Chapter 3

My thumb hovered over the screen for two seconds before I finally tapped accept.

"Cooled down after a full night, haven't we?"

Michael's voice carried a comfortable air of superiority.

"Did you see the gift I left you? Honestly, you should really thank Chloe.

"Back then, I bought two of those necklaces, one for each of you.

“Now, out of the goodness of her heart, she was willing to part with hers so you could have it back."

I stood frozen in the quiet lobby.

The rest of his words blurred into static.

One for each of you.

All those years, I thought that gift was a symbol of our unique bond.

In reality, his affection had been mass-produced from day one.

I cleared my dry throat, forcing my voice to stay level.

"Keep the gift. I'm not interested in shared property.

"Not the necklace. And certainly not you."

Before he could respond, I hung up.

---

Michael's name flashed across the screen over and over again.

I didn't answer a single call.

Finding the constant ringing tedious, I powered off the phone entirely.

I had far more important things to handle, taking over my father's vast estate, auditing the liquid assets, and finalizing the takeover strategy for the Wesley Group.

When my father was alive, he favored his illegitimate children and used Michael as an excuse to drive my mother and me out of the family fold.

Yet, in the end, every last cent of his empire was transferred to me.

A line in his will read that this was his way of making amends for everything he owed us.

I stared at those printed words for a long time.

Some people are truly baffling.

When they had you, they would treat you like trash.

Once you were gone, they would put on a grand performance of eternal affection.

---

After three days of non-stop work with my legal team, we finally nailed down every key clause.

My lead attorney, Mr. Sawyer, closed the final folder, pulled off his glasses, and rubbed his weary eyes.

"Miss Jackson, every step is cleared," he said softly. "The moment the notary office opens in an hour, all documents take official effect."

"Thank you for everything," I said sincerely.

Noticing his bloodshot eyes, I offered to walk down to the luxury mall next door to pick out a thank-you gift for his team.

On the way, I turned my phone back on.

A barrage of notifications from Michael flooded in, making the device vibrate frantically in my grip.

“Why are you throwing such a huge tantrum lately?

“If you don't like the necklace, I'll buy you something else.

“How long are you going to keep this act up?

“Chloe has severe morning sickness right now. Can you stop stressing me out?”

“Are you seriously giving me the silent treatment, Evelyn?

I read through every single message.

A sudden pang of pity washed over me, for my past self.

He was so used to me swallowing my pride first.

He was entirely convinced I wouldn't last three days before crawling back to him.

Too bad for him. I was never turning back.

---

I didn't expect to run into Michael and Chloe as soon as I entered the high-end jewelry section.

They were standing by the glass display cases, browsing engagement rings.

My stomach churned with disgust.

Just as I turned around to leave for another floor, a voice called out sharply.

"Evelyn?"

Chloe raised her chin proudly, waving at me with a sweet, rehearsed smile.

"Since you're already here, come help me pick! There are so many options, I'm getting dizzy."

Michael's brows knit tightly before resolving into a mocking sneer.

"And here I thought you actually had some backbone," he scoffed. "Turns out you followed us all the way here."

"Oh, stop it, Michael," Chloe said, tugging lightly at his sleeve before turning back to me with a generous facade.

"Don't be afraid, Evelyn. Don't be so stubborn either. I'm not the type to push people out.

"As long as you don't compete with my baby, Michael and I will make sure you're well taken care of."

She gestured toward the glass counters.

"Why don't you pick a piece of jewelry for yourself too? Consider it a welcome gift for joining our family."

A bitter laugh almost escaped my lips.

Neither the Wesleys nor the Millers were anything more than mid-tier strivers trying to claw their way into high society.

My father's illegitimate children wouldn't have even spared them a glance.

Yet here they were, posturing and putting on a grand show in front of me.

I really had given them way too much respect in the past.