The house was dark when I walked in. Jayden’s voice cut through the silence like a blade.
“Where’s the food? Scarlet’s starving.”
For the first time, I didn’t answer. I slipped off my shoes and headed toward the living room.
“Lilian!” His voice followed me, louder this time. “I’m talking to you. Where’s the food? What took you so long?”
I turned to face him, my chest tightening. “You won’t even ask where I’ve been for the last two days?”
Jayden blinked, confused. “Why would I? You’re an adult. I figured you were at the lab, working on one of your research projects. Why?”
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “You really have no idea, do you?”
He frowned, his confusion giving way to irritation. “What are you saying?”
I shook my head, ignoring him as I turned toward the stairs.
“Don’t you walk away from me!” He stormed after me, grabbing my wrist. “How dare you turn your back on me? Where’s the food, Lilian? Cook something for Scarlet!”
I yanked my arm free. “Why would I? Isn’t she your sister? Your dearest? You cook for her.”
Before Jayden could respond, Scarlet appeared in the doorway, her face pale and her voice trembling. “It’s okay if Lilian thinks I’m a bother. I’ll just go back to my house and stay there.”
“No, you won’t,” Jayden said quickly, his tone softening as he turned to her. “You’re staying here, Scarlet. Don’t mind Lilian. She’s just being... grumpy.”
I bit back the wave of anger rising in my chest. “Do whatever you want,” I said flatly, turning and heading up the stairs.
Once in the bedroom, I pulled out my suitcase and began packing my things.
Jayden barged in moments later, his face a mix of confusion and frustration. “What are you doing?”
“Decluttering,” I said without looking at him. “I’m packing up things to donate. The house feels too small for three people now.”
Jayden’s frown deepened. “Then we should get a bigger house. That way Scarlet can fit in, too, once we get married.”
I froze, my hands gripping the edge of the suitcase. Slowly, I turned to face him. “Scarlet is going to live with us when we get married?”
“Of course,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I promised her brother I’d take care of her. This is her home now.”
I could only scoff, swallowing the surge of fury threatening to consume me. I forced a tight-lipped smile and nodded.
“Of course.”
After all, there wasn’t going to be a marriage.
Jayden walked over to the dresser, picking up one of my research journals. “By the way, do you have any money I could borrow for the company? Just a little to get us through this month since I bought something for Scarlet and so I’d been short..”
The audacity of his words left me speechless.
“You bought her what?” The disbelief in my voice.
“Just some gold and diamond for her birthday, but I’ll pay you. Come on, you have a lot. Can you just share?”
I scoffed. For Jayden, everything had always been about him. He assumed I had money because I was a medical researcher, good at my field. He thought his startup’s investors were drawn in by his charm and hard work.
He had no idea.
He didn’t know that the investors had been my doing. That my family’s name and quiet influence had kept his dream afloat. He didn’t know that I came from a wealthy family, one I had distanced myself from to live a normal life.
When I met Jayden, I thought I’d found a man with ambition, someone I could support without relying on my family’s wealth. I thought he loved me for who I was, not what I could offer him.
But now, I saw the truth. He had used me, just like he was using Scarlet’s tragedy to justify his betrayal.
I nodded absently, watching as he left the room, muttering something about calling a meeting.
The moment he was gone, I reached for my phone. My fingers trembled as I dialed a number I hadn’t called in months.
“Miss Lilian,” a familiar voice answered on the other end.
“It’s time,” I said, my voice cold and steady. “Start pulling the investors. Slowly, but surely. Make sure they withdraw their money from Jayden’s company.”
“Understood,” the staff member replied.
