"No need to trouble yourselves." My gaze slid over Matthew without a hint of emotion. "I'm here to sign the agreement relinquishing my inheritance rights. Once I sign, I'll leave."
Matthew grabbed my arm, his grip bruising, and dragged me toward the VIP lounge as if terrified I'd bolt halfway there.
Ryan spent less than three minutes printing the documents. He threw them onto the coffee table in front of me with a sneer.
"I thought you'd go crazy like you did five years ago." His lip curled. "Looks like that savage place in the Northwest really can beat the temper out of a person. Living among those uneducated barbarians, I suppose you had no choice but to accept your fate."
I didn't respond. I just silently picked up the pen.
At that moment, Georgia appeared, holding a cup of hot tea with delicate grace.
"Aria, don't blame Ryan for speaking bluntly. Everyone is doing this for your own good." She set the cup down with practiced elegance. "Even though your husband was a crude barbarian, he had money and power. Letting you marry him was a way for you to contribute to the family!"
*Heh.*
*Contribute?*
Five years ago, the Henson Group's capital chain snapped, creating a massive three-billion-dollar deficit. The cause? Georgia Pruitt. As a mere intern, she had "accidentally" leaked the project's floor price to a competitor at a business cocktail party.
If the hole wasn't plugged, Matthew and Georgia would have rotted in prison.
It just so happened that Sebastian James, a coal tycoon from the Northwest, offered a three-billion-dollar cash injection as a bride price for a Henson heiress.
Matthew didn't hesitate. He and Ryan—my fiancé at the time—tied me up and shipped me off.
That was what they called "contributing."
But no matter how I examined it, the logic escaped me. Georgia caused the disaster, yet I was the sacrifice.
"Oh, right, Aria... I heard that over there, you can't even bathe every day. Is that true? Then on you..." Georgia covered her nose and mouth, as if realizing she'd been rude.
"Enough." I cut her off sharply.
I signed my name on the agreement with a flourish.
"When will the money arrive?" The agreement stated a compensation of five million dollars.
Matthew glanced at the signature, relief washing over his face. For a split second, a flicker of guilt passed through his eyes.
"Aria, there's no need to rush the money, right?" His voice wavered. "I've arranged a place for you to stay. Give it some time..."
I cut through his hypocritical concern. "Stop talking nonsense. I want five million in cash. Right now."
Five million to buy out my identity as Miss Henson. A cheap price for freedom.
Ryan scoffed, his disgust deepening. "Aria Henson, when did you become so calculating? Did that nouveau riche husband of yours leave you nothing? Money, money, money—you're truly vulgar beyond endurance."
Bile rose in my throat just looking at his face.
"Are you giving it or not? If you don't, I'll tear this agreement to shreds and sue for a split of the family estate tomorrow!"
"Give it to her!" Matthew shouted immediately.
Gritting his teeth, he pulled out a checkbook, scribbled the amount, and threw the check at me.
"Take the money and behave yourself. Georgia is about to represent the Henson Group at a major jewelry exhibition—don't you dare cause trouble."
I couldn't be bothered to waste another breath on him. I snatched the check and turned to leave.
Behind me, Georgia's voice drifted out, sounding aggrieved and tearful. "Brothers, is Aria still angry with me? Actually, I can give all of this back to her..."
"Give back what?" Ryan sneered, his gaze fixed on my retreating figure, specifically my lower abdomen. "Only you are worthy of your current status, Georgia. She's just a woman carrying a barbarian's bastard. What right does she have to be mentioned in the same breath as you?"
