Chapter 2
I felt a sudden pang in my chest and automatically checked my phone screen.
The screen was pitch black.
All I could hear was the voices coming from the other end.
Edward must've thought I'd already hung up.
My mom's smile faded, and she took a calm sip of her coffee.
The voices kept coming through the phone.
"You think someone like you deserves to sit in Edward's lap?"
"Even the Turner Family's heiress, who's gone bankrupt, wouldn't dare get that close to him. Who do you think you are?"
"Yeah, Edward only lets Sophie sit in his lap. That spot's hers and hers alone."
I clenched my fists, my heart feeling heavy and suffocated.
Just as I was about to hang up, my mom snatched the phone from me.
She set it down on the table.
"Listen," she said.
Edward's familiar voice came through the speaker.
"Now that the Turner Family's gone under, I can finally make things official with Sophie."
His friends burst out laughing.
"Charlotte's not good enough for Edward. If she didn't have that fancy family name, who would want to marry such a spoiled, pretentious princess?"
"Sophie's independent and tough. Isn't that exactly Edward's type?"
"Even a family that big can go bankrupt? The world's really changing. Edward, guess we'll be relying on you from now on."
Those harsh voices kept ringing in my ears, each word like a knife twisting in my chest.
My eyes stung, tears ready to fall.
I ducked my head so my mom wouldn't see how messed up I looked.
I'd always proudly believed Edward wasn't someone like that.
When the Brooks Family went under, I was ready to drain all my cards just to bail them out.
But reality smacked me right across the face.
That slap hurt like hell.