Chapter 3
I pressed the check into Lily's trembling hand, keeping my voice sickeningly sweet.
"Two million dollars. The PIN is six zeros. Take it. Start a business, or buy a house. Whatever.
"Just stay out of my life, and tell your mother her services are no longer required at our home. You might not be embarrassed by this situation, but frankly, I'm tired of that."
Lily's fingers were shaking as the check was pressed into her hand, like it was burning her fingers.
"I... I can't take this! It was never about the money!" she stammered.
"I know it's not about the money. It's about love," I said with an understanding nod. "But love doesn't pay the bills. Consider it my wedding gift to you and Andrew. After all, I had a front-row seat to your great love story."
I finished and turned my gaze to Andrew.
"What's the matter? Is your 'true love' only worth two million dollars? Or were you hoping I'd offer more?"
Andrew was so furious that he was speechless, and his handsome face flushed a deep red.
He had probably never been so thoroughly humiliated in his entire life.
To have his grand romance quantified in dollars and cents was the ultimate insult.
And that was exactly what I wanted.
Emotional appeals were wasted on people who were merely playing out a script.
So I decided to communicate in the only universal language they would understand: money.
It was clean and final. And it worked.
With Andrew and Lily gone, the hospital room was finally quiet, a blessed silence.
Levi, on the other hand, looked like he was about to have a stroke. He collapsed onto the sofa, clutching his chest and gasping for air.
Alice was pacing, wringing her hands. "It's over. It's all over. The Grant family must pull their funding."
I had had enough. So I pressed the nurse's call button.
A moment later, a nurse hurried in.
"Yes, Ms. Quinn? Is everything alright?"
"Could you please ask my family to leave?" I said. "I require absolute quiet."
The nurse glanced uncertainly at my parents.
Levi pointed a trembling finger at me, speechless with rage. Finally, he threw his hands up in defeat and stormed out of the room.
Alice shot me a glare before following him.
The world was finally peaceful.
I sank back into the pillows and let out a long sigh.
Linda handed me a glass of warm water.
"Ms. Quinn..." she began, her voice trailing off.
"Linda, how long have you been with me?" I asked.
"Almost ten years now," she answered.
"Then tell me, do you think I did the right thing today?" I asked.
She was silent for a moment and replied, "Whatever you do is the right thing, Ms. Quinn. But dealing with the Grant family might get complicated."
"What's so complicated?" I said and took a sip of water. "That Southside project? You think Quinn Group can't handle it without them?"
"Not at all," she replied with concern. "It's just that the initial investment was substantial. If the Grant family pulls out now, our cash flow will be under serious strain."
"Strain?" I snorted. "What's the one thing the Quinn family has an endless supply of?"
Linda looked at me with a knowing glint in her eyes.
"Money," I stated. "Tell the finance department to be ready. Whatever amount the Grant family withdraws, we'll cover it ourselves.
"And I want you to leak a story: Charlotte Quinn is personally taking over the Southside project. We're open to new investors, and our profit-sharing will be one point higher than what the Grant family offered."
A smile spread across Linda's face. "I understand perfectly, Ms. Quinn."
"Good. Get it done," I said with a wave of my hand. "And get the discharge papers ready. While you're at it, order me the most extravagant seafood tower from Grandview Grill. I can't stand another bite of this hospital food."
"Right away, Ms. Quinn."
Linda was a miracle of efficiency.
Within the hour, I was sitting in the dining room of my private villa, staring down a mountain of lobster and oysters.
I had barely had a bite when my "best friend," Sophie Carter, burst in.
She came in all loud and dramatic.
"Charlotte!" she screeched. "I heard you called off the engagement with Andrew! Is it true? Have you completely lost your mind?"
Sophie was the classic frenemy in this whole scripted mess, always pretending to have my back while secretly feeding information to Lily and waiting for me to fail.
I used to be blind to it, but now, the word "fake" was practically tattooed on her forehead.
"News travels fast," I said without looking up, focusing on my lobster.
She collapsed into the chair opposite me, wearing a mask of theatrical grief. "How could you be so impulsive? Over a housekeeper's daughter? Is she worth it?
"The entire social circle is buzzing! They're all saying Andrew dumped you. How are you ever going to show your face in public again?"
"Oh? Is that what they're saying?" I put down my fork and dabbed my lips with a napkin.
"Of course!" she leaned in, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I even heard that to make it up to Lily, Andrew gave her a two-million-dollar check on the spot! Can you believe he would humiliate you like that?"
I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
Her ability to twist the truth was truly a wasted talent. She should be writing screenplays.
"I gave her that check," I said calmly.
Her dramatic expression froze. "What?"
"I said the two million dollars was a severance package from me to Lily," I spelled it out, looking her directly in the eye. "They were an eyesore, so I paid them to disappear. Is there a problem?"
Her face flushed and went pale, back and forth.
She stammered, "Charlotte, y-you can't be serious."
"I'm perfectly serious," I said, rising from my chair. I walked over to her and looked down at her. "And I also know that you're the one who started that rumor."
Her eyes narrowed in panic, and she instinctively blurted out, "No! I would never! How could you think that of me?"
"My phone. I left it in your car two days ago, didn't I?" I reminded her. "You took it to a repair shop, claiming you needed to recover some 'accidentally deleted' chat logs. Unlucky for you, my family owns that shop."
The color drained completely from her face.
"I..."
"You what?" I cut her off and tapped her shoulder. "I treated you like a friend, and you played me for a fool. What did Andrew offer you? How much is he paying you to be his little spy?"
Her lips trembled, but no words came out.
"This is just pathetic," I sighed, pulling my hand back.