He genuinely cared about me. He’d even introduced me to her, deeming him a good husband and urging her to marry me. He’d always encouraged me to tell him if she treated me poorly, but I never felt comfortable complaining. This is why she had grown bolder over time, binding me with her whims.
“Chad Trefoe?” I challenged.
Her tone softened slightly. “Over the past year, you’ve come to me so many times asking for help with your dad. I’ve never refused you. When you add it up, it’s a huge sum—almost in six figures. What makes you think you’re in a position to go against me?”
I fell silent. She was right. My dad was greedy, constantly taking her support for granted. It was a huge amount that I couldn’t afford, even if I sold my organs. And I had to admit that she had never let her family down, even if she didn’t earn it willingly.
Secretly, I hated that my family had taken so much from her. No matter the arrangement, once there was this much financial entanglement, even real feelings started to feel shallow and…
“Tine,” I replied, “I’ll amend the deal. You pay me two million in separation fees, and as for my dad’s project, you can handle that however you want. Deal with him; they leave me out of it.”
Another cold laugh sounded. “We’re done. I’ll pick you up tomorrow. The…” I began, but she cut in smoothly, “Kenny’s place.”
I was churned. “How did you know that? Are you tracking me?”
She stated, “You’re broke, you don’t stay home, and you’re not at your own place. So that leaves your one loser friend.”
Was she looking down on my friends now, too?
Gritting my teeth, I returned, “We’re business partners now. Show some respect. Insult my friends again, and I won’t hold back.” The gawking and uneven tone clearly indicated she wasn’t taking me seriously.
After she hung up, I reached for my jaw. Being a doormat for someone rich, I lamented mentally, and leave you much to sell—impeccable, powerful, and calculating was the worst kind of defeat. They could crush you financially, look down on you…
Why did I ever fall for something like that? And yet, would I have been captivated if she hadn’t…
I took a deep breath. “Tine. Pick me up at… [location]” the manufactured agreement…
In my last life, that family dinner had been humiliating. I was useful only as a housekeeper. They said our marriage was a business move, that any other man would have been better for her.
She could have just kept… [unclear phrase - needs clarification from original text]…
I was embarrassed, but enduring this didn't mean I wanted her to have conflicts with her business partner, but she hadn’t defended me at all. She probably thought what they said…
Once, Loras publicly humiliated me, saying I was importune and suggesting IVF for kids. Yet she just let me bear the humiliation without saying anything. Now, I know she’d be relentless since I’d just argued with Lucan about this very issue.
But I bent toward a cabin within earshot of her. “Mangwedd, you should leave the medicine? Your stomach’s getting worse—you can’t keep ignoring it.”