Chapter Two

The silence in the hallway seemed to stretch into an eternity. Sarah's eyes were as wide as saucers and Trisha looked like she had just seen a ghost. Vivian had a smug expression on her face while Coco let out an offended yap.

Adrian was gobsmacked. He stared at me like I had grown two heads.

Then Sarah laughed. “I think the water we poured on her had gotten into her brain. That's what's making her say things.”

Trisha chuckled, smacking my arm. “Exactly, mother. She is out of her mind. Look, I'm tired of this drama. Go and make breakfast, I'm hungry.”

Then Adrian's face gave way to a grin and he ran his fingers through his hair. Cute? No, totally irritating!

They probably couldn't comprehend the old Lena even speaking of leaving. I had once even licked Trisha's disgusting heels once when they had threatened to throw me out.

The acidic taste of the shoes polish and my foolishness sting even more now.

His voice was calmer. “Look, Lena, I know you're mad that I've not touched you for a while, but this isn't going to help.”

“Yes, my Addy is being generous to even let you stay here. You have some guts to threaten him with such empty words.” Vivian screeched.

Empty words?

Good. Let them keep underestimating me.

I stared calmly at Adrian. “You'll hear from my lawyer soon. Till then, get ready to leave my house!”

Colour drained from all four faces. As I turned to leave, Adrian grabbed my arms harshly.

Vivian gasped. “You really must be mad to think you can take Adrian's house.”

“You must think that we'll give you half of Adrian's wealth by divorcing him. That will never happen!” Sarah snapped.

Trisha's expression was deadly. “When you're done joking, I'm going to teach you a lesson you'd never forget.”

I almost laughed. So Adrian had not told them.

“How dare you threaten me with this? What power do you think you have without me? If you have anything, it's because I gave you!”

“Let go of me!”

Perhaps it was the resolve in my eyes or the iceiness of my tone, but Adrian let go of me.

The audacity of him to think he could still control me. That lovesick stupidity that had once clouded my eyes had fallen off like scales.

Taking out my phone, I opened my bank app.

For six years, I had never questioned where the money from my trust fund went. I had only been grateful that they let me stay.

Remove all linked cards. Tap.

Revoke authorized users. Tap.

Change password. Enable two-step verification. Tap, tap, tap.

The phones in the kitchen began buzzing one after another.

“Mum, my card was declined!” Vivian cried. “What's going on?”

“Mine too!” Trisha shrieked. “What is going on, Adrian?!”

Sarah glanced at her phone and her expression turned grim.

“Still questioning who holds this family together?” I asked cooly.

Adrian recovered from his shock and glared at me.

“Have your fun while you can, but don't think for one that you can take this house. You barely even have any money left for that fight. You will hear from my own lawyers!”

Smiling, I tucked my phone back into my pocket. I turned to leave. I needed to start preparing for the freeze. “Fine by me.”

*

“Mummy, are you going to be alright without daddy here?”

Noah's eyes were sad as he stared at me. My heart ached. He had only ever seen his other kiss up to his dad's ass, that he couldn't understand how she was going away from him.

“Mummy's better without daddy, honey.” I strapped the seatbelt on him. “Just do something for me, darling. Stay out and don't make a sound till mummy's back, okay?”

He nodded obediently.

Immediately I stepped out of my car leaving Noah secured, a cold metal pressed to my temple.

I froze, but a tiny smirk played on my lips.

Rogers never could be caught unawares, not when his whole world and business revolves around catching people unawares and making them beg.

“State your business,” a gruff voice sounded behind me.

“I want to see Rogers.”

After a moment of hesitation and silent signals from the man behind me to one of the almost fifty men lining the entrance, they took me in.

Rogers puffed on a fat cigar as he stared at me. “Let her go, Gunner.”

He had a cruel smirk on his lips. Lust filled his eyes as he bored holes into my chest.

But I wasn't deterred. He had a role to play in my revenge plan because he was also in my list. He was a pawn.

“What would a pretty thing like you be looking for in my den?”

I pressed my lips together. “I need a loan.”

For the kind of project I wanted to embark on, I needed as much money as I could get.

There was no time to go around growing blames and fighting for the money I had willingly given to Adrian and his family foolishly.

His eyes twinkled with greed. “And you couldn't get it anywhere else?”

‘I can, but I want to get it from you. You lied to my brother, Ethan, to get a loan from you and then stalked him to death when he couldn't pay you back!’ I wanted to scream.

But I kept my smile even.

“You're one of the surest loaners in the country right now. You don't ask what the money would be used for and that's exactly what I want.”

He smiled, leaning into his chair. “That's true depending on the context.”

“50 million.”

He sat upright again sharply. “That's the most anyone has ever borrowed from me.”

I smiled. “More interest rate for you.”

One of his men came in and whispered something to him. Then he turned back to me.

“My sources tell me you have a husband you're about to divorce and nothing else. What's my surety you'll pay me back?”

Good thing I had done my homework of hiding my relation to Ethan before coming.

“Yes,” I lied smoothly. “The house is mine. I'll stake it as collateral.”

When the great freeze starts, his money would be the last thing on his mind.

His eyes twinkled again. “It's worth a fortune. Enviable location. Ancient and expensive architecture. You're willing to stake that?”

I nodded.

“I need my money back in two months.”

Cruel. That was what made him notorious. Large loans to desperate people, unreasonable interests and unfair deadlines.

“Why do you need it urgently?”

“I thought you didn't ask questions.”

“Well, this is the largest I've lent anyone.”

“I need it for a project.”

He studied my face silently. “The interest is 20 million.”

Half of the money I was asking for. My throat burned as I swallowed the scream I wanted to lash out at him.

There was no need for that.

“Deal.”

His eyes narrowed. “If you don't pay it back, I will find you and your son and make you wish you were never born.”

“I have no doubt about that.”

He relaxed visibly, a grin on his lips. “Good.”

The contract was made within thirty minutes and I was credited with 50 million.

Just enough for me to start preparing for the freeze.