Chapter 14
Riley entered the private room, saw the bank card and agreement on the table, and snorted, rolling
her eyes.
“Ha! I knew it! Once a gold digger, always a gold digger. What else do you want–ow!”
I jumped up and punched her hard in the nose.
“My condition is to give you both one last beating!”
I grabbed hair, kicked stomachs, and thoroughly thrashed them both.
Learning from last time, the sisters were both wearing tight dresses, with curled hair and high heels.
They couldn’t move easily, unlike me in jeans and sneakers, quick as a rabbit with flexible movements.
After the beating, I felt refreshed. I tucked the agreement and bank card into my bag.
“If you report me to the police, I’ll go straight to Jackson to settle this!”
“You bullied me so many times before. Only getting beaten twice is a good bargain for you.”
I left the restaurant with my head held high. Those two were still crying in the private room and didn’t chase after me.
I was elated.
I mentally counted: Jackson Gray’s ten million, Vanessa Monroe’s ten million–that’s twenty million.
Plus the money in Tyler’s account. It was endless, absolutely endless.
The only downside was that Tyler worked so much he couldn’t accompany me on vacation. Otherwise, we could travel the world.
I begged Tyler to take a few vacation days so we could relax together.
Tyler looked torn.
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Chapter 14
“They won’t approve vacation days unless-”
“Unless what?”
“Honeymoon leave. Fifteen days.”
Tyler suddenly knelt on one knee and pulled out a jewelry box from his pocket.
“Victoria, will you marry me?”
I nodded with a smile and extended my hand.
“Wow, that’s a huge diamond.”
The day before the wedding, it was pouring rain.
I went downstairs to take out the trash and saw Jackson Gray standing in the rain.
He had no umbrella and was soaked through, staring blankly at our window.
When he saw me, he wiped his face and apologized in a trembling voice.
“I’m sorry.”
“Victoria, I didn’t know you were driven to such extremes.”
“I’ve cut all ties with the Monroe family and will never have any contact with them again.”
“Could you possibly—”
“No!”
I cut him off.
“Jackson Gray, I’m getting married tomorrow.”
Jackson froze.
Silver rain lines danced in the streetlights.
The last hopeful flame in Jackson’s eyes was extinguished by the rain, leaving only ashes.
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Chapter 14
He tugged at the corner of his mouth, his throat moving with difficulty.
“Congratulations, Victoria.”
“I wish you happiness.”
“Thank you.”
I threw away the trash.
When I got back upstairs, I glanced down from the window.
Jackson was still there.
The rain fell from all directions, enveloping him.
He stood alone.
As if forever trapped in dark, damp memories.
I stood in the warm light, shivering and wrapping my blanket tighter.
It had nothing to do with me.
Tyler and I would have our meals together, our everyday life, our four seasons.
Our future was bright.
22:26
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