Chapter 2

Even in a crisis, they would always leave me a little dignity.

"Let her buy it." Zane suddenly spoke. His voice was weak. "Maverick, pay for it from your personal account. The Reynolds family hasn't fallen so far that we can't even afford a handbag for our daughter-in-law."

My hand froze over the tablet.

I looked up at my father-in-law, who seemed to have aged a lifetime overnight.

"Thank you, Dad," I said softly.

Jocelyn sighed. "Dad, Julian Hoffman will be here any minute." She glanced at the Patek Philippe clock on the wall. "If he forces you to hand over the chairman's seal, what are we supposed to do?"

Zane closed his eyes, and his fingers trembled slightly.

The roar of an engine came from outside.

The butler, Adrian White, hurried into the room, sweat covering his forehead. "Mr. Zane, Mr. Hoffman is here."

Maverick stood up and immediately stepped in front of me. "Go upstairs."

His voice was low, and the look in his eyes left no room for argument. "No matter what you hear, don't come out."

I stared at Maverick's tense profile but did not move.

"I haven't finished choosing yet." I waved the tablet in my hand.

Jocelyn took a deep breath, forcing down her temper.

"Yvonne." She walked over and looked down at me. "This isn't the time to be stubborn. Julian is completely insane. He is cold-blooded and ruthless. No one who falls into his hands ever gets away unscathed. If you stay here, you will only become a target."

She reached out, snatched the tablet from my hands, and tossed it onto the sofa.

"Adrian, take Yvonne back to her room." Jocelyn turned to the butler and gave the order.

Adrian walked over and bowed slightly. "Ms. Yvonne, please."

I looked at Jocelyn's stern face and almost laughed. Even when she was angry, she was still protecting me. She was afraid that her little ornament would become a target for their enemies.

I stood up and straightened the hem of my silk robe.

"Fine," I answered calmly and turned toward the sweeping staircase. My heels clicked sharply against the wooden floor.

When I reached the corner of the second floor, I stopped. I looked down through the gaps in the railing as the front doors slowly swung open.

"Zane, it has been a while."

"Julian, you certainly know how to make an entrance."

Jocelyn stared calmly at the man walking through the doors.

Julian was dressed in a silver-gray custom-tailored suit. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, and a polite smile played at the corners of his mouth. He looked like the very definition of a gentleman who was rotten to the core.

He carried a thick manila envelope in one hand. Four heavily built bodyguards followed behind him, their dark suits filling the entrance to the Reynolds family's mansion.

The air seemed to thin instantly.

Julian ignored Jocelyn's sarcasm. He walked straight into the center of the living room, his gaze sweeping over the luxurious rug and the paintings on the walls before finally settling on Zane.

"Zane, you don't look well." Julian's voice was soft, almost as if he were checking on an old friend. "At your age, you really should take better care of yourself."

Zane tightened his grip on the armrests. His knuckles turned white.

"Let us skip the games." His voice was hoarse. "What exactly do you want?"

Julian smiled as he sat down on the main sofa, on the seat that had always belonged to Zane. He crossed his legs, looking relaxed and arrogant. He placed the thick manila envelope gently on the coffee table. Slowly, he pushed it toward Zane.

"Mr. Reynolds, Reynolds Group's cash flow has completely dried up."

Julian adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses before he continued, "Your three overseas acquisitions have come to a complete standstill. The penalties you are paying every day are astronomical."

Jocelyn stepped forward and positioned herself between Julian and Zane. "That is an internal matter of Reynolds Group. It is none of your concern."