The Greedy Demands

Early the next morning, the grand Sinclair villa was filled with chaotic shouting.

Luxe Paris had formally terminated Nicole’s multi-million-dollar ambassador contract, citing severe copyright violations and fraudulent collateral.

Beside him, Nicole was throwing a massive temper tantrum.

"My contract! My international campaign!" Nicole wailed, stamping her expensive slippers against the marble floor. "Everyone in high society knew I was going to be the face of Luxe Paris! Dane was going to announce it at our engagement party! How am I supposed to show my face now? I want compensation! I want a diamond necklace from the Imperial Auction to make up for this!"

Eleanor rushed to wrap her arms around her, glaring at Harold with sharp, frantic eyes.

"Look at what this stress is doing to our poor Nicole!" Eleanor snapped, wiping Nicole’s fake tears. "Harold, you promised her an unforgettable engagement gift! If the Paris deal is dead, we must buy her that limited-edition diamond set from the high-end boutique downtown! But our primary accounts are frozen from that dock audit... where do we get the three million dollars in cash right now?"

Harold rubbed his temples, his face pale with stress. Then, his eyes narrowed with a sudden, vicious thought.

"The ungrateful wretch," Harold growled, his voice thick with cold greed. "Robin was at the gala last night wearing designer silk. She survived five years in the borderlands—the northern mining and black-market districts pay enormous cash to laborers. That girl must have hoarded every single dollar she earned out there."

"Of course!" Eleanor gasped, her face lighting up with entitled delight. "As Nicole's older sister, it is her duty to hand over her savings to make Nicole happy. Let's go to that hotel and take what belongs to this family!"

An hour later, on the top floor of the prestigious seven-star Grand Horizon Hotel, Robin was sitting peacefully in the living room of the Presidential Suite.

Suddenly, the heavy double doors of the suite were shoved open with a loud, rude bang.

Harold, Eleanor, and Nicole stormed inside as if they owned the entire hotel floor.

"Robin! Get on your feet right now!" Eleanor screeched, her voice echoing off the high ceilings. "Who gave you permission to rent a luxury suite like this while your poor sister is suffering at home?"

Robin didn't flinch. She slowly set her teacup down, raised her eyes, looking at the three intruders with utter, icy boredom.

"Did nobody teach you to knock before entering private property?" Robin asked smoothly, leaning back against the plush velvet cushions.

"Private property? Don't act grand with me, girl!" Harold barked, looking down at her with pure disgust. "You owe your entire existence to this family! You embarrassed Nicole and Dane at the gala last night, and this morning Nicole lost an important modeling contract because of the stress! We are here to settle the score."

"Settle the score? With what?" Robin said.

Eleanor stepped forward, resting both hands on her hips with breathtaking entitlement.

Eleanor declared loudly, her voice dripping with fake moral authority. "We fed you, we gave you shelter, and we raised you! Five years ago, we sent you to the borderlands to learn discipline. You worked in the north for five years, and we know you saved up your cash!"

Eleanor held out her open palm, snapping her fingers impatiently.

"Hand over your bank cards and your entire five-year savings right now! Nicole needs a three-million-dollar diamond engagement set to restore her mood and social status! As her big sister, you must pay for her happiness! It is the least you can do."

Robin looked at the three of them.

For eighteen years, they had treated her like an unpaid maid. They had starved her, locked her in the attic, forced her to do Nicole’s homework, and made her take the blame for a fatal car crash.

And now, they had the shameless audacity to demand her hard-earned money to buy Nicole diamonds.

A low, musical laugh slipped from Robin's throat.

"You want my savings?" Robin asked, her eyes turning cold enough to freeze blood. "To buy Nicole diamonds?"

"What are you laughing at, you insolent brat?" Harold roared, his face turning red. "Transfer the money right now, or I swear I will use my authority as your father to have the police drag you back to the borderlands in chains!"

Robin stopped laughing.

"First of all, Harold, you are just a pathetic, failing businessman whose company is drowning in debt," Robin said in a calm, razor-sharp voice that sliced through the room. "Second, I don't owe you a single cent. Every scrap of bread I ate in your house, I cooked myself while cleaning your floors. And third..."

Robin picked up her gold-plated phone and pressed a single button.

"...you are trespassing on private property."

Within five seconds, the heavy suite doors swung open wide.

Ten towering, muscular security guards in dark tactical uniforms marched into the room. Each guard wore a high-level private security badge and carried a sidearm.

Harold’s eyes went wide with shock. "What is the meaning of this? Do you know who I am? I am Harold Sinclair, CEO of Sinclair Enterprises!"

Vance stepped forward, looking down at Harold with cold contempt.

"We don't care who you are," Vance said. "This entire five-star hotel, including the Presidential Suite, is private property. Our Boss has ordered your immediate removal."

"Wait! No! You can't touch us!" Eleanor shrieked as two massive guards grabbed her by her arms, lifting her feet clean off the plush carpet. "Robin! Tell them to let me go! I am your mother! You ungrateful monster!"

"Get your filthy hands off my designer jacket!" Nicole screamed, kicking her legs wildly as two other guards seized her by her shoulders and dragged her backward toward the hallway. 

Harold tried to resist, swinging his briefcase at a guard. In a flash, a guard twisted Harold’s arm behind his back, forcing the proud patriarch to double over in agonizing pain as he was marched toward the private elevator.

DING!

The lobby was packed with dozens of high-society socialites, international business executives, and wealthy heiresses sipping afternoon coffee.

With swift, unceremonious force, the security guards shoved Harold, Eleanor, and Nicole straight out of the elevator.

THUD!

The entire hotel lobby went dead silent.

Cameras clicked instantly. Wealthy socialites covered their mouths in shock, whispering and giggling as they pointed at the disgraced Sinclair family sprawled on the floor.

"Look! Isn't that CEO Sinclair and his wife?"

"Why are they being thrown out of the hotel like common beggars?"

Eleanor scrambled up from the cold floor, her face burning bright crimson with absolute, unbearable humiliation. She grabbed Nicole by the arm, shrieking at the top of her lungs so loud the crystal chandeliers trembled:

"Robin Sinclair! You ungrateful, heartless bitch! You humiliated your own family in public!"

Harold adjusted his torn jacket with trembling, furious hands. He glared up at the top floor of the hotel, his voice shaking with pure hatred:

"Just you wait, Robin! You think you can survive in this city without us? I swear on my life, I will use every connection I have left to destroy your name and leave you begging on the streets!"