Almost on instinct, Leland immediately got up and moved away from me.
He pretended to be annoyed. “Seriously? Such a hassle.”
He turned to me, saying, “Babe, wait here. I’ll deal with it and come back to keep you company.”
I didn’t say anything, but I clearly heard it—the moment he stepped out of the room, he was already impatiently tangled up with Shanna.
My mind went blank. I grabbed a pillow and pressed it hard over my ears, refusing to listen anymore.
In the end, Leland still broke his promise. He didn’t come back, not even when the sun came up.
I wiped away those pathetic tears at the corners of my eyes and swore to myself that this would be the last time I ever cried because of him.
Pressing the emerald bracelet my mom left me before she died against my chest, I finally drifted off to sleep.
I had no idea what time it was the next day when a sudden bark jolted me awake.
I shot up in bed, and my vision filled with the sight of a Caucasian Shepherd. My eyes widened in horror, and I screamed at the top of my lungs.
I’d always been terrified of dogs, and once Leland found out, he’d told the servants to be extra careful.
Over the years in this villa, not only were there no dogs. I had not seen even a strand of dog fur.
Now, the dog in front of me was nearly half my height, glaring at me with vicious eyes, letting out a low growl.
My hands and feet turned cold. I didn’t even dare breathe.
In my panic, I suddenly noticed—the bracelet was gone from my wrist.
I scanned the room. That’s when I saw it—the dog had it clamped tightly between its teeth!
Just then, someone blew a whistle outside the door. The dog dashed out immediately, still carrying the bracelet.
My fingers went white from clenching so hard. My legs trembled uncontrollably.
But the bracelet was the only keepsake Mom left me. Gritting my teeth, I ran after it.
The moment I reached the stairway, I saw the dog already rubbing affectionately against Shanna, tail wagging wildly.
Shanna bent down slowly and pulled the bracelet out from the dog’s mouth using just two fingers, like she was picking up something dirty off the ground.
“Silly Hawkeye, why do you keep picking up trash?”
She lifted her gaze toward the stairway, landing precisely on me. A mocking smile tugged at her lips.
“Cheap junk like this actually made it into the LaVeaus? Don’t you think it lowers the standard here?”
Before her words even finished, she flicked her wrist sharply.
With a crisp crack, the emerald bracelet shattered instantly into countless tiny pieces—not even a single intact gemstone left.
My heart skipped a beat. My eyes locked on Shanna, the fear from moments ago evaporating under a rush of fury and heartbreak.
I yelled at her, “That was my mom’s! How dare you break it?!”
Contempt filled her eyes. “Well, this is the LaVeaus’s place. I can break whatever I want. If you’re so upset, go call Leland. Let’s see whose side he takes.”
I completely lost it. I lunged at her like a madwoman, pinned her to the floor, and slapped her across the face several times.
“Give me back my mom’s bracelet!”
I kept shouting the same thing over and over. I was so far gone that I didn’t even notice the big dog rushing in and tearing into my calf.
It wasn’t until a brute force suddenly yanked me by the hair and violently threw me backward that I snapped out of it.
