Cecilia’s pov
Friday afternoon found booking a flight to Iceland when Dora called again. Three days had passed since our last conversation.
I knew she had sothing to tell , though I hadn’t reached out.
"Hello, Mrs. Green," I answered coolly.
"We need to et to add to our agreent," she said without preamble.
"Your lawyer can handle that with mine."
"Cecilia," her voice hardened, "you’ve already bumped up the settlent from ten million to fifty million. The least you could do is sign this addition in person. I’m waiting at Amanson Hotel—it’s discreet, pretty quiet."
Amanson Hotel?
I recalled Liam’s ssage. Sebastian was also eting soone at Amanson today.
[What are the odds!] A glimr of light flashed in my eyes.
When she noticed my silence, Dora cleared her throat. "Seven o’clock tonight. If you don’t show, we’ll stick with the original hundred million settlent."
She hung up without waiting for my response.
I held my phone, staring at the screen thoughtfully. Harper’s warning echoed in my mind... Was she really cooking sothing up with just two days left?
My relationship with Dora had always been ice-cold. From the very beginning, she looked down her nose at my family, tried to sabotage my relationship with Xavier, and kept out of the Blood Moon Pack estate throughout our entire marriage. At every holiday dinner, she greeted with nothing but icy remarks and barely concealed disgust.
Beyond that, she hadn’t done anything else particularly offensive.
This eting was likely just another opportunity for her to push around. By this point, she should have been daydreaming about how to announce the Blood Moon-Shadow Pack rger in a high-profile way. I was still debating whether to go. If I dug in my heels and refused, there wasn’t much Dora could do.
However, an hour later, Liam sent another text: "Cecilia, have you made a decision?"
I pressed my lips together. He was actually checking in now?
If it weren’t so rude, I would have just handed the suit to the building manager for delivery—Sebastian did live right upstairs from , after all.
After so consideration, I figured it wasn’t smart to ignore him again. It wouldn’t do any good to get on Sebastian’s bad side. Might as well go kill two birds with one stone and et Dora while I’m at it.
So I replied to Liam: "That works. What ti would be convenient?"
His response ca quickly: "Eight o’clock."
I applied light makeup, changed clothes, and drove to my parents’ house first.
A few days ago, when Xavier confronted at the entrance to my apartnt complex, I realized I was being followed. My suspicions only grew stronger when I noticed a suspicious car parked outside my building these past few days.
I hadn’t been on the road long when Xavier called. "Just woke up?" he asked.
Ha. Trying to catch in a lie.
I mischievously honked my horn, making Xavier wince and pull the phone away from his ear.
"I’m driving to my parents’ place," I said.
"Going to drop off that suit?"
"...Yes, that’s right."
Seeing I wasn’t lying, Xavier ended the call, but instructed his tail to continue following to my parents’ house.
...
When I arrived at my parents’ ho, my father wasn’t there.
My mother, Esther—a senior scholar of werewolf culture—glanced up from her notes, surprised to see at this hour.
"No work today?" she asked, setting aside her glasses.
"Called in sick. Caught a slight cold," I said, touching my throat and giving a few fake coughs for effect.
She frowned and stepped closer, brushing her fingers gently over my cheek.
"You’re not taking care of yourself. Look how skinny you’ve gotten."
Then, after a pause, she asked quietly, "Is Xavier treating you well?"
A mother’s intuition. No matter how carefully I masked it, she could feel the cracks.
"If he doesn’t treat well, I’ll leave him," I replied lightly, forcing a smile.
But she didn’t smile back.
Her silence lingered longer than I expected.
Eventually, I changed the subject. Asked about her research. Let her talk about the new werewolf students in her seminar. I nodded, smiled, said just enough.
I wouldn’t tell them yet.
No point telling them now.
Not yet.
Not until the divorce was final.
Why make them worry before they had to.
After dinner, I went to my old room and changed clothes.
I told my mother I was eting a friend and would be back later that evening.
She didn’t ask who.
She just watched for a mont, then nodded.
...
In the elevator, I put on a hat and mask, successfully giving my tail the slip as I left the complex.
I arrived at Amanson Hotel shortly before seven.
The exterior was traditionally elegant, while the interior scread understated luxury.
I went to et Dora first.
Walking in, I spotted a Green family driver who greeted respectfully before leading through a maze of corridors, eventually stopping in front of a door which he opened for .
I entered a tea room filled with the intermingled scents of tea and jasmine incense.
Dora sat there wearing a dark red silk dress with a golden sheen, showing off wealth and status.
"Sit," she commanded with a slight lift of her chin.
"I thought this was about a settlent agreent? Where is it?" I got straight to the point, uninterested in her fancy act.
"What’s the hurry? Have so tea first. Let’s take our ti."
I raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
Looking at the tea in front of , I picked up the cup and examined it carefully. "You didn’t poison this, did you?"
Dora scoffed. "If you’re paranoid about poison, don’t drink it."
I set the cup down and pushed it away. "Better safe than sorry."
Dora rolled her eyes, about to launch into a familiar insult. "That’s what happens when you co from such humble beginnings—"
"Spare the sa old lecture. Aren’t you tired of it? If we’re here for business, let’s get to it without the bullshit," I interrupted sharply.
Her face went white with anger.
She took out a compensation agreent and slid it across the table to . "Sign it."
I picked it up and read through it page by page.
A simple compensation agreent should have taken one page, yet she’d created a docunt over ten pages long, filled with legal jargon.
Clearly designed to stop from reading it thoroughly.
After finishing, I set the contract down casually. "I need to run this by my lawyer. I’ll give you my answer by noon tomorrow."
"If you have any issues, just tell directly. I’ll make the changes."
"If I can ask for changes, why don’t I just write a new agreent myself?"
"No dice. It must be according to my terms." Dora’s face turned cold.
I leaned back casually. "You just said you would make changes. Now you’re saying it must be according to your terms. Which is it?"
Dora glared at . "It ans you have to sign this today before you leave."
I didn’t get angry.
Acting like I was reconsidering, I said, "I’ll step outside to call my lawyer. If she says it’s all good, I’ll sign imdiately."
I stood up and walked out with the contract.
Once outside, I quickly walked away without a backward glance.
An uneasy feeling grew in my chest. Those clauses buried among a dozen pages had made my skin crawl as I read them. One clause in particular stood out: "If the divorcing party engages in improper relations with another man before the divorce, the contract will automatically beco void."
At first glance, it seed harmless enough. But thinking about it more, it was terrifying...
I hadn’t had any improper relations with another man, but such things could easily be made up.
I had seriously underestimated Dora’s ruthlessness.
Author
Dora waited until the door clicked shut behind Cecilia before reaching for her phone. Her polished nails tapped against the screen, her lips curling as the call connected.
"She’s left with the agreent." Her voice was smooth, but beneath it ran a current of satisfaction. "Cici, can you really help get out of paying this divorce settlent?"
On the other end, Cici’s laughter was light, almost playful. "Don’t worry, Auntie. I’ve set everything up. I guarantee the Green family won’t spend a di, and she’ll never dare try to shake you down again."
Dora exhaled, the tension draining from her shoulders. "That’s wonderful, Cici. You’re incredible. It’s all in your hands now."
"Consider it done, Auntie."
The call ended, and Dora leaned back in her chair, lifting her teacup to her lips. The steam curled around her face, but her smile was sharp, unbothered. Tomorrow night’s charity gala would be perfect—no more loose ends, no more Cecilia to ss up the grand announcent of the Green-White alliance.
And as for whatever Cici had planned?
Let Cecilia get what’s coming to her.
...
Across the city, Cici lowered her phone.
Her reflection smirked back at her from the darkened screen.
The quiet hum of the city barely touched her.
Tonight would be Cecilia’s end.
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