Chapter 378
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‘Yeah right. You coming to the deal would be the worst thing that could happen. Lucia cursed Clayton to hell and back in her head, but on the surface, she kept her voice calm and appeasing. “Fine. When the deal happens, I’ll take you with me.”
And when would that deal happen? That was entirely up to her.
She drove a loop around the eastern ring road just to make sure Clayton wasn’t tailing her before heading off to meet Kyle.
When she heard he wanted money again, she nearly lost it on the spot.
‘Does he think I run a bank? Or a printing press?‘
Whenever he needed cash, he just stuck out his hand, expecting it to rain money.
Of course, she couldn’t afford to fall out with Kyle. He wasn’t like Clayton. Clayton could only speculate about what happened back then, but Kyle? Kyle had witnessed everything.
Still, when he said he needed 300 thousand dollars to invest in a business, Lucia couldn’t hold back anymore. “The economy’s bad right now. This isn’t the time to throw money into risky deals. What if you lose it—”
“There is no ‘what if,”” Kyle interrupted confidently. “I already tested it. It’s guaranteed profit. And it’s not like I’m asking for free money. It’s a loan. I’ll pay you interest, alright?”
Lucia felt a sharp pain in her chest.
It was getting harder to breathe, like an invisible rope was tightening around her neck, getting closer and closer to choking her out.
Kyle made it sound fair. He was borrowing the money, offering interest, but never once mentioned paying it back. If he made a profit, the interest would be his excuse to keep going. If he lost, well, too bad. Not his problem.
Lucia almost rolled her eyes, biting back the urge to scoff. ‘What a sweet deal. Just not for me.‘
“Alright. I’ll figure something out.”
“Make it fast. Every day you wait is a loss.” Kyle strolled off without another word, leaving Lucia behind, pounding her chest like she could knock the
frustration loose.
Jenna waited a while and then finally came looking for her.
“Ma’am, you can’t keep enabling him like this. They say spoiling a child is the same as ruining one, and you’ve already done more than enough for your nephew. Whatever debt you owed his family, you’ve repaid it.”
Jenna was the only one who knew Lucia had been supporting Kyle.
Lucia always said he was her nephew. Her brother–in–law had helped her through her darkest days. Now that both her sister and brother–in–law were gone, she couldn’t just turn her back.
Lucia sighed.
Only Jenna really understood how stuck she was. There was no one she could talk to. No one who’d really get it.
She shared just enough of her troubles to vent and then told Jenna not to breathe a word to anyone else.
Back home, she rummaged through the storage room for old gifts, random art pieces and forgotten décor Logan wouldn’t even remember owning. She told Jenna to discreetly sell them for cash.
But Eden was the first to notice something off.
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Chapter 378
Lucia had sold artwork before, but only on rare occasions, mostly to friends. A casual favor more than a transaction.
Lately, though? She hadn’t touched a paintbrush in weeks, but things were flying out the door.
At the end–of–month expense report, he brought it up to Yann. Yann told him to log the dates and items but not to interfere yet.
Audrey had been busy too.
And to her surprise, the workload had done her good. She was more alert, less foggy, no longer yawning her way through the day.
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She’d always believed in Lunessé as a brand and figured the sales would take off, but seeing the numbers for herself was a whole different level of shock.
In just three months, Lunessé’s contouring face masks had become the number one face mask brand in the country.
Everyone who had believed in the brand from the beginning and gotten in early had made a killing. The distributors were making money hand over fist.
They were already requesting expanded territories for next year, which promised to be even more profitable.
As for Audrey? She made more than any of them, and she wasn’t stingy about it. She immediately announced a reward–all primary–tier distributors would get an all–expenses–paid island vacation for Christmas.
The very next day, Clayton got a call from Neil.
“How’s your treatment going?” Neil asked.
Clayton had taken medical leave from work, citing treatment in Ashbourne. And to be fair, he was actually receiving treatment, so he gave Neil a quick update.
Neil listened patiently and then said, “My wife and I are spending Christmas on an island this year, so I wanted to check if you’re coming back. If not, I’ll
have someone else cover for you.”
“You’re spending Christmas on an island?” Clayton was caught off guard.
Neil chuckled. “Cora did really well with her face mask sales this year. Her boss is super generous. She rewarded them all with a vacation, We figured, why not spend Christmas there too?”
“What about your parents?”
“They’re coming with us! Cora’s allowed to bring a plus–one, and my parents got half–off. She said she’s aiming to win distribution rights for a first–tier city next year. The project’s legit. If you’re still thinking about investing, don’t hesitate.”
They chatted a little longer before hanging up.
Clayton lay in bed, a storm brewing in his chest.
He admitted it that he’d been the problem in the marriage. But it wasn’t like he’d committed some unforgivable sin.
‘Why is life treating me like this? What did I do to deserve it?‘
Since the divorce, Audrey had been thriving. She found a better man and her career had exploded.
Meanwhile, everything in his life had fallen apart./
His father went to prison. His mother had a stroke and was now half–paralyzed. His brother and sister–in–law got divorced, his niece was a mess, his law license got revoked, and he got diagnosed with stomach cancer.
‘But I started with good intentions. I just wanted to repay a debt. So why… why do I have to carry all of this?”
He tossed and turned all night, tormented. The next morning, he called Lillian’s number.
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Riley answered. She was out getting breakfast. “Grandma wanted me to ask when you’re coming home. It’s almost Christmas.”
“How’s she doing?” Clayton asked.
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“Same as always. My dad says if you’re not coming back, at least send money. Rent’s due, and we need to start buying stuff for the holidays.” What she didn’t say–Wyatt was also hoping to take a trip to Alexa’s family before Christmas.
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Their last divorce hearing didn’t go through. Alexa planned to refile in six months. Wyatt wanted to smooth things over during the holidays, maybe keep the family together. Riley was old enough to understand, so they’d better to stay married.
He was even willing to cut ties with Clayton and Lillian if that was what it took, because life with them was pure hell.
Clayton had bailed. Now Wyatt was stuck with a sick mother, a bratty daughter, and stress levels that were practically terminal.
He didn’t want the divorce. Riley did.
Once Alexa was out of the picture, no one would be there to scold her, humiliate her, or constantly look down on her. Caring for Lillian wasn’t easy, but Riley had turned it into a business.
She’d push the wheelchair into a sob story and squeeze sympathy out of people. And that sympathy usually turned into cash.
Most of which went to Riley herself. When she wasn’t playing the role, she lived well, nice clothes and good food. When she was? She had a full “pity party” wardrobe.
“I’m still in treatment here. I won’t be coming back for Christmas,” Clayton said. He couldn’t bring himself to exploit his illness for sympathy. He wanted to prove he was doing well post–divorce.
And deep down, he knew his family would drain him dry, and he had zero interest in sending them another dime.
They wrapped up the call after some idle small talk.
Riley came back home with breakfast. Wyatt had just finished changing Lillian’s adult diaper. The stench was overwhelming.
“Don’t feed her so much,” Wyatt muttered, not even turning around.
“Got it,” Riley replied. She glanced at Lillian’s face, twisted in discomfort, and pursed her lips. “Uncle Clayton called,” she said quietly.
AD
