble yet, all Benjamin could do was complain and blame others. He didn't even try to find a solution. Mandy's heart felt ice cold.

How could two siblings turn out so

differently? His sister Mabel had built an empire and become one the most respected business leaders in the Capital. But Benjamin, a grownass man was mediocre and. helpless, always leaning on women to solve everything. He didn't have a shred of responsibility.

Rosie noticed the stern look on her mother's face. Terrified Mandy would force her

to apologize to Lydia, she clung to her mother's hand, eyes wide with fear. "Mom, I don't want to apologize to Lydia. I'd rather die than do that!"