Chapter 5

Angela had just gotten out of the car and steadied herself when the black Cullinan drove off without any hesitation, leaving her in a cloud of dust.

She stood there in a daze for a moment before letting out a self-deprecating laugh and thought, "That's right. He's always been like this."

But before she had time to dwell on her misery, her phone rang urgently. Angela took out her phone and saw that it was an unknown number.

"Hello, is this Ms. Graham? I'm the property manager for Villa Heights. I'm calling to confirm if your property has been sold."

"Why do you ask?" Angela's heart skipped a beat.

Over the years, she had managed the property, so the contact information listed was hers.

However, when Marie had passed away, she had been too young. So, Bill had put all of Marie's assets under his name.

When Angela had been young, he had used to say to her, "When you grow up and find your Prince Charming, I'll turn this house into a castle for you both to live in happily ever after!"

But in just a few years, everything had completely changed for the Graham family. Angela sometimes wondered if Bill was still the same father who used to love her mother dearly and cherish her.

Whenever Bill hadn't been home, Judy hadn't allowed Angela to eat at the table. She had come up with the excuse that girls needed to stay in shape and had made Angela go hungry several times a day.

Apart from her outerwear, her clothes had always been too short. The freezing winter wind would seep right into her sleeves and chill her to the core.

Angela had developed arthritis at a young age, yet Judy had always complained to Bill, saying, "I don't know what else to do! I pamper her, but she's never satisfied. She's always complaining of feeling pain here and there. Anyone who didn't know better would think I'm mistreating her!"

Upon hearing that, Bill had responded furiously, "Can't you let us have some peace, Angela?"

The first slap she had ever received from Bill had landed on her cheek at that moment.

Later on, he had even sacrificed her for his own selfish desires by sending her to Dexter's bed.

Angela hated herself for spending three years trying to win Dexter's love and failing ultimately.

Frustrated, she clenched her fists tightly. It seemed she couldn't rely on anyone. She would have to reclaim what was rightfully hers on her own. However, she knew she couldn't rush things—she had to take it step by step.

First, she needed to secure her mother's house no matter what.

The property manager's voice on the other end snapped her back to the present. "The moving company is clearing out the house, saying it has a new owner."

Angela was stunned and felt a surge of panic. Hadn't they agreed to give her more time? Why should she bear the consequences of her good-for-nothing stepbrother's actions?

"I'm coming over right now!" She hung up and quickly hailed a cab back to her home.

But when she arrived, the house was barely recognizable. The place was filled with unfamiliar men in gaudy clothing. The furniture was overturned. The photos of her and Marie were carelessly tossed on the floor.

A fat, middle-aged man with a bald head stepped squarely on Marie's face in one of the pictures.

"Stop! Who gave you permission to come in?" Angela shouted angrily.

The man turned around, grinning sleazily when he saw her. "The house is mine! I can come and go as I please. And who might you be, little lady?"

Angela looked at the fat man in front of her in disgust, pointing toward the door. "This house is mine! I'm asking you to leave immediately!"

The man guffawed as he said, "Did you all hear that? She says the house is hers!"

The men around him joined in, egging him on.

"Since when did you get a wife, Tony? She's fighting you over the property!"

"Well, she's pretty, but we've never seen her."

"Yeah! Introduce us to your beautiful wife, Tony!"

The fat man, Tony Koch, felt emboldened by their provocation.

He walked up to Angela with a lewd grin. Laughing raucously, he offered, "Come on, pretty lady. Give me a smile! Tell me which room you like. I'll let you choose first!"

Angela silently estimated when the police would arrive after she had called them. She stepped back coldly, her face full of disdain.

Tony got even more excited when he saw her retreat. "Hey, don't back away!"

He reached out, attempting to touch Angela's cheek. Just then, she heard the screech of car brakes outside. She smiled slightly and delivered a crisp slap to Tony's greasy face.

Tony stared back in shock, unable to believe that this delicate-looking woman had dared to hit him.

"Why you… Do you have a death wish?" he snarled, grabbing a wooden frame from the floor and hurling it at Angela's head.

Angela quickly dodged.

At that moment, the property manager arrived and said loudly, "Sir, miss, please calm down. The police are at the gate. Let's handle this peacefully!"

Upon hearing the property manager's words, Tony hesitated. However, the mocking looks from the people around him made him refuse to back down.

"Fine, let's see what kind of punishment she gets for causing trouble on my property!"

…

Angela had never expected the person who had bailed her out of the police station would be Dexter.

When she saw him, he had one hand on the car window, while the other held a cigarette he was smoking. He looked devilishly handsome.

His gaze toward her was filled with disdain. "Well, this is unexpected, Mrs. Bamford."

As the ember at the tail end of the cigarette glowed and dimmed, the mocking smile on his face was clear to see. "I didn't expect I'd need to come and get you from the police station on the first day you ran away from home."

Angela felt a wave of humiliation but held back her tears. She put on a defiant expression and replied, "Since you find it so troublesome, why don't we just get divorced tomorrow? That way, you won't be troubled by my problems anymore."

Dexter's hand that was holding the cigarette froze midair as he inhaled a billow of smoke. After some time, he chuckled.

"Still acting tough, huh? What makes you think I'll comply with your wishes? Get out!" He threw his cigarette away without a second glance. "Don't call me again if you get into this kind of trouble."

The Bentley Continental GT sped off, leaving a trail of exhaust in its wake.

Angela crouched down and hugged herself, trying to find some warmth in the cold night.

…

Over the next few days, Angela rented a small apartment and found a new job.

With the police's help, she was granted a three-month grace period. If she could gather enough money within three months, she could buy back Marie's house. During this time, the property couldn't be auctioned or have its ownership title transferred.

This meant that she could no longer remain as a rich man's wife who had nothing to her name. The first thing she needed to do was to be able to support herself financially.

Things didn't go as she wished. On her first day at work, the HR manager nervously called her over and asked, "Excuse me, are you Mrs. Bamford?"