My ears rang from their mocking. Especially when the MC announced that the Brisbane family would soon have a daughter-in-law. And it was Maddie—not me.
The whole event felt torturous, especially when Maddie came up to me, making my blood boil even more.
"Hey, Ava. Your work's good. My engagement to Jason feels even more special because of the decor," Maddie said with a sly smile. "It wasn’t a waste to hire you."
I frowned. "Oh, so you hired me on purpose?"
"Of course. Watching your almost-tears makes me so satisfied! Jason’s mine, Ava. You don’t deserve him!"
Her eyes were cold, her grin made me want to rip her apart. I walked away, but she grabbed my arm with a fake smile.
"Could you grab my violin over there? I’m going to perform with it for my special event," she said, loud enough for everyone to hear.
I wanted to say no, but I couldn’t—because of the staff uniform I was wearing. I didn’t want people thinking I was unprofessional.
"Fine," I said, forcing a smile.
I grabbed the violin. My throat tightened as I locked eyes with Jason. His face was blank, while I almost cried.
"Four years together really meant nothing, huh, Jason?" I muttered.
Once I had the violin, I brought it to Maddie. She was standing with Jason and his dad. She spoke loudly so I could hear.
"Dad, if Jason doesn’t marry me, would you want an orphan for a daughter-in-law?"
Mr. Brisbane’s answer hit me like a hammer. "I’ll kick Jason out if he dates a poor girl, let alone an orphan. He’ll marry you."
My heart sank. Jason’s gaze was cold, making it worse.
I forced a smile and handed the violin to Maddie. "Here’s your violin, Miss."
"Thanks," she said, reaching for it. But then she pulled her hand back, letting it fall.
"Oh no! Dad, your gift violin fell!" she whined.
Mr Brisbane glared at me. "Can’t you do anything right?!" he snapped.
I flinched. He dared yell at me in front of everyone.
"I-I’m sorry, Sir," I said, bowing my head.
"Get out! Useless worker—no wonder you’re poor!"
His words slapped me. No matter how hard I worked, I’d never match the Brisbane family’s money.
I walked away quickly, holding back my tears. I didn’t expect Jason to come after me.
"I told you, you’ll regret not listening," he said.
"I’m glad I didn’t listen, now I know you’ve been cheating with Maddie!" I shot back.
"I’m not cheating!" he yelled.
He hated cheating, but he was doing it. He once told me how his mom left because of his dad’s infidelity. But his love for Maddie blinded him.
"If it’s not cheating, then what is it?" I asked, my voice shaking.
"You heard what my dad said. He’ll disown me if I don’t marry Maddie," he said with a sigh.
Jason slicked his hair back and grabbed my hand.
"Ava, do you think my dad would ever approve if he found out I was dating you? Don’t kid yourself, just understand. I’ve sorted everything. You just need to stay home and do what I say."
"I’m not your damn puppet, Jason!" I snapped.
Maddie showed up, pulling Jason away.
"Jason! What are you doing here? Our event isn’t over!" she said, glaring at me.
I smiled bitterly. "Wow! Maddie Joy, fighting for someone else’s boyfriend!"
"Watch your mouth!" she snapped.
"What? It’s true, right? Jason’s still my boyfriend, and now you two are engaged?"
"Oh, Ava, do you really think you could be part of the Brisbane family? You’re poor, you don’t even have parents. Isn’t the money Jason gives you enough? Gold digger!" Maddie sneered.
My jaw clenched. I’d never even spent a cent of Jason’s money—it was still untouched.
"Calm down, babe," Jason said to Maddie with a smile.
"She is a gold digger! Like being poor isn’t enough, now you think you can join the Brisbane fam? Shameless!" she snapped. "Listen, Ava—even if you sell yourself and become rich, you’ll never measure up to me!"
Maddie mocked me again, holding Jason’s hand tighter. What made me even angrier was that Jason didn’t react. He just stared at me coldly.
"Jason, are you just going to stand there while I get insulted?" I asked.
"What do you want me to do when you won’t even listen to me?" he replied, uninterested.
"Let’s go, Jason!" Maddie said, dragging him away.
"Okay, babe," he said, smiling sweetly at her.
Jason glanced at me. "You’ve changed, Ava. You’re not obedient like before," he said coldly, walking away with Maddie.
My blood boiled. Did he really see me as some pet who should just obey him?
"You're such a jerk, Jason!"
My work kept piling up, and I knew Maddie was intentionally making things difficult for me, trying to show her power.
I just stayed silent as I watched Maddie play the violin, with Jason on piano. Everyone clapped after their performance.
"Ava, can you grab my violin?" Maddie called.
I walked over reluctantly. She taunted me one more time before I handed it over.
"See? You’re just meant to be my servant, Ava," she laughed.
I was furious. As she handed me the violin, I dropped it on purpose and stepped on it.
"Ouch, Miss, why’d you drop it? Isn’t this valuable?" I teased. "Maybe you should buy a new one. You said you have a lot of money, right?"
I walked off, flipping her the bird as I went.
***
At home, Jason was furious.
"Ava, are you crazy?! Why’d you destroy her violin?!" he shouted.
"She took you from me. It’s just a violin. She can buy another one. What about you? Should I go find a replacement for you?" I said coldly.
"Oh, Ava. I know you’re jealous, but there’s no need for that. I’m with Maddie just to please my dad. How many times do I have to say it?" His neck veins were bulging, eyes sharp.
"Then why was there a condom in the trash in our room the day you and Maddie were here?" My voice cracked as I held back tears.
