10
The next day, however, after William and his friends had everything prepared for their sailing trip, they waited and waited, but there was no word
from Melina.
William finally called her.
It took her a while to answer, and when she did, her voice sounded strained, as if she’d been crying. “I’m so sorry, William. My uncle needs the yac-
ht today, so we’ll have to reschedule.”
“Your uncle has more than one yacht.”
Melina stammered, unable to come up with a reply.
William let out a cold laugh. “Are you lying to me, Melina? It seems you don’t have as much pull with your uncle as you thought.”
He hung up.
The moment the call ended, Melina threw her phone against the wall.
A Her lincle had initially agreed to lend her the vacht. But then he had asked who it was for and after hearing the names he had suddenly refused.
Chapter 2
08.48
Her uncle had initially agreed to lend her the yacht. But then he had asked who it was for, and after hearing the names, he had suddenly refused. Not only that, he had given a specific order: “Any of the Vance children can borrow my yachts, except for Melina.”
Within three minutes, that decree had spread through the entire Vance clan. She was utterly humiliated. Her father was so furious he slapped her across the face. Her cousins were all laughing at her, some openly, some behind her back.
Melina couldn’t understand why her uncle would do this. She had always been on her best behavior around him, always so polite and sweet. She wracked her brain, but she couldn’t think of a single thing she might have done to displease him.
She couldn’t figure it out, but a cold dread settled in her stomach. She had a terrible feeling that her family’s standing within the Vance clan was about to plummet. Her parents‘ entire lifestyle was dependent on her uncle’s goodwill. And she had somehow, unknowingly, offended him.
Melina buried her face in her pillow, her sobs growing more desperate. How could she possibly fix this?
The most maddening part was, she had no idea what she had done wrong.
