Chapter 32
32:
The more they listened, the more their faces were filled with sorrow, guilt, and quiet anger.
Brenna studied their reactions, noting how vastly different they were from the Barretts.
“It’s all in the past now,” she said gently. “No need to dwell on it.”
But Tessa couldn’t stop crying. She took Brenna’s hand in hers, pulled out a bank card from her purse, and pressed it into her palm. “Here’s some pocket money. Buy yourself whatever you need,” she said.
Shepard, not wanting to be outdone, handed Brenna another card. “We didn’t prepare anything in advance since we didn’t know your sizes. There’s a hundred million on this—you can buy whatever you like.”
Giselle wiped her eyes and said eagerly, “Yes! Tomorrow, I’ll take you shopping myself.”
This was exactly what Rosie had been waiting for. “Brenna likes expensive clothes,” she scoffed. “Earlier today, M&G delivered racks of clothes to her room. She’s already spent at least thirty million, and she expects us to pay!”
Her voice dripped with accusation. “She arrived here wearing clothes that cost less than two hundred, but the second she stepped into this house, she started acting like she owned the place. Every single piece she bought earlier costs over half a million. Are we really just going to let her do whatever she wants with our money? Our money doesn’t grow on trees! Why is her spending like that? Perhaps… she had a rich benefactor before she got here, which is why she’s so comfortable throwing money around.”
A heavy silence fell over the room. The Harper family exchanged puzzled glances at Brenna, whose face hardened, her eyes turning cold as ice.
Rosie, seeing the reaction she had caused, continued with a satisfied expression, “If she wasn’t used to luxury, how could she possibly spend about thirty million within hours of arriving here? Mom, Dad—she’s back with the family now. We can’t let her go astray.”
𝐋𝚊𝓉𝐞𝑠𝓉 сһα𝓹𝖙𝑒𝗋𝓈 𝖌𝗮𝓁𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀․𝚌𝗈𝗆
Shepard’s face contorted with rage, his hands curling into tight fists. If Rosie weren’t the last remaining child of his late younger brother, he would have dealt with her harshly a long time ago.
The others—Luther, Tessa, and Giselle—all glared at Rosie with anger. But Rosie stood her ground, chin lifted defiantly. Her smug eyes seemed to say to Brenna, “Go ahead, try to fight back. No one will listen to you. This family is on my side—who are you to spend thirty million like you belong here?”
Just then, a sharp slap resounded, the sting spreading across Rosie’s cheek, her head snapping to the side.
Dazed, Rosie looked up in shock, only to see Luther’s trembling hand still raised.
His face reddened with fury. “Brenna is your family,” he said, his voice heavy with disappointment. “How could you say something so vile about her?”
Tears welled in Rosie’s eyes as she clutched her stinging cheek, her expression one of sheer disbelief. “I knew it,” she choked out. “Since my parents are gone, no one cares about me anymore!” She then turned and ran upstairs, sobbing.
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