Chapter 5
Edward stood off to the side, his expression never changing.
But his female assistant behind him leafed through the folder she was holding and gave Edward a questioning look.
Edward gave a slight shake of his head.
The assistant closed the folder.
I didn't miss that little move.
I knew exactly what was in Edward's folder.
But tonight wasn't the time to lay all my cards on the table.
Tonight, all I needed was to plant a seed.
I turned to leave.
Grace stepped right in front of me, blocking my way.
"You think you can walk away?" Grace snapped. "Hold up. What makes you think Landon Group is standing because of you?
"Where's your proof? Show us?"
I stood there, watching her block my path. I didn't push her or try to go around.
"Grace, did you forget what you said earlier?" I asked.
She froze for a second.
"What did I say?" Grace asked.
"You said if someone came to pay for me, you'd bow to me in front of everyone," I said.
Her face went pale.
"I-I was just joking!" she stammered.
"Everyone in this room heard you," I said.
My voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear me loud and clear.
"If you don't want to own up to it, I'm not gonna force you," I said. "But from now on, when you go out, make sure to tell everyone that nothing you say counts for anything."
All eyes in the room turned to Grace.
A few people started whispering among themselves.
"She really did say that."
"That sure is embarrassing."
"She's embarrassing Mr. Landon too."
Grace was on the verge of tears, clutching Andrew's hand.
"Andrew, I only said those things because I was trying to defend you. Please, help me," she begged.
Andrew's face was incredibly dark.
He was caught between a rock and a hard place.
If he helped Grace, it would mean publicly admitting her words didn't count, and that would embarrass him in front of everyone.
But if he didn't help her, Grace would be humiliated in front of the whole crowd.
He glanced at me, then at Edward.
Finally, he spoke up.
"Charlotte, that's enough," he said. "You seriously believe what she said when she was upset? Let it go. Don't make a fuss."
I didn't say a word, just stood there, staring at him.
Did he really think those three words, "let it go" would be enough to end this?
Edward cleared his throat softly.
"Ms. Summers, it's getting late. The car is waiting for you outside," he said.
His tone was respectful, like he was waiting for my instructions.
He wasn't rushing me, just waiting for me to decide.
I gave Grace one last look.
I said, "My person showed up, paid up, but you won't stand by your word. That's your choice, I won't push it.
"But mark my words: you might think you won tonight in this place. Truth is, I haven't even begun."
I turned and walked toward the door.
Grace shrieked after me, "Charlotte, don't forget you're just a useless nobody who can't live without a man.
"You're nothing without the Landon family."
I didn't look back.
Edward followed behind me, pausing at the door.
He turned and gave Andrew a meaningful look.
His voice was soft.
"Mr. Landon," he said. "The Reyes family won't be coming back a second time."
With that, he turned and walked out.
Everyone in the room was left staring at each other.
"The Reyes family?"
"Which Reyes family?"
"Did he say the Reyes family?"
Andrew's wine glass shattered in his hand.
*****
Edward's car was a black stretch limousine, bearing Southshore plates.
After I got in, Edward didn't join me in the back; instead, he sat up front in the passenger seat.
Edward's assistant handed me a towel and a fresh coat.
"Ms. Summers, Mr. Reyes asked me to check if you'd like your uncle to be informed about what happened tonight," she said.
"Not yet," I replied.
I wiped the wine off my face, keeping my voice calm.
"If Dad hears about this, Andrew's troubles tomorrow will be a lot worse than going bankrupt," I said.
The assistant glanced at Edward.
Edward nodded, saying nothing.
The car pulled away from The Crest Club.
From the rearview mirror, I saw a few people lingering at the club entrance, staring in our direction.
They were probably checking out the license plate.
I knew they wouldn't find anything. The car was under the name of one of the Reyes Group's shell companies. Good luck tracing it back to the Reyes family without jumping through three hoops first.
But Edward's parting words said it all. "The Reyes family won't be coming back a second time."
That single sentence would be enough to keep Andrew awake all night.
The Reyes family of Southshore.
If he was smart, he'd have figured out by now how many Reyes families in Southshore was that powerful.
If he checked, he'd realize there was only one.
That family owned the Reyes Group, and was the biggest name among Southshore's four major families.
Their empire spanned real estate, finance, pharmaceuticals, and logistics.
Over the past three years, Landon Group in Harbor City managed to land a bunch of projects, but most of the key resources behind those deals were actually in the Reyes Group's hands.
My full name was Charlotte Summers.
But my mother was Evaline Reyes.
She was the only sister of Richard Reyes, the current head of the Reyes family.
I was the true heir of the Reyes family in my generation, their direct bloodline.
When I married into the Landon family, I had just started using my father's last name, Summers, after my mother passed away.
Less than ten people in the entire Reyes family even knew I'd married into the Landon family in Harbor City.
Edward was one of them.
He was the Reyes family's chief steward, and he'd been with my uncle for over thirty years, even granted the honor of the same last name.
When I called him, he showed up within twenty minutes.
He was already in Harbor City, so it didn't take him long.
After I married into the Landon family three years ago, Richard was worried about me, so he had Edward stay in Harbor City. But he told Edward not to contact me unless I reached out first.
Tonight was the first time in three years I'd done so.
About ten minutes into the drive, Edward finally turned around from the front seat.
"Ms. Summers, there's something I don't know if I should say," he said.
"Go ahead," I replied.
"Mr. Richard Reyes has been waiting for you to come home for three years.
"The Reyes Group is huge now. It needs someone to run the show.
"You're the only child of Mr. Reyes's sister, and everyone knows you're the one meant to inherit the family.
"If you want to come back, Mr. Reyes is ready to hand you over the entire Reyes Group."
I leaned back in my seat, watching the streetlights blur past outside the window.
Three years ago, I chose Andrew.
I thought he was worth giving up everything I had in Southshore.
Tonight, I was pinned to a table, soaked in red wine, and nearly had my clothes torn off in front of everyone.
And the person behind it all was my own husband.
Were these three years really worth it?
"Edward," I said.
"Yes, Ms. Summers?" he replied.
"Can you arrange something for me tomorrow?"
"Just say the word."
"Go over every project Landon Group worked on in the last three years. If Reyes Group was involved upstream, re-evaluate all of them."
Edward's mouth quirked just a bit.
"You mean..." he asked.
"I want Andrew to realize what the Landon Group is really worth without me in the picture," I replied.
Edward straightened up.
"Understood," he said.
Just then, my phone buzzed.
It was the new phone Edward had given me, and there was only one number saved in the contacts.
But the message was from a number I didn't recognize.
It read: [Charlotte, text us when you arrive so we know you're safe. Your mentor says the welcome dinner is ready.]
The sender was Julian Reyes.
He was the Reyes family's eldest grandson, my uncle's only son, and my cousin.
He was also the face of the Reyes Group in Southshore.
He sent me that message.
That meant my uncle already knew what happened tonight.
Did Edward not tell him? Of course he did.
When Edward asked me if I wanted to inform Richard, he was going through the motions.
Anyone who needed to know was already informed the moment he stepped out the door with that suitcase.
I stared at the message, but didn't reply.
I still hadn't made up my mind about going back to Southshore.
But there was one thing I was certain of.
This so-called "anniversary" Andrew gave me tonight, I was going to return it to him the way he handed it to me.
With interest, of course.