Chapter 3

Jabbing a finger in my face, Megan screamed at the top of her lungs, "Samuel, all you've got is your dirty money! Who else would ever truly love you besides me?

"I'm giving you one last chance! Apologize and admit you were wrong. If it makes you feel better, I'll just go get my hymen restored!

"As long as you admit you're the one who's sick in the head, we can still have our wedding! But from now on, you don't get to tell me what I can or can't do—"

Before she could even finish, I burst out laughing.

I watched Megan's face contort with rage before striding briskly toward her. In front of everyone, I delivered a resounding slap across her face.

Megan was stunned. Clutching her swollen, reddening cheek, she stared at me in disbelief. She then shrieked, "Samuel Weston, how dare you hit me? You—"

I let out a mocking laugh, then cut her off impatiently. "Megan, without me, you'd still be that pathetic little orphan everyone picked on.

"Your superstar status, every luxury item you own, even the reason Gordon bothered helping you in the first place—that was all me."

As Megan's face grew paler by the second, my voice turned icy. "Get this straight—without me, you're nothing."

Every word hit Megan right where it hurt. Her face went deathly white, and she shouted furiously, "That's impossible! I earned everything I have today, one step at a time! You had nothing to do with it!

"Samuel Weston, you only got your start and became the richest man in the city because of M&S! You're the one who owes everything to me! And this Weston family nonsense? I don't believe a word of it! You're making it all up!"

Brent arrived just in time to see Megan shaking her head wildly, looking utterly hysterical.

"I get it now! You're just lying to me. You just want to make me regret everything! Samuel, you're despicable! What else can you do besides lie to me? Go on, tell me! You're only lying because you're still in love with me!"

Brent instantly lost his temper. "Megan Mills, if you want to act crazy, go do it in Gordon's bed! That whole independent, self-made-woman image you're so proud of? Sam paved the way for you from beginning to end!

"Sam established Dawnlight Foundation and Stellar Entertainment for you. He funded the foundation, and Weston Group holds a controlling stake in the entertainment company! After everything he's done for you, this is how you repay him? By stabbing him in the back?"

Looking at Megan's furious, flustered face, I suddenly felt like laughing.

Once, when a mob of her obsessive haters cornered her, I took a wine bottle to the head while shielding her. I ended up with a bleeding head. Yet, the moment Gordon called, she abandoned me while I was hurt and ran off to attend a gala on his arm.

All I got was the words, "Sam, you know my career means everything to me. You'll understand, won't you?"

How ridiculous. Back then, all I did was put her first. Looking back now, she'd just been manipulating me all along, making me believe I had to sacrifice everything for her without expecting anything in return.

At this point, I had no interest in arguing with her any further. I left the termination agreement behind and walked out.

…

I thought that would be the end of it. But the very next day, Megan and Gordon showed up with a crowd and held a press conference right outside my company.

In front of a sea of reporters, Megan broke down in tears and accused me of all sorts of things. "Samuel has been psychologically abusing and controlling me this entire time!

"He lied about being the heir to the Weston family, then turned around and used the money I earned to bail out his company! Please, someone, tell me what I have to do to make him leave me alone!"

She'd even brought in a psychiatrist to back up her claims that I was mentally disturbed and had bizarre fetishes.

As the crowd booed, Megan slowly pulled back her sleeve to reveal the marks on her arm. "He treated me like a plaything, constantly hitting and verbally abusing me over the smallest things.

"H-He even tried to decide who I'd lose my virginity to. If Mr. Brewer hadn't been there for me, encouraging me to tell everyone the truth, I wouldn't even know what would've happened to me…"

Megan buried her face in her hands and sobbed, winning everyone's sympathy. A few of her lies were all it took for me to become the target of public outrage.

In an instant, accusations came flying at me from every direction, each one cutting like a knife. Watching her masterful performance from the edge of the crowd, I found the whole thing both laughable and pathetic.

Brent couldn't stand it any longer. He stormed forward, snatched the microphone, and fixed them both with a furious glare. "Megan, during the Brockfield fire ten years ago, were you really the one who risked your life to save Sam?

"Or were you the one who shoved him back inside and ran out first? Gordon Brewer, when your overseas business went bankrupt three years ago, who pumped money into your company to save it?

"Want me to project the wire transfers and contracts on a screen right now? You say Sam lied to you? Fine! Then let's get someone from the Weston family here right now—"

Before Brent could finish, Megan shrieked at him, absolutely beside herself, "That's enough! You, Brent Eldridge, are nothing but Samuel's lapdog! What gives you the right to talk to me like that?"

A deafening crash stopped Brent mid-sentence.

Gordon had seized a vase off the table and smashed it hard against Brent's head.

Brent's body went limp, and he crumpled helplessly to the floor. Blood poured from the wound on his forehead, soaking half his shirt in seconds.

As I watched Brent writhe in agony, whatever warmth remained in my eyes died away. I shoved my way through the crowd. Gordon was about to attack Brent again when I kicked him so hard he went flying.

Megan came rushing at me, screaming. I grabbed her by the hair and flung her aside.

After scooping the bleeding Brent into my arms, I shot a glacial look at the two of them, both sprawled on the ground, looking utterly pathetic and panic-stricken.

"How dare you hurt one of my people? Megan, Gordon, you've been questioning whether I'm really the Weston family's heir this whole time, no? Soon enough, you'll learn exactly what it costs to cross the Weston family!"