Chapter 19:
“You’re unwelcome here. Leave immediately.”
“Corrine, who do you imagine you are to address me in such a manner?” Tracy swept into the ward, her designer bag swaying, as she regarded Corrine with undisguised disdain.
“Did you strike my daughter?”
Corrine let out a mocking smile.
“Who do you think you are to come here and accuse me?”
“How dare you!” Tracy spat, her lips curling into a venomous sneer.
“I’ve encountered women like you before. Playing the sweet, understanding woman in front of Bruce, but now that you see marrying into a rich family is within reach, you’re finally revealing your true nature!”
“The only one who can control me is myself.” Corrine’s lips curled into an almost mocking smile, while her eyes, cold as ice, remained unyielding.
“The Ashton family doesn’t even deserve a fraction of my time or energy.”
If she hadn’t fallen for Bruce, why would she have ever bothered hiding her real strength and getting mired in the Ashtons’ crumbling world? For a family teetering on the edge of bankruptcy? Or for the meaningless title of Mrs. Ashton?
Now that she had chosen to sever all ties with Bruce, the Ashton family no longer held any sway over her, nor could it ever bind her again.
“Don’t deceive yourself!” Rita clutched her swollen cheek, her eyes blazing with fury as she shot a venomous glare at Corrine.
“You latched onto my brother, made him promise to marry you within three years. Wasn’t it all just for the wealth of our family?”
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Corrine’s lips curled in a sneer, her gaze cold as ice.
“The Ashton family’s wealth? I’m curious what was left of that back then. A pile of debt? Or mortgaged assets?”
“Nonsense!” Rita’s neck stiffened, her teeth grinding as she glared fiercely at Corrine.
“Stop wasting our time. If you know what’s good for you, kneel and apologize!”
Corrine’s gaze flicked to Rita’s swollen cheek, her voice indifferent.
“An apology? Not happening. But I could help you balance out that face of yours.”
Tracy’s expression darkened, her eyes flashing with cold fury as she glared at Corrine.
“Corrine, don’t push it!”
“Me, pushing it?” Corrine let out a laugh, as if hearing a ridiculous joke.
“When the Ashton family was on the brink of bankruptcy, it was me who helped with strategies and pulled in the investments. The success you’re enjoying now? That’s all thanks to me! And this is how you repay me?”
It was a fact Tracy couldn’t deny, but it was also the painful truth she wished would stay buried.
For a family to rely on a girl from humble beginnings to turn things around—it would be a public disgrace if word ever got out.
.
.
.