Chapter 5

I slammed the door shut. Whatever feelings I once had for Adrian were completely gone.

Outside, I could hear the Johnsons talking. "Hmph! Once she runs out of money, she'll come begging Adrian anyway."

By the floor-to-ceiling windows, the bodyguards finished packing everything up for me.

"Ms. Lamb, Mr. Lamb's helicopter will arrive on the rooftop tomorrow. We apologize for the inconvenience of having you stay here for the night."

…

On my last day there, just as I was about to head out, my best friend called and told me to turn on the TV immediately.

It was still early. I opened my laptop, and a live interview featuring Adrian popped up.

Turns out that after I kicked them out last night, Rosalind had suddenly developed severe stomach pain and was rushed to the hospital.

A reporter recognized Adrian as the rising star of the industry and immediately sensed a juicy story.

Rosalind was inside the hospital on bed rest, while Adrian was being interviewed right outside her ward.

Clearly exhausted, he said, "Sorry, everyone. Please keep your voices down. I don't want to disturb my wife."

The reporter looked surprised. "As far as I know, your wife is Ms. Colleen Lamb from the family that went bankrupt, isn't that right?"

Adrian shook his head, looking as if the words were stuck in his throat.

Suddenly, Jessie stepped forward. "Actually, Colleen was abducted before. She's not exactly clean anymore. Everyone knows that. Our family kept her afloat for three years. That was more than generous."

Adrian shoved Jessie aside and snapped at her, "Shut up. Don't talk about Colleen like that. She was your sister-in-law."

Then, he turned back to the camera and said, "Thank you for your concern, but Colleen is history. Ms. Rosalind Muller is the woman I want to protect now. She's suffered too much because of me."

On camera, Adrian looked remarkably sincere. I noticed that the online comments were filled with nothing but praise for him.

Behind me, a bodyguard stepped forward with a blank expression. "Ms. Lamb, would you like us to strike now?"

I smiled and told him to stay calm. It wasn't time yet.

The next second, a clipped video appeared in the comments.

It showed me huddled in a corner after being abducted, looking small and helpless, while a group of men stood before me with leering, sinister smiles.

The footage was blurry, but someone confidently commented that it was definitely me.

I was scrolling through the comments when my phone rang.

Rosalind's venomous voice came through. "Colleen, how do you like my gift? Get out of my house right now. With you being as powerless and penniless as you are now, you don't stand a chance against me."

I replied calmly, "You really surprised me. Since you gave me a gift, it'd be rude not to return the favor. Just wait for your big surprise."

Rosalind panicked, demanding to know what I meant.

But I hung up without another word.

Before shutting down my laptop, I saw a statement released by the Johnson family.

"To prevent anyone from falsely claiming the title of the Johnson family's daughter-in-law in the future, we hereby declare that Rosalind Muller is our only officially recognized daughter-in-law. All others are impostors."

It was strange.

Just days ago, Adrian's betrayal still hurt. But now that he had openly cut ties with me, I actually feel a sense of relief.

The helicopter had been waiting on the rooftop for a long time. I headed upstairs, surrounded by bodyguards.

Just before boarding, one of them handed me a laptop. "Ms. Lamb, the kidnappers from three years ago have been caught. That mysterious person says you're free to reveal the truth now."