There wasn't just Delia's ten million on the statement-there were debts owed by other members of the Sinclair family too.

That's right. Anastasia hadn't come back this time planning to settle for just Delia's ten million. She knew the Sinclair family had always seen her as an easy mark. It wasn't just Delia who took advantage; there was also Elder Mrs. Sinclair and Julian and his wife.

Whenever they had the chance, they'd ask her for money-always with some excuse or another. It wasn't as if Anastasia hadn't struggled with it before; she'd quietly approached Nora for advice. But Nora only told her not to be so stingy, insisting the Sinclairs would pay it back eventually.

Back then, Anastasia had trusted Nora completely. She was afraid of offending her beloved Mrs. Sinclair, so she swallowed her frustration and tolerated the Sinclairs' behavior.

And now, after all these years, the Sinclairs had "borrowed" more than eight million dollars from her-money that had never been repaid.

When her mother was still alive, eight million was nothing for the Sterling family. But after her mother passed away and the family business started to decline, that eight million was no longer a trivial sum.

Gabriel prided himself on keeping up appearances. If it had only been a million, maybe he could have let it slide. But eight million? That was out of the question- especially now that the family business was strapped for cash.

"How could you have lent out so much money?" he demanded sharply, glaring at his daughter.

Anastasia's eyes were cold. "It's not like I wanted to. But Mrs. Sinclair said if I refused, I was being petty."

Gabriel turned his icy gaze on Nora, his tone heavy with accusation. "You certainly are generous with other people's money."

Nora's heart skipped a beat.

She'd always been good at reading men, good at pleasing them, but this was the first time Gabriel ever seemed truly displeased with her.

Quickly, she said, "I thought they were just borrowing small amounts-I had no idea it was so much. Anastasia really should have told me."

With just a few words, she tried to shift all the blame back to Anastasia.

But Anastasia was no longer the naïve fool Nora had raised; there was no way she'd let herself be scapegoated.

"Didn't I tell you? I distinctly remember when Elder Mrs. Sinclair came to 'borrow' money to buy that house, you were the one who helped her pick it out."

"Oh, and the last time Julian bought a car-didn't he consult you for advice too?" Nora's gentle smile froze on her face.

Gabriel's glare grew colder. "You really do care about your own family, don't you? But have you ever stopped to think how much the Sinclair family has eaten and drunk at the Sterling family's expense all these years? Shall I tally it up for you? You ought to learn some gratitude."

Nora had been quietly funneling money to the Sinclair family for years, and though Gabriel had sometimes been irritated, he'd never confronted her like this. This was the first time he'd spoken to her so harshly.

Her face burned with humiliation.

Gabriel glanced at the statement. "Why did your mother need to buy a house? Didn't we already provide her with a place to live?"

His expression darkened further as he realized the most expensive item on the list was the house Elder Mrs. Sinclair had bought-over four million dollars.

Nora forced a smile and said carefully, "My mother's never gotten used to city life. She wanted a place where she could keep chickens and plant a vegetable garden -like back in the countryside. I felt sorry for her, so I agreed to let her buy the house."

"We didn't have enough money at the time, so we had to borrow from Anastasia." At least Gabriel's face softened a little at her explanation of filial piety.

But Anastasia's voice cut in, cool and clear. "Is that so? Funny, I heard that house was sold less than a week after you bought it. Did your mother suddenly lose interest in raising chickens and gardening? And if you sold it, why didn't you pay me back?"

Nora's relief died in her throat. She bit her lip so hard she nearly drew blood, glaring at Anastasia with undisguised hatred.

-You little witch!

Gabriel's face, which had just begun to soften, clouded over once more, darker and more menacing than before.