Chapter 3
I changed into a conservative dress to cover the marks on my neck and followed Saul to the study.
The study was filled with smoke.
Rodrick sat behind a mahogany desk, with a cigar between his fingers, his face grim.
When he saw me enter, he glanced up, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's.
"Sit," he said authoritatively.
I sat down, keeping my back ramrod straight.
"Do you know why I called you here?" Rodrick got straight to the point.
"No," I answered without hesitation.
He snorted and slid a document across the desk toward me.
"Take a look," he said.
I picked up the document. It was a share transfer agreement for the Turner Group.
Party A was Rodrick Turner.
Party B was Maya Hall.
It was for 5% of the Turner Group's shares.
My eyes widened in shock.
Five percent of the Turner Group was worth at least 3 billion dollars.
Why would he give me this?
"This is your wedding gift," Rodrick said slowly. "It's also my compensation to you.
"I know all about Martin and that Campbell girl. It hasn't been easy for you."
His voice betrayed no emotion but I knew for sure this wasn't some act of goodwill.
As expected, his next words made his intentions crystal clear.
Rodrick said, "From today onward, you're officially part of the Turner family.
"Your job is to secure your place and have children for Martin.
"As for Sandra..." He paused, his eyes growing steely. "The Turner family doesn't need a daughter-in-law who can't stay loyal and keeps messing around.
"Leave her to Martin. He'll take care of it."
My fingers clenched around the document.
So that was what this was about.
Rodrick had found out Sandra was seeing someone else and had lost all faith in her.
He wanted to use me to put an end to any hope Martin had for Sandra.
He was using shares to buy me off, and a child to keep me chained.
What a sleek move.
In my previous life, I bought into Roderick's grand promises and worked myself to the bone for the Turner family.
But this time, I wasn't about to do the same.
I lifted my head, met the way he was sizing me up, and gave him a slight smile.
I said, "Mr. Turner, what you're saying is, when I have Martin's child, I'll be the mother of the Turner family's rightful heir, is that right?"
Rodrick was caught off guard by my bluntness, but he quickly nodded in approval.
"You're a smart girl," he said.
"Very well." I stood up and pushed the document back across the desk. "I can't accept this."
Rodrick's face darkened immediately. "What do you mean?"
I lowered my eyes, tears threatening to spill, looking like I could break down any second.
"Mr. Turner, I love Martin," I whispered. "I didn't marry him for money, or for the Turner name.
"I just want to stay with him.
"If... if he really loves Miss Campbell, I... I'm willing to step aside and let them be together."
As I spoke, I squeezed out a few tears, letting them fall at just right down my cheeks. "All I ask is to stay in the Turner family, to watch him from a distance."
My "heartfelt" confession clearly pleased Rodrick.
The wariness and scrutiny in his eyes gradually melted into a touch of pity.
"Silly girl," he said.
He let out a sigh, his tone softening considerably. "Alright, hold onto the shares for now. Treat it as your allowance. No one in the Turner family will dare to mess with you ever again."
I took the document with "tearful gratitude," and bowed my head, masking the sarcasm in my gaze.
Allowance?
Rodrick, you'd soon find out how steep a price you'd pay for this "allowance."
As I left the study and reached the staircase, I nearly collided with Martin, who looked utterly exhausted.
He hadn't come home all night; his eyes were bloodshot, and his shirt was rumpled.
When he saw me, he paused for a moment, his eyes filled with mixed emotions.
"You..." He was about to say something, but his gaze zeroed in on the document I was holding. "What's that?"
He snatched the file from my hands, and after he saw what it was, his expression turned downright ugly.
"Did my dad give this to you?" he demanded.
Martin's voice dripped with suspicion and mockery. "Maya, you've really got some nerve.
"One minute you're making a fuss about divorcing me, the next you're buttering up my dad.
"So, now that my dad's got your back, you think you can do whatever you want?"
I stared at him like he was nothing more than a ridiculous clown.
"Martin, is that really all you see in me? That I'm only capable of such cheap tricks?" I asked.
"Isn't that exactly it?" he sneered. "Don't forget, you're only a substitute. Everything you have belongs to Sandra."