Gavin never should have brought up Mr. Winslow. The moment his name left

Gavin's lips, Ann's expression darkened. Without warning, she snatched a vase off the table and hurled it to the floor.

Crash!

Porcelain shards scattered across the hardwood.

Gavin jumped back, startled. "Ann, what's wrong?"

He turned desperately to Amanda. "Amanda, did someone upset Ann? What happened?"

Amanda's simmering anger boiled over, and Gavin became her target. "Gavin, you spineless excuse for a man, how dare you ask what's wrong! If you had even a shred of ambition, Ann and I wouldn't have to swallow this kind of humiliation!"

It was all Gavin's fault.

He was nothing more than a deadbeat living off his wife.

If Gavin had even the slightest bit of backbone, Victor never would have dared to humiliate Ann like that in front of everyone.

Gavin could only stand there, taking Amanda's scolding in silence. He didn't dare talk back-just gritted his teeth and bore it.

Amanda grew angrier by the second. She grabbed a throw pillow from the sofa and flung it at Gavin.

Thud!

Another sound echoed through the living room.

This time, it was the bedroom door slamming shut.

Amanda snapped out of her rage and rushed to the doorway. "Ann! Ann, don't let this get to you! So what if that country girl's the secret investor behind Apex Game Studios? She'll never measure up to you! You're Victoria online, with eighty million followers, and you're Mr. Quinten's little lifesaver!"

Gavin stared at Amanda in disbelief. "Wait-Caitlin is Apex Game Studios' secret investor?"

"My God... Like father, like daughter!"

After all, Stuart was hardly an ordinary man.

The words tumbled out of Gavin before he could stop himself.

Smack!

Amanda's hand came down hard across his cheek. "Shut up! Don't you know when to keep your mouth closed?"

Gavin clamped a palm over his stinging cheek and fell silent.

Ding-dong-

Amanda's phone buzzed with a new text message.

She glanced down at the familiar number, her brows knitting together.

A few seconds later, Amanda locked

her phone and looked up at Gavin here and look after Ann. Don't

do anything stupid. I have to v

go out."

Gavin, nursing his swollen cheek, asked, "Where are you going?"

"I have something to take care of."

Without another word, Amanda grabbed her keys and left.

Fifteen minutes later, her car pulled up outside The Chronos Grand Hotel-a property owned by Gonzales Holdings, and just a short drive from their home.

A taxi pulled up to the hotel entrance.

Amanda hurried inside, not even pausing to greet the front desk staff.

She took the elevator straight to the nineteenth floor, headed down the hallway,

and stopped in front of room 1901.

She pressed the doorbell.

Click.

The door swung open to reveal a woman in her early fifties, her face

tightened by obvious cosmetic

surgery. Despite the designer

clothes from head to toe, she radiated cheapness.

Once the door was closed, Amanda rounded on her, anger simmering in her voice. "You've got some nerve, showing up at a Gonzales Holdings hotel!"

The woman lit a cigarette, smirking. "You ignored my messages. Why shouldn't I come to one of your family's hotels?"

Amanda forced herself to stay calm, lowering her voice. "Didn't I just transfer you half a million dollars?"

It had only been a week since Amanda wired the money to the woman's account.

The woman scoffed, giving Amanda

a once-over. "Half a million? Please. You're the Gonzales family's

you

princess That necklace around neck is worth more than that.'

〃

"What exactly do you want from me?" Amanda demanded.