I made a call to the residential security and turned to head upstairs.
As she was being escorted out, Kinsley took the chance to swipe two bottles of beer from my table, still cursing all the way to the door.
I sat alone in my room for a long time, turning everything over in my head, before finally deciding to call my parents, who were away on a business trip in another province.
The next morning, when I woke up, I saw a message from my brother.
He apologized, saying he’d been too harsh the day before. He claimed Kinsley had spouted all that nonsense because she’d had too much to drink and that she felt terrible once she sobered up.
To show her sincerity, he said, she had specially booked a dinner table to apologize in person.
I didn’t want to go at first. But my brother blew up my phone with over a hundred calls, so many that I couldn’t even focus on work.
In the end, I gave in.
But when I opened the door to the private room at the restaurant that evening, I froze.
Not only were my brother and Kinsley there, but also her mother and that scummy younger brother of hers.
Before I could say a word, her mother, Cassandra Granger, strutted over and smacked me twice, hard, right on the butt, then began circling me with a face full of disdain.
“Kinsley, this girl’s butt is so flat, she’ll have a hard time giving birth to a son. If she were from our village, she’d be married off to some blind cripple if anyone took her at all.”
Her younger brother, Bailey Granger, gave my chest a lecherous once-over, rubbed his chin, and chuckled.
“She’s a bit thin, but not bad. Got some curves. I guess I’ll reluctantly agree to marry her.”
Cassandra shot him a disapproving glare.
“Marry? What marry? Bring her home first. Once she gives birth to a boy, then you can get the certificate. What if she turns out to be a hen that can’t lay eggs? Our family’s not taking that loss.”
Kinsley glanced at me like she was doing me a huge favor and said in a sickeningly generous tone, “Did you bring the property deed? My brother made time today just for you. Go ahead and transfer the villa to him. If he’s satisfied, he’ll take you home tonight.”
When rage reached its peak, laughter was the only thing left.
And today, I finally understood what it meant to be shameless beyond redemption.
I swept my gaze across every one of their faces, then locked eyes on my brother, who stood there with his head bowed like a guilty child.
“Maxwell, you’re just going to stand there and let this happen?”
He stepped over hurriedly and tried to pull me aside, lowering his voice like we were co-conspirators.
“Adeline, your sister-in-law is pregnant. She can’t be upset. Just go along with her for now. Keep the peace.”
I stared at him, stunned.
“Your own sister is about to be handed over like some object, and you’re telling me to humor her?”
He looked away, unable to meet my eyes. “You’ll get married eventually. What does it matter who it is? Marrying Bailey, it’ll strengthen family ties.”
I was trembling, my blood boiling, my chest tight, and my breath shallow.
And just as I tried to calm myself, Cassandra suddenly lunged forward, yanked my bag out of my hand, and dumped its contents onto the table.
She snatched up my wallet and tore it open, and the moment she saw that stack of red bills, her eyes sparkled with unrestrained greed.
She stuffed the entire wad of cash into her pocket, then pulled out my bank cards one by one, grumbling with a sneer, “Didn’t you say you made good money? This is it?”
“Let me tell you, women in our Granger family aren’t allowed to keep money. Try hiding a stash, and we’ll slice your tendons clean.”
Bailey stood up with a wicked grin. “Mom, she probably tucked some away on her body. I’ll do a thorough search. I won’t miss a single cent.”
My fury exploded.
As he came near, I slammed a brutal kick straight into his groin.
He dropped to the floor, howling, curling up like a dying shrimp. I didn’t even spare him a glance as I grabbed Cassandra’s hand and yanked my bank cards back.
She stared at her now-empty hands, then at her son’s purpling face, her eyes nearly bulging out of her skull.
Then, out of nowhere, she let out a high-pitched wail and bolted out of the room, flinging herself down the hallway, kicking and screaming like she’d just lost her soul.
