Chapter 173
Chapter 173:
“Right. So the whole family’s been living off you like leeches.” I tried not to raise my voice. They weren’t worth it. “You’ve got one day. Clean the flat, pack your stuff, and be out by tomorrow night. If you’re still here, I’m calling the police p>
“No!” Neal scowled. “You brought us here! You used us! Now you want to kick us out like we’re trash p>
“You ARE trash,” I retorted. “And the lawyers spelled it out from the start. We wanted Priya to testify. None of the rest of you were actually invited. And we sure as hell didn’t promise you a permanent address in Skyline.” I turned to leave.
Priya tugged at my sleeve.
When I looked back, her eyes were bloodshot, and her nose was running. She wasn’t saying anything, but I could see the panic written all over her face.
If I walked out now, they’d take it out on her.
I grabbed her wrist and pulled her with me. “I said I’d show you around the city, didn’t I? We’re doing that today p>
Multiple voices started shouting. I slammed the door hard enough to make the hallway shake.
Inside the lift, she mumbled, “Sorry p>
She barely reached my shoulder. With her head ducked like that, all I could see was the top of her scalp and the stringy part in her hair.
“I thought your parents gave a damn,” I muttered. “That’s why they traveled all the way here with you. I didn’t realize they only came here to see what they could wring out of you p>
“They didn’t come here thinking that. Not at first,” she said in a small voice. “But after we arrived, and the lawyer had everything arranged, and you put us up in this fancy building… Then you stopped showing up, and they assumed you’d forgotten. They thought they could push it p>
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“So it was all my fault now?” I raised an eyebrow. “I should’ve just stayed away and let them do whatever they liked p>
“NO, no, that’s not what I meant!” Priya was on the verge of tears again. “I just didn’t phrase it very well p>
She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. Her fingers were red and cracked, the skin flaking near the knuckles. Some patches looked raw.
“It’s only November,” I said, frowning. “What the hell happened to your hands p>
She jerked her arms back into her sleeves. “It’s nothing. I’m used to doing chores back home p>
I stared at her. She looked small again, hunched in that oversized coat, trying to disappear into it. I let out a breath.
“You’d be better off staying here and getting a job. You can’t keep playing maid for those people. Your mum was talking about marrying you off just now, wasn’t she p>
She nodded. “They found some guy, forty years old. They’d come to some sort of arrangement before we left p>