Chapter 2
Charles froze, as if he hadn't heard her clearly. He stood there, stunned. "What did you say?"
Rosalyn leaned against the dressing table, arms crossed, her gaze icy. She repeated, enunciating each word, "I said no. Not a single cent."
Charles was dumbfounded.
In his eyes, Rosalyn was nothing but a lovesick idiot, always hanging on his every word, never once questioning him.
And tonight, on their wedding night, he asked for 300 thousand, and she actually said no.
Charles's face fell, and he put on his best wounded look, pulling out his signature manipulation trick. "Rosalyn, what are you saying? We're married now. My brother is your family, too.
"He's getting married and needs a place to live. As his sister-in-law, isn't it your job to help him? Your family is loaded. 300 thousand is nothing to you.
"Why are you being so stingy? Do you care about the Jenkins family or me?"
In her previous life, Rosalyn would have panicked, apologized, and gone to her family for the money, but now, she found it ridiculous.
She stepped closer to Charles. The look in her eyes was so cold that Charles subconsciously stepped back.
She said, "Charles, let's be clear. We got married today. Harry's your brother, not my son. Why should my family pay for his marriage and his house?
"Your parents raised him for over twenty years. It's their job to get him a wife, not mine, as someone who joined the family today.
"And my parents earned every dollar through hard work. It didn't just fall out of thin air. It has nothing to do with the Jenkins family."
"You want my family to pay for your brother's house, huh? Fine." Rosalyn shifted her tone with a sarcastic smile. "Have Harry write an IOU, charge him the highest bank interest rate, and pay it back within ten years.
"And the house goes under my name. When he pays it off, that's when he gets the house. What do you think?"
Charles was shut down by her comeback, his face flushing red as he couldn't get a word out for a long time.
He'd never seen Rosalyn act like this before.
The Rosalyn he remembered was always gentle, never raising her voice, but now she was sharp and direct, leaving him with no room to fight back. The cold look in her eyes made him uncomfortable.
"Rosalyn, what's wrong with you?" Charles shouted, his voice trembling with frustration.
"What do you think?" Rosalyn sneered. "I simply don't want to be taken advantage of anymore. Charles, if Harry wants a wife, he should work hard for that goal. Stop leeching off my family. It's pathetic."
At that moment, Lauren's voice screeched from the hallway. She had clearly been listening for a while and could no longer hold back.
She burst through the door, pointing her finger in Rosalyn's face. "Bitch, you just married into the Jenkins family, and you're already trying to drive a wedge between my boys. And how dare you call my son pathetic?
"Is this how your parents taught you to treat your in-laws? That's rude."
There she was, the wicked mother-in-law who'd tormented Rosalyn for three years in her previous life.
As Rosalyn stared at Lauren's nasty face, memories from her previous life flooded her mind, when she had been slapped, forced to bow, and degraded as a worthless woman who could not have children.
Her eyes instantly turned cold.
She thought, 'Time to settle the debts from my previous life.'
Lauren stood in the middle of the bedroom, hands on her hips, spitting as she ranted. Her insults grew harsher and harsher as she pointed at Rosalyn's face.
She yelled, "You're part of the Jenkins family now. We only asked you to spend 300 thousand on Harry's new house. What's the big deal? Your family is so rich. What's wrong with buying him a house?
"If you don't want to care for your in-laws, why did you bother marrying Charles? Let me make this clear, Rosalyn. Since you're a Jenkins now, you should know the rules here. You should respect and take care of us.
"You'd better go back to your parents and bring that money tomorrow, or I'll have Charles divorce you. I'll make sure everyone in Larsbond laughs at you."
Lauren grew more aggressive as she cursed. She stepped forward, reaching out to shove Rosalyn.
In Rosalyn's previous life, this was exactly what happened. On her wedding night, she was yelled at face-to-face, too scared to say anything, and ended up crying and compromising. After that, she was trapped.
This time, however, Rosalyn stood her ground, not budging an inch. She stood there, and when the hand came at her, she coldly grabbed Lauren's wrist.
She might look petite, but thanks to the self-defense lessons she'd picked up from her dad as a kid, she was a lot stronger than Lauren, that pampered old lady.
Rosalyn tightened her grip, and Lauren instantly yelped in pain. "Ah, it hurts. Rosalyn, you bitch. How dare you hit me?"
"Mom, are you okay?" Charles rushed forward, trying to break them up.
"Don't come any closer," Rosalyn warned, giving Charles a glare so icy that he stopped in his tracks.
She turned back to Lauren, whose face was twisted in pain, and sneered. "Lauren, I do respect you, but if you think being my mother-in-law gives you the right to mistreat me, then I won't hold back.
"It's not your place to comment on how my parents raised me. They taught me manners and not to attack unless I'm attacked.
"I married Charles, not the Jenkins family. I have no obligation to use my parents' hard-earned money to buy a house for Harry. Manipulation won't work on me.
"And if you ever point your finger at me and scream again, or try to lay a hand on me, you'll pay for it.
"And one more thing. Stop using divorce to put pressure on me. If Charles and I really divorced, he would lose everything the Sutton family gave him. Tell me, who would become the joke then?"
Rosalyn's words hit both Lauren and Charles like a blade.
Lauren was shaking from the shock, and when she locked eyes with Rosalyn, she suddenly felt a fear she couldn't explain.
She couldn't shake the feeling that Rosalyn was nothing like the soft, rich girl she used to be.