Chapter 2

The bill for the dress showed up at my door the very next day.

The string of zeros on the bill kept me staring out the grimy window of my cramped dorm room for a full ten minutes.

Then I folded it neatly and tucked it into the bottom drawer. It sat on top of a stack of similar slips. Some were for breaking one of Olivia's collector pieces. Some for "losing" her limited-edition silk scarf. Others were from guests complaining about my "poor service."

Added together, it was enough to buy a closet-sized apartment in this city.

But Jonathan would never actually let me go broke. He needed me alive and needed me to keep playing the grateful, helpless girl who couldn't survive without him.

Every time he docked my pay, his assistant would "accidentally" send a little extra for my living expenses, just enough to keep me from sinking, and to keep up the act that he was some kind of "benevolent" savior.

My phone buzzed with a text from Jonathan. It was short and direct.

Jonathan: [Family dinner tonight, 7 PM, Reed Manor. Dress nicely.]

Family dinner was a monthly tradition for the Reed family.

I had to show up, take my place at the very end of the table, and stay invisible. Olivia was always there. The Reeds didn't care for her background, but since Jonathan liked her so much, they just tolerated her.

Grace: [Okay.]

I opened my closet. There were only a few clothes inside, all simple, nothing fancy. I picked out a cream knit dress, which was modest and barely noticeable.

Then I took off my usual heavy black-rimmed glasses and traded them for thin gold frames. Behind the lenses, my eyes looked sharper now, with a cold glint that was hard to read.

The woman in the mirror was still pale and slender, but something had shifted, like a surface wiped clean in one corner, revealing a colder edge beneath.

Reed Manor was an old manor that had been meticulously maintained, exuding the kind of vintage elegance and distance only a family with history could pull off.

When I arrived, the living room was already full, with Jonathan's parents, relatives, and a handful of cousins. Olivia sat close beside him, holding a glass of sangria, smiling sweetly, her eyes bright with amusement.

My arrival passed like a minor interruption, drawing only a few indifferent, faintly disgusted glances. Catherine Reed, Jonathan's mother, gave a perfunctory nod. "You're here. Sit."

I quietly made my way to the single sofa in the farthest corner, sat down with my back straight, hands folded neatly on my knees, eyes lowered, focusing inward.

The conversation soon shifted to me. One of Jonathan's older female cousins, sipping her juice, smiled and said, "Grace, you're still working at the hotel? I heard you're doing pretty well. Serving at upscale banquets now, huh?"

The sarcasm in her words was obvious to everyone in the room.

Olivia jumped in immediately, her voice all sweetness and innocence. "Yeah, Grace is super capable. At the last Waldorf Astoria party, she managed an entire section by herself. Though... there was a little mishap."

She stuck out her tongue, her gaze clinging to Jonathan, full of dependence. "But Jonathan handled everything for me."

Jonathan was leaning back in his chair, idly turning his glass in his hand. He didn't even look up and just gave a nonchalant "mm." His movements stayed slow and steady.

"If you ask me, Grace should really start thinking about her future," Catherine said, setting down her glass. Her voice was calm, but left no room for argument.

"Waitressing isn't a real future. Jonathan, isn't your company short an administrative assistant? Let Grace try it out. At least it's a decent job."

I sneered inwardly at the title "administrative assistant." It was really just Olivia's personal runner, and an easy way for the Reed family to keep me under their thumb.

Jonathan leaned toward Olivia and said something under his breath that made her smile. Only then did he look up at me, his gaze cold, sizing me up like I was just another piece of merchandise.

"My mom's right. Report to HR next Monday," he said, not a suggestion, just an order.

I looked up, meeting his eyes with that same obedient expression. "Thank you, Mr. Reed. I'll do my best."

"Mm," Jonathan said, satisfied with how sensible I was. He settled back into the sofa, his arm resting easily around Olivia's shoulders.

Olivia leaned into him, giving me a triumphant smile tinged with pity.

The family dinner began under a thin veneer of harmony. I ate in silence, the food tasting like cardboard.

But I caught every word. They talked about Reed Corporation's latest tech acquisition, the land deal in the eastern district, and a competitor's recent moves. I filed it all away, each piece falling into place for later use.

After dinner, everyone moved to the smaller sitting room for coffee. I got up, ready to help clear the table in the kitchen, but Catherine stopped me. "Grace, come here," she said.

I walked over. Catherine looked me up and down, her gaze so sharp that it felt like she could see right through me. After a moment, she finally spoke, her voice low, meant only for me.

"I know exactly what's going on in your head. Don't even think about stepping out of line," she said.

"Jonathan's already done more for you than anyone else would. Olivia is the one meant for him. If you stay in your lane, the Reed family will make sure you're taken care of. But if you don't..."

She didn't finish, but the threat was plain as day.

I cast my gaze down, watching my blurred shadow reflected in the polished marble floor. "I understand, Mrs. Reed," I said, my voice soft but steady. "Everything I have comes from the Reed family. I wouldn't forget that."

Catherine seemed satisfied and waved me away.

As I turned away, the obedient smile faded. Behind my glasses, my eyes were cold and unreadable.

I would never forget what Jonathan had done to me.

I would never forget what they did to my mother when she needed help the most, pushing her past the point of no return.

I would never forget how they took advantage of the chaos after my father's death and seized everything for themselves.

I would never forget how they got rid of me, the only heir, sending me off to an orphanage, only to come back later and pretend to be my saviors.

What the Reed family gave me was never a new life. It was ruin, exile, and ten years of being kept in line. And they still failed to put out what was left in me.

My nails dug deep into my palm again. That familiar pain kept me grounded and kept me awake. It was almost time to end this.