Chapter 1

I put my phone away and frowned at the steak in front of me.

I had always preferred lighter food, a habit I had kept for nearly ten years.

But Nancy Coleman liked rich, heavy meals. In the four years since she moved in, I had changed my entire diet to suit her.

I turned to my housekeeper. "Danielle, three days from now, switch back to the old menu."

Danielle Maxwell looked surprised but nodded.

"What's happening in three days?"

The sound of heels clicked across the floor as Nancy walked in with a limited-edition handbag on her arm.

She had spent the past two days waiting for me to come after her and smooth things over, but I hadn't bothered. She still looked annoyed, though her expression softened when she saw the table filled with her favorite dishes.

She let out a small huff.

"Bradley, you've ignored me for two days, but you're still having all my favorite food made and waiting for me to come home every night."

When I first brought Nancy home, she was always careful around me, like she was afraid of saying the wrong thing.

That caution disappeared a long time ago. Now she spoke to me however she wanted.

She pulled out a chair and sat down, then immediately reached for the steak.

"Were you telling Danielle to plan my graduation dinner for three days from now?

"Don't bother. Everyone's going out with their friends after graduation. Who comes straight home for dinner?

"If you really wanna make it up to me for ignoring me these past two days, take me to that new upscale restaurant, Bellamy, tomorrow."

Before I could respond, my assistant, Joshua Elliott, frowned.

"Mr. Harris, you have a meeting with Apex Holdings at ten tomorrow morning. That deal has a major impact on the company's future…"

"Move it to the next day," I said.

Joshua frowned even harder, but after years of watching me give in to Nancy, he knew there was no point arguing. He opened his mouth as if to object, then reluctantly said, "Understood."

Nancy couldn't hide her satisfaction. "Fine. Then I'll forgive you for ignoring me."

She cut off a piece of steak and put it on my plate like she was doing me a favor. "Eat. It's getting cold."

I looked down at the steak and lost what little appetite I had left.

For the past four years, I had given Nancy almost anything she wanted.

Before my late girlfriend Claudia Coleman died, she asked me to find the younger sister she had been separated from and take care of her. I kept my promise.

Maybe I took care of Nancy a little too well. Somewhere along the way, she got so spoiled that she started thinking I would give her anything she asked for.

Thankfully, in three days, that would all be over.

When the time came, I would give Nancy enough money to live comfortably and a house of her own. After that, she was on her own.

After dinner, I went to my study to get some work done.

As I passed Nancy's room, I heard her talking on the phone. She sounded downright pleased with herself.