Chapter 3

Mollie looked even more suspicious, and no matter what I said, she insisted on watching me pack.

Whatever, let her do as she pleases.

I went back to the bedroom and dragged a suitcase out from under the bed.

My laptop, account book, and all the permits and licenses for my food stall business—this was everything I owned to keep myself afloat.

But just as I was about to head out with my suitcase, Mollie raised her hand and blocked my path.

She flashed a professional smile, but her voice was dripping with glee at my misfortune.

"Sorry, Ms. Harvey, you can't take any of this with you," she said.

I was confused.

I hadn't taken a single thing that belonged to Bentley. To avoid any trouble, I hadn't even finished packing my own belongings.

After all, the most important things were all on my laptop.

Bentley's company was able to go public because of the Linvault System I painstakingly developed for him, with the source code stored on my laptop.

As long as I still had my laptop, I still had a shot at turning things around and making Bentley pay for what he'd done.

But no one else knew about any of this. So why was she stopping me?

She said, "Bentley said your laptop is a high-value item and considered joint property, so you can't just walk out with it.

"And your food stall and all these account records are classified assets and sensitive data tied to the Gordon Group's high-stakes project. You're not allowed to take those either."

I was instantly furious.

What the hell was Bentley trying to pull?

The laptop was my work tool. I paid for everything and handled all the bookkeeping myself. The food stall was my business from day one. He never lifted a finger to help.

Was he really trying to wipe me out completely?

I snorted coldly.

"What, the Gordon Group's golden boy is so desperate he wants to take even my pocket change? Is he already picturing his pathetic future, getting ready to run a food stall like me?" I sneered.

Mollie stayed totally unfazed by my anger.

She just waved her phone and flashed a soft, almost mocking smile.

She said with a shrug, "Sorry, that's what Bentley said. I can't do anything about it. But if I were you, I'd just play along. If Bentley gets pissed, that 300 thousand dollars could vanish before you know it...

"And if you insist on taking these things, the Gordon Group can sue you for illegal possession."

I had zero patience for Mollie's empty threats, so I walked right past her and didn't even bother to look back. I just wanted to get out of there.

But just as I was passing her, Mollie suddenly rushed at me, making a grab for my suitcase.

I jumped, instinctively throwing up my hand to block her.

Mollie was knocked back like she'd been hit by a truck, stumbled, and slammed right into the corner. She let out a shriek and curled up on the floor, crying her eyes out.

Stephen shouted, "Mom! Mom! You're a bad woman! I'm telling Dad! You're in big trouble!"

I ignored Stephen's yelling.

Stunned for a second, I slammed the door shut behind me, shutting out all the chaos inside.

The bleak wind cut right through me, making me shiver uncontrollably.

I had no home anymore, not even a place to crash for the night.

I gave a self-deprecating chuckle, pulled out my phone to book a hotel just to get by for the night, but when I tried to pay, the screen flashed "Insufficient funds."

What the hell?

I was sure there were still a few hundred dollars in my account—money I'd saved up for Stephen's tutoring fees.

Just as I was still confused and trying to figure things out, my phone suddenly buzzed with an incoming call.

"Ms. Harvey, this is the Gordon Group's legal team. Because of your alleged assault and running off with company funds, Mr. Gordon is suing you. All your bank accounts and ID have been frozen. Just letting you know," the voice on the other end said.

I gritted my teeth, rage boiling inside me.

Bentley was cold-blooded.

Before I could even figure out what to do next, my phone buzzed again.

"Anastasia, just finish up whatever project you've got and shoot it over to Billie. HR will sort out your paycheck soon. And don't bother coming in tomorrow," the voice said.

I jolted, a chill running down my spine.

'What now?' I thought, my mind spinning.

I built this project from the ground up. It had been running for nine months, and we were right in the middle of a make-or-break phase. How could they just replace me out of the blue? And the manager was well aware of it...

"I know, I know. Anastasia, I'm really sorry, but my hands are tied," the manager said.

Before I could even get a word in, the call was already over.

All the noise faded away.

The world went dead silent.

My mind was a total blank.

"Candies!" As I stood there lost in thought, a street vendor's shout snapped me out of it.

Suddenly, inspiration struck. I had an idea.

I still had my food cart.

Even if my savings were wiped out, as long as I had my cooking skills, I could still earn some cash.

I'd made it through worse before. If I could just hang in there, there'd be plenty of chances to make Bentley pay for what he did.

That snack stand I used to run on the side? Now it was my saving grace, the only thing keeping me from drowning.

As I made my way to the food cart, I couldn't help but make light of my own misery.

Maybe going full-time as the egg pancake boss wasn't the worst thing ever. At least I would finally get to chill for once.