Chapter 7
“Impossible!”
Carlos’s voice rose, tight with anger and barely concealed panic.
“You’re lying! Ivory, you’re not that kind of person!
“All through high school, how many times did I try to give you money, buy you things, and you turned me down every single time! You wouldn’t even accept a pen from me! How could you possibly have been after my money?”
The way he rattled off these examples, so earnest and naïve, you’d think those tiny details were ironclad proof he wasn’t wrong about me.
Watching him stand there, so laughably innocent, I couldn’t help it—I let out a low, amused laugh.
“You really are naïve.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I didn’t bother answering. I stepped around his frozen form and walked away without looking back.
Even as I reached the exit, his voice chased after me.
“Ivory! I know you have your pride! Just give me some time–I’ll work things out with everyone around me! I’ll give you closure, a real confession!”
I didn’t turn. I didn’t pause. I didn’t even care enough to let it register.
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Chapter 7
What happened next was exactly what I expected.
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It didn’t take long for one of my ever–so–helpful old classmates to leak the news that I was back in the States–and worth a fortune–to my parents, whose instincts for sniffing out money were as sharp as hyenas.
A few days later, there they were, standing outside my office building, sticking out like sore thumbs in their cheap, ill–fitting clothes, their faces twisted with greed.
“Ivory! You ungrateful brat! You get rich and just forget about us, huh?”
“Heartless little snake! We raised you for nothing! You ran off for years and never sent a dime home! Now you’re some big–shot designer and think you can ditch us? No way!”
“Look, everybody! Look at this ungrateful kid!”
“How much do you make a month now? Hand it all over! That’s our
money!”
My father pounded on the front desk like a two–bit thug, while my mother plopped herself down on the floor, wailing and slapping her thighs, tears and snot running down her face in a pitiful, over–the–top performance.
Their greedy eyes latched onto me like hooks, as if I were a walking pile of gold.
Security tried to intervene, but my father shoved them aside, making an even bigger scene.
It was chaos.
That’s when Carlos showed up.
He was holding a huge bouquet of roses. The moment he saw the spectacle, his brow furrowed, and he hurried over.
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Chapter 7
“Calm down! This is a workplace, you can’t act like this!
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“You’re just making things worse for her! If you have something to say, do it calmly!”
He turned to me, his look full of reassurance, like he was here to fix everything.
“Ivory, don’t worry. They just want money, right? I’ll talk to them- whatever they want, I’ll cover it. You-”
Alpha!”
A sweet, aggrieved voice suddenly rang out–Felicity, appearing out of
nowhere.
She hurried to Carlos’s side and slipped her arm through his, shooting a quick glance at my hysterical parents before letting her gaze settle on me, a nasty little smile tugging at her lips.
“Oh, Carlos, why are you still defending her?”
Felicity’s voice was pitched just right for everyone nearby to hear.
“She’s been lying to you for years, and you still don’t know!”
She paused, savoring the greedy light that flared in my parents‘ eyes and the sudden confusion on Carlos’s face.
Then she raised her voice, delivering her blow.
“Ivory never liked you, not even a little! She only got close to you because your mom paid her eight million dollars to help you get into college!”
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