Chapter 280
Chapter 279
Reyna’s POV
Forty–six million!
The number written in front of my eyes, in bold black, leaves me breathless.
Just then, Gemma speaks up in an ice–cold voice, feeling like needles pricking my ears.
“Reyna, there’s a total of forty six million and fifty thousand dollars in this card. Considering that you’ve been keeping the card for me all these years, I’ll round it down to 46 million. Every cent of that must be returned.”
The air leaves my lungs. I knew the money was gone when I snatched the card back from my mother’s hands.
I saw the pathetic balance on the bank screen myself, and I knew she had done a huge blunder.
But hearing the total sum stated so bluntly makes my head spin and my stomach clench with a fresh, burning hatred for my own
mother.
How could she be so recklessly stupid? She looked me in the eye and promised we were done with this, that we were going to live a good, quiet life.
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All that time, she was just feeding her bottomless addiction… offline, online, constantly on her phone, throwing away a fortune that could have secured our future like it was pocket change for a coffee.
“Cassian,” I stammer, my voice trembling with a panic that isn’t entirely fake. I need to redirect this, to be the victim here, not the perpetrator.
“I truly didn’t know the card would be used for so much. I always kept it at home, safe. Maybe… maybe my mom used it.”
I let my eyes well up, holy hell! I can’t possibly repay that much money. My only defense is this performance, my only currency are these perfectly timed tears.
But Gemma doesn’t even blink. She’s utterly merciless, a hawk that has finally sunk its talons into its prey.
“Whether it was you or your mom who used it, it’s your family’s matter. I only care about when you’ll repay the money. If you don’t, I’ll involve the police.”
My tears spill over, and I turn my pleading gaze to Cassian, my last hope… trying to silently beg him to remember the Reyna he once cared for.
But he just sits there like an impassive statue.
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He doesn’t say a word in my defense. He just hands Gemma a glass of lemon water, a small, intimate gesture of such solid marital solidarity that it feels like a physical slap.
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He’s comforting her while I’m drowning.
“Gemma, I don’t have that much money at the moment,” I beg, my voice breaking on a sob. “How about a payment plan? I’ll transfer money to you every month on time!”
Her smile is a razor blade, thin and cruel. “No. It’s either pay in full or involve the police directly.”
I let the tears flow freely now. “Gemma, I didn’t mean to spend the money. I’ll repay it, please don’t be so ruthless.”
I see her open her mouth, ready to eviscerate me with another cutting retort, but salvation arrives in the form of a commotion.
A figure rushes to my side.
Rhett… my loyal, stupid, perfectly–timed knight in slightly tarnished armor.
He slides besides me, and I let him pull me into his embrace, burying my face in the rough fabric of his jacket as if seeking shelter, hiding the flicker of triumph in my eyes.
“Have you had enough?”
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He snaps at Gemma, his voice tight with possessive anger. “Reyna didn’t intentionally use your money. Why are you pushing her like this?”
He’s so beautifully, predictably naive, rushing to defend his damsel without even asking for the facts.
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Gemma’s voice is dry with amusement. “Rhett, that money was rightfully ours.”
Even Cassian speaks up then, his tone deadly serious, finally breaking his silence to side completely with his wife.
“Debts must be repaid, it’s only natural.”
I feel Rhett stiffen. He’s cornered, his pride and his proclaimed love for me on the line. He nods, a jerky movement. “Alright, I thought we were all friends and didn’t need to be so forceful. I didn’t expect you to be so clear about this. Whatever Reyna owes you, I’ll repay on her behalf!”
I peek up at Gemma through my damp lashes. I can see the sheer contempt in her eyes. She thinks he’s the biggest fool in the city.
She holds up four fingers, her expression utterly dismissive. “Who are you to repay on her behalf? But anyways, as long as you return the money, it doesn’t really matter. It’s a total of 46 million and 50 thousand dollars.”
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