Chapter 14
Jessica giggled from her corner, but I caught the nervous edge to it. Her eyes kept darting to Vincent, who hadn’t moved an inch from his relaxed pose beside me.
“Such brave words.” Vincent’s hand stilled on my head. “You hear that, Cheryl? They think their friends are coming to save them.”
I leaned into his touch, drawing strength from his calm presence.
The door burst open and three men in dark suits strode in. My heart hammered against my ribs as Thomas’s face lit up with a triumphant grin.
“There they are.” Thomas gestured at us. “Take care of them. Especially that
arrogant bastard who thinks he can just do what he wants”
The men turned toward Vincent. Their
faces drained of color. The leader’s knees.
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hit the floor first, the other two following
instantly.
“Boss… I… we didn’t know.” The leader’s
voice shook. “Mr. Rivers called about a business dispute. If we’d known it was you-”
Vincent’s low chuckle filled the room.
Thomas’s smile faltered.
“What are you doing?” Thomas stepped forward. “Get up and deal with them!”
“Shut up,” the leader snapped at Thomas. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
“What?” Jessica squeaked from her corner. Margaret gripped Robert’s arm tighter.
Vincent leaned forward, his presence electric beside me. “Before you leave, do
me a favor. Show Thomas here what
happens when he wastes my time.”
The leader rose and crossed to Thomas in three quick strides. The crack of his palm. against Thomas’s face echoed through the
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hit the floor first, the other two following instantly.
“Boss… I… we didn’t know.” The leader’s voice shook. “Mr. Rivers called about a business dispute. If we’d known it was
you-”
Vincent’s low chuckle filled the room. Thomas’s smile faltered.
“What are you doing?” Thomas stepped forward. “Get up and deal with them!”
“Shut up,” the leader snapped at Thomas. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
“What?” Jessica squeaked from her corner. Margaret gripped Robert’s arm tighter.
Vincent leaned forward, his presence electric beside me. “Before you leave, do me a favor. Show Thomas here what happens when he wastes my time.”
The leader rose and crossed to Thomas in three quick strides. The crack of his palm against Thomas’s face echoed through the
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room. Thomas stumbled backward,
clutching his cheek.
“Again,” Vincent commanded.
Another sharp slap sent Thomas sprawling onto the desk.
Vincent’s hand moved to his jacket. “Now get out before I decide this deserves more than just a few slaps.”
The three men scrambled for the door, leaving Thomas crumpled against the desk, blood trickling from his split lip.
Vincent’s fingers laced through mine,
warm and steady. “How was that, Thomas? Did your mafia friends help?”
Thomas pressed against the desk, blood dripping onto his pristine white shirt. His eyes darted between Vincent and the door like a cornered animal.
“I…” Thomas’s voice cracked. “Who are
you?”
“The man whose time you wasted.” Vincent
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pulled me to my feet, his touch gentle despite the steel in his voice.
Jessica cowered in the corner, mascara streaking down her cheeks. Margaret and Robert huddled together, their earlier bravado shattered.
I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin. Five years of shrinking myself, of
swallowing their insults, of pretending their cruelty didn’t cut – it all fell away. “I quit.”
The words rang clear and strong through the office. No tremor. No hesitation.
Thomas’s mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. Margaret reached for me, her hand shaking. “Cheryl, dear, let’s talk about-”
I turned my back on them and strode. toward the door, Vincent’s hand still. wrapped around mine.
I paused at the doorway, my hand still wrapped in Vincent’s. The weight of
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countless years hung in the air – every insult, every manipulation, every moment they’d stripped away pieces of who I was.
I turned back to face them. Thomas pressed a handkerchief to his bleeding lip. Jessica huddled in her corner, makeup streaked across her face. Margaret and Robert clung to each other like children caught stealing cookies.
“I’ll be back.” My voice carried across the room, steady and clear. “Everything you took from me – my inheritance, my grandfather’s property, the shares he left me – I’m coming for all of it.”
Margaret’s face twisted. “You ungrateful-”
“Save it.” I cut her off. “You bought a daughter–in–law, not a slave. Should’ve read the fine print.”
Thomas pushed off the desk, swaying slightly. “You can’t prove anything. The documents are gone-”
“You mean these?” Vincent pulled a folder
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from his jacket. “Amazing what people keep in their office safes.”
The color drained from Robert’s face. “How
did you-”
“Next time you hire someone to crack a safe,” Vincent’s smile held no warmth, “make sure they don’t work for me first.”
