“Mom, last night you were too hasty,” Mark explained calmly. “June has over ten million tied up in investments that haven’t matured yet. That’s all her premarital assets. I can’t afford to blow things up right now. Plus, she owns a good chunk of the company’s shares. She’s always checking the finances, so I must be careful about how I move the money.”

Faye let out a disappointed sigh, her voice brimming with frustration. “So all these years of your youth were wasted on that worthless girl, June Rand?”

“That’s exactly why we can’t rush into it,” Mark said, letting out a cold laugh. “No way am I letting her walk away with anything.”

“Are you sure she’s not onto you about the affair?” Faye asked, a hint of unease creeping into her voice.

“She’s naive. She’s never been in a real relationship before me. Easy to manipulate. She’ll be back today for sure. You just need to be patient. I can smooth things over tonight—she’ll never suspect a thing.”

Faye’s tone brightened. “That’s my son. I knew you wouldn’t let her get a dime out of you!”

Mark’s voice darkened as he reminisced. “When I started pursuing her, it was never about love. It was all about her family’s status and connections. But Shawn Rand—he was stubborn. He wouldn’t pick me as his PhD student. He chose Wesley instead, always putting him ahead of me. It made me sick! That inheritance I got? It’s what they owed me.”

Faye thrilled, “Once you get the money, we’ll buy houses for your sisters. And I want one too! I can’t wait to show off to everyone.”

Mark assured, promising, “Of course, Mom.”

“And, Mark,” she added, “make sure to arrange for Cissy to join us for dinner soon. She’s going to be part of the family before long. And you, work harder—I want a grandbaby from her sooner rather than later!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll see when Cissy’s free,” Mark replied, dismissively.

Cissy, that must be the mistress who showed up to flaunt her new status in front of me.

Faye giggled, delighted. “You keep things going with Cissy. Her family’s connections are better than that little tramp June. Marrying her will save you twenty, maybe thirty years of effort.”

At that moment, I heard the coat closet door close, and Faye reminded him to be careful as he left. I ducked into the corner near the elevator, hidden from view as I listened to the sound of Mark’s polished shoes tapping against the floor.

The window near the ventilation shaft was open, and I stood there, shivering in my thin nightgown, the cold seeping into my bones.

In just two minutes, my entire worldview had been shattered.

It felt like I’d fallen into a freezing abyss, the chill numbing me to my very core.

I stood there, unable to move, unable to fully grasp the reality of what I’d just overheard.

‘So… this is what Mark’s love at first sight has really been? All those romantic moments, the supposed instant connection? It was never real. He only pursued me because my father, Shawn Rand, was the esteemed Dean of the Business School and a respected PhD advisor. Being with me was like a shortcut to success.’

‘Too bad for him that my father was an honest and principled man. He would never have given Mark special treatment just because I was dating him. No wonder Mark resented Wesley so much.’

‘Ha!’ I thought, ‘Mark, you truly are a piece of garbage.’

Just moments before, I had planned to go back and have a civil conversation with Mark—after all, we had shared a life together. I thought we could part ways amicably.

But the truth was that Mark had been scheming all along, planning to take the inheritance my parents had left me! Every step of our relationship had been calculated.

And looking back, I realized how Mark had rushed to propose after my parents passed, saying he didn’t want me to feel lonely and that he wanted to be my family and take care of me for the rest of my life.

‘Ha! What he really wanted to take care of was my parents’ money. And the baby—our baby—was killed by them, deliberately.’

The thought was like a thousand knives stabbing into my heart. The pain was unbearable. ‘How could Mark do this? How could he be so heartless?’

‘It was his child, too. How could he murder his own baby? He was a monster. I was so blind.’

Suddenly, Wesley’s harsh words from the night before seemed like an understatement. He had been too kind.

‘I wasn’t just brainless—I was the biggest fool in the universe. How could I be so stupid? How could I let this happen?’

Then I thought, ‘June Rand, are you really going to stand by and let this scumbag walk away with everything your parents worked so hard to leave you? No. Absolutely not.’

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms, and made a silent vow.

There was no way I’d let Mark get away with this.

I would get my revenge.

And they would all pay for what they’d done.