“You might not live like a princess, but you sure know how to fake dying like one. Brain cancer? So dramatic.”
“Maybe you should’ve been an actress.”
“Listen to me. You have 24 hours. If I don’t see the money by this time tomorrow…”
He stepped closer to Hailey, his voice a low threat.
“I’ll go pay a little visit to that surgeon husband of yours. And that doting adoptive father and brother.”
He didn’t give her a chance to argue, simply turning and walking out.
He left Hailey trembling in the vast, empty villa.
She snatched a champagne flute from the coffee table and hurled it against the wall.
Glass shattered everywhere as she gasped for breath.
Why?
Why did everyone else get to have a happy, perfect family?
1/3
Why was she stuck with a gambling–addicted
mother, forced to play the pathetic invalid just to get some money?
She had worked so hard to push Clara of this family.
She would not go back to scraping by. Never.
Hailey stormed back into the bedroom and threw on some clothes.
After faking it for so long, she could finall
mov
freely.
All she wanted now was to liquidate the assets she’d conned
ut of Clara.
Transfer the money to an offshore account, and then disappear for good.
That way, her creditors would never find her.
And neither would Clara’s father and brother.
She had to act now.
Hailey hailed a cab to the bank, her heart hammering against her ribs.
At the counter, she handed the card to the teller, her hand trembling with anticipation.
Soon, Clara’s money would be hers.
Soon, she would be free.
The teller swiped the card, then looked up, a strange expression on her face.
“Ma’am, the name on this account doesn’t match your ID.”
“Are you sure you have the right card?”
Hailey froze.
“How is that possible? My family already transferred ownership to me when we did the paperwork!”
“Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?”
The teller shook her head, her expression serious. “Ma’am, the owner of this card is still listed as Ms. Clara Vance.”
“Also, this account has been frozen by the court. It was requested by her mother, who is the executor of her estate.”
Hailey’s mind went blank.
Executor of her estate? Her mother?
How could this be? She had watched Clara sign the transfer agreement with her own eyes!
She’d gone over that agreement again and again to make sure.
Had Clara pulled some kind of trick at the last minute?
Wait, there was still the studio and the villa!
Hailey bolted from the bank, dialing a friend with trembling hands. She needed to confirm this immediately.
She sat on the bank’s front steps, waiting anxiously.
A few minutes later, the call came back.
“Hailey, those assets you mentioned? The owner is still listed as Clara Vance.”
2/3
“Three days ago, her mother–acting under power of attorney–filed to have all of Clara’s assets frozen.”
It was as if a clap of thunder went off inside her head.
