Chapter 8
I don’t know what orders Terrance gave, but a month later, the Spencer family was wiped off Norwick’s map. I scooped up all their stocks and assets, easy.
Took their spot at the top.
Mike? Cut off. His own family dropped him. Rumor was his grandpa died on the spot from the shock.
Cecilia got booted too–dead broke and pregnant. She’d been pampered her whole life. No clue how she’d handle being poor.
But I knew Mike. He’d make it hell for her.
My parents weren’t doing any better. Buried in debt. I’d already taken over the company, and their gambling just kept stacking.
They were drowning. Called me nonstop. I blocked them all.
The second they picked money over me, they stopped being my family.
***
Time flew. I’d been living at the Felton estate for over six months, and honestly, it felt like a
dream.
After work, Freya’s laugh filled the house. No matter how late it got, Terrance always came
home to see me.
First snow had just hit. I was curled up with a warm mug of milk, thinking maybe life wasn’t so bad.
Then a sales rep called–one of the bags I’d been waiting on finally dropped.
I bolted.
Didn’t even make it to the mall entrance before everything went dark. My head felt foggy, heavy.
When I came to, I was in some run–down factory. Smoke poured in, thick and choking.
Mike and Cecilia stood in front of me.
Gone for days–and now here they were.
I barely recognized her. Cecilia used to be all glam and grace–now she looked like a skeleton with skin. Hollow eyes, sickly pale, like something that clawed its way outta hell.
1/2
Chapter 8
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The second she saw me awake, she lunged, clawing at my face.
“You bitch! This is all your fault! If you hadn’t backed me into a corner, I’d still be a rich wife! Living large! Why do you always take everything from me? I did everything the same as you in your past life–so why did I still lose?!”
She was losing it. Failing twice had finally broken her.
I just sneered. “You still don’t get it? No matter what path you took, you were always gonna
crash.
“Greedy, lazy—it’s in your blood. You ditched the company, skipped the hard stuff, and expected the money to just roll in.
“Then as a wife? You sucked at that too. Wanted the glam without doing the grind. You’re just dumb.”
Every word hit like a punch to the gut.
She shook with rage, hands clamped tight around my throat.
Her bloodshot eyes screamed murder. I gasped, air slipping away fast.
Right as everything started to blur, Mike kicked her off.
“Stupid bitch! You trying to ruin everything? If she dies, how the hell are we supposed to get money from the Felton family?”
Cecilia hit the floor hard, shrieking like a maniac.
Mike didn’t even look at her. Just turned to me.
“Chill. You’re safe–for now. At least until Terrance Felton shows up with the cash. You two must be something. He’s offering a whole billion for you. Not bad, huh?”
He clicked his tongue.
But all I could hear was that number.
Terrance… was insane.
