Brad brought me back to the Landon family estate.
“Wendy, look,” he said, his voice light, almost eager. This is the room I prepared for you.”
The room was luxurious, almost ostentatious. Even the curtains would cost thousands. The Persian carpet that covered the floor–something I had seen in an online auction once–was worth tens of thousands.
Brad’s eyes sparkled as he stared at me. “Do you like it? All of this is yours.”
He took my hand. “Wendy, as long as you come back to me, the entire Landon family is yours.”
A lump formed in my throat, stuck somewhere between rising and falling.
“Brad,” I said, my voice tinged with bitterness, “why don’t you understand? When I loved you, I would have stayed by your side even if you had nothing. When I don’t love you, even if you possess endless wealth, I still won’t.”
“Money,” I added quietly, “has never been omnipotent.”
Brad’s face turned ashen, like someone had stolen half the life out of him in a single breath.
After that day, we started going out together every day. It was deliberate, a show for Dennis and Kathy’s people. They believed I was dutifully fulfilling the task they had given me.
When the agreed time came, I handed over the fabricated documents they wanted.
As a result, at the bidding meeting for urban construction–crucial for a family’s advancement–the Landon family won effortlessly. The Pots family, having staked nearly everything, collapsed entirely.
Dennis, having secretly set up gambling pools, had inadvertently triggered the downfall. The losses suffered by certain underworld figures were devastating. Soon after the bidding meeting, he disappeared without a trace.
The day I parted ways with Brad, it was raining heavily, just like the day I laid everything bare with him.
He knelt on the ground, his voice trembling as he begged, “Wendy, I’ve never begged anyone in my life. But now, I’m begging you. Please don’t leave me. I can’t lose you.”
I shook off his hand, my voice cold. “Brad, can you bring my grandma back to me?”
With just that one question, he broke down, sobbing like a child.
“I’m sorry,” he choked. “I thought… I thought the hospital would perform the surgery even without the money.”
Tears slid down my cheeks. So it was this a reason so absurd it bordered on cruel.
“Brad,” I shouted, my voice shaking, “you were born into privilege. You’ve always had a family doctor. Even if you go to the hospital, no one dares ask you for money. But do you think everyone is like you? How naïve! How blind!”
Even if there hadn’t been so many misunderstandings between us, we were destined to fail. The chasm
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Chapter 8
of our upbringing, our views on money–these things ensured that, sooner or later, our paths would diverge.
As I left, Kathy appeared, throwing herself into Brad’s arms, crying. Strangely, this time, he didn’t push her away.
Later, I received a call from my mother. Her voice dripped with condescension.
“Kathy is marrying Brad,” she said. “Make sure you stay away and don’t come back to seduce your brother–in–law.”
I hung up, blocked her number, and turned away.
Behind me, Cameron slipped an arm around my waist.
