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His Millions Never Reached Me

His Millions Never Reached Me

Short Story · Romance
By:  StillwindCompleted
Language: English
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10Chapters
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Synopsis

Face Slapping

Bias

Independence

Plot Twists

Feel-Good Story

Three months after my patron sent me to finishing school, I ended our eight-year arrangement myself. "I'm done being your kept woman." Duncan paused. "Is someone at school giving you a hard time? If you want another present, just say so. You know I hate it when you play hard to get." I looked at my savings, barely double digits, and thought about the math my classmates had done for me. So I told him the truth. "They get tens of thousands a month and only have to show up to two parties. "I get five hundred, and I take care of Grandma, go to your business dinners, and keep track of your stomach medicine. I ran the numbers three times, and it still doesn't add up. "Isn't that why you sent me there? Because you think I spend too much and need to learn how to please you? I can't learn it, so I won't waste any more of your time." Duncan's breathing grew heavy. "Who said anything about replacing you? Last month I gave you five hundred thousand. Diana said it wasn't enough, so this month I added another two hundred thousand. And now you're leaving me over five hundred dollars? How much is enough for you?"

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10 Chapters
Chapter 1
On my first day at the private society program, the receptionist checked the enrollment list, then stared at my canvas tote for a long time."Two years ago, the limited-edition handbag Mr. Lockwood bought for his mystery girlfriend made the society pages. You're really bringing this to class instead? Aren't you worried people will laugh?""I sold the bag.""To buy another one?"I shook my head."Grandma needed heart surgery last year. We were short twenty-six thousand dollars on the hospital deposit."The receptionist's expression changed.I awkwardly pulled the strap of my canvas tote higher on my shoulder.Duncan had been overseas at the time, and I was afraid that waiting for Diana Cross, his executive secretary, to approve an emergency transfer would take too long, so I sold the bag.I had only carried it once anyway.A handbag sitting in a closet mattered less than Grandma getting her surgery.The receptionist lowered her eyes to finish my registration, then told me the
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Chapter 2
By the third week of the society program, Grandma's medication ran out.Her doctor had switched her to a new treatment plan that cost two hundred eighty dollars a month.Nell's preschool had also sent a notice: sixty dollars for a spring field trip and lunch.I sat up half the night with both bills.No matter how I moved the numbers around, I was still more than a hundred dollars short.The next morning, Nell hid the field-trip notice at the bottom of her backpack."Mommy, I get carsick. I don't want to go."While she spoke, she kept rubbing the yellow field-trip cap her teacher had given her.The brim was already wrinkled from her fingers.I didn't call her on it.That thin sheet of paper somehow felt heavy enough to hurt my hand.I put Grandma's preion into a folder and went to Duncan's company to find Diana.She was training new assistants in a conference room.The glass door hadn't closed all the way, and I heard her say, "Mr. Lockwood can't stand people who don't know
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Chapter 3
During the second month, Ms. Palmer asked everyone in styling class to bring the most meaningful gift they had ever received.Miranda brought her grandmother's pearls.I brought an old gold bracelet, the first gift Duncan ever gave me.Class hadn't even started when Mallory and Diana arrived.The Lockwood family sponsored this session of the program, and they had come to select student assistants for an upcoming charity gala.Mallory saw the bracelet and laughed."You still have that thing?"Then she told the entire class the story.When Duncan was pursuing me, he had placed two things in front of me: a wooden keepsake box he had spent two months carving by hand, and the gold bracelet. He told me to choose one.I barely glanced at the wooden box before taking the gold. From that day on, everyone in the Lockwood family knew exactly what I wanted: not Duncan, but his money.Mallory told the story well, and several people laughed.I smiled awkwardly with them while tightening m
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Chapter 4
Grandma's birthday banquet was held at the Summit Hotel.Crystal lights hung from the domed ceiling.A single bottle of wine on one of the tables cost enough to pay for Dad's surgery twice.I stood outside the ballroom wearing a gown borrowed through the society program and called Duncan again and again.Twelve calls. He didn't pick up once.Mom called from the hospital in tears. "Nora, forget it. Your father says he doesn't want the operation. Don't make things hard for yourself with the Lockwoods.""Mom, tell the doctor to prepare. I'll find a way."When I ended the call, I had squeezed a crease into the borrowed evening bag.For years, I had been a wife first, then a mother, then a daughter-in-law.I had almost forgotten that I was still my parents' daughter too.Now my father was lying in a hospital bed, and I couldn't even tell my parents not to worry about the money without feeling like a liar.I found Diana checking the guest list and handed her the diagnosis papers,
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Chapter 5
"Diana gives me five hundred dollars a month."There was silence on the other end for two seconds.Then Duncan's voice turned sharp."Diana. Bring me the household accounts."Diana was beside him.The small crash in the background was a coffee cup slipping from her hand.But when she spoke, her voice was already controlled."Mr. Lockwood, the five hundred Ms. Lennox mentioned is only the cash allowance transferred to her personal account."Clothing, jewelry, vehicles, travel, and household spending have always been paid through the corporate household account."She doesn't review statements, so she may have misunderstood."Within a minute, several expense reports appeared on Duncan's phone: designer gowns, luxury watches, trips, hundreds of thousands of dollars, all charged under Nora Lennox's name.Duncan's tone eased slightly."Nora, Diana has complete records.""But I've never seen any of those things," Nora said."I'll audit the accounts," Duncan said.He paused."B
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Chapter 6
Duncan pulled the contract from her hands and flipped to the final page."Care for Stella Dale. Manage household operations. Thirty-thousand-dollar six-month salary advance."His expression darkened. "You don't even know this man, and you signed?""Ms. Palmer has known him for more than ten years.""So?""So I trust her more than I trust Diana."Duncan's face changed.Diana immediately stepped in. "Ms. Lennox, Mr. Lockwood is only worried about you."The Dales need more than a nanny. People say Mr. Dale wants a new mother for his daughter.""If that were part of the job, it would be in the contract," Nora said.Warren approached from the other end of the corridor with his lawyer. "Ms. Lennox is responsible only for the work in the agreement."There is no private companionship requirement and no emotional-labor clause."He handed Nora an addendum. Nell could live with her, she would have two days off a week, and the Dale household would pay every expense connected to caring
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Chapter 7
On Nora's first day living at the Dale house, Stella locked her bedroom door."I don't want a new mother."The housekeeper stood outside looking helpless, but Nora simply set dinner on the floor beside the door."Good. I didn't come here to be your mother."There was silence inside."Then why are you here?""To work."If you don't like something, tell me."If it's reasonable, I'll change it. If it isn't, we'll discuss it."The door opened a few inches, and a small hand reached out to take the dinner.Warren stood at the top of the stairs. He didn't comment on her method; he simply handed her two cards."The black card is for household expenses. Your salary goes on the white one."Nora asked automatically, "Food for the children? Clothes? Does that come out of my salary too?"Warren frowned. "Why would it?"Managing this household is your job."Paying household expenses is my responsibility."Nora slowly placed the cards in separate compartments of her wallet.For the f
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Chapter 8
Two weeks after moving into the Dale house, Stella's school called about a conflict with another student.The teacher asked for her "new mother."Warren didn't simply hand the problem to Nora. Instead, he set the phone in front of her."This isn't in your contract. Do you want to go?"Nora paused, then nodded.At the school, she didn't pretend to be Stella's mother. She only said, "I'm an adult Stella trusts."Stella's face had been tight with anger, but at those words, she quietly reached for Nora's hand.Nora finally understood that being needed and being forced to give were not the same thing.Once Duncan began auditing the accounts, Diana struck first.Overnight, a video from the birthday banquet, the thirty-thousand-dollar transfer record, and photos of Nora and Nell moving into the Dale house spread across the internet.The headlines became uglier by the hour."Three Months at Society School and the Rich Wife Upgrades Her Sponsor.""Wife Leaves Husband for $30,000, Mo
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Chapter 9
The Lockwood audit lasted a full week.Every month, the household account under Diana's control received five hundred thousand dollars.Through cooperating vendors, she created fake invoices for gowns, jewelry, and travel, then moved the money into companies she controlled.During the audit, Diana tried to erase core records under the cover of a systems upgrade.This time, Duncan had already removed her access and transferred the servers to an independent forensic-accounting team.Backups restored the deleted entries one by one.Even Diana's commissions from resale dealers were documented.The five hundred dollars Nora received each month had been deliberate, a token amount.Whenever Nora asked for more, Diana could point to hundreds of thousands in fabricated household expenses and prove that Nora was insatiably greedy.Many bags and pieces of jewelry Mallory had received over the years had also been charged to Nora.When auditors confronted her, Mallory went pale. "Diana to
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Chapter 10
At the divorce mediation, Duncan no longer fought for primary custody.He agreed that Nell would live with Nora, that he would have scheduled parenting time, and that he would pay the support and expenses his daughter was entitled to.Before signing, he was silent for a long time. "One apology can't make up for eight years."But I still owe you one."Nora put the agreement away. "I heard the apology."But I'm not going back."Duncan's pen paused over the signature line, but in the end, he signed.After the divorce, he began learning the ordinary things he had ignored, like Nell's shoe size and her allergies.He took Margaret to her medical appointments himself.On parenting weekends, he stopped asking assistants to buy gifts.He truly changed.But those changes only made him a competent father and grandson. They couldn't automatically make him Nora's husband again.Nell was willing to have a meal with him now and then, but she never again asked when Daddy was coming home. W
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