Chapter 7

Julian and I had gotten into the car when Samuel's call came through.

I put it on speaker.

"Claire, did you have the Goodwin family stop the payment?" Samuel asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Do you know the Grant family needs that money today to cover a shortfall?"

"I know."

"You did it on purpose?" he asked.

"What else?"

Samuel's suppressed breathing came through the phone. "Come back to the Grant family now and admit your mistake in front of my parents. I can overlook the marriage certificate."

Julian couldn't help but laugh.

Samuel's anger flared at the sound. "Julian, don't get cocky. Your sister's treatment isn't cheap. How long do you think Claire will keep you around on a whim?"

Julian was about to speak, but I pressed my hand over his.

"Samuel, you should worry about yourself first," I said.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

I glanced out the window. Grant Tower was obscured by a passing cloud. "Your father should be calling you soon."

Samuel didn't get to curse before another call cut him off.

The car fell silent.

Julian asked, "What else did you do?"

"Not much," I replied. "I reclaimed what was ours in the first place."

He stared at me for a few seconds. "You don't look like the girl everyone said would go to hell and back for Samuel."

I rolled down the window a bit, letting the cold air rush in. "Dying once changes me."

Julian blinked, thinking he'd heard wrong. "What?"

I closed my eyes. "I said, once you've been humiliated, you learn to wise up."

*****

The chaos in the Grant family hit way faster than I thought.

That afternoon, Helen showed up at the Goodwin residence.

She swept in, still putting on airs, and tossed her bag onto the coffee table. "Claire, what exactly are you trying to do?"

I was sitting with my mom while she took her medicine. I didn't look up. "Mrs. Grant, the door's that way."

"What? You're kicking me out?" she snapped.

"Yeah."

She was shaking with anger. "How dare you! I'm Samuel's mother."

"So what? Now I'm married to Julian."

When Helen spotted Julian sitting there, she got angrier. "You've got some nerve, Julian. The Grant family took care of you for years, and now you're sucking up to the Goodwin family? How ungrateful!"

Julian handed the medicine cup to the caregiver. "The Grant family never took care of me. I was your driver and got a paycheck. As for the marriage deal money, I'll pay it back."

Helen let out a cold laugh. "Pay it back? Can you afford that? The Grant family has been taking care of you all these years while your sister was stuck in the hospital."

I set my cup down. "Is that what you call looking after him by threatening to take away his sister's hospital bed?"

Helen was left speechless.

Mom spoke up. "Helen, say whatever's on your mind."

Helen's expression shifted in a heartbeat. "Eleanor, our families go way back. We can't let the kids' little tantrums ruin everything. If that money doesn't show up, things will get very ugly for the Grant family."

My mom shot back, "Did the Grant family care about our history when you humiliated my daughter at the wedding yesterday?"

Helen's face went stiff. "Samuel might've messed up, but Claire can't seriously marry another man. Eleanor, please talk to her. If she divorces, the Grant family will make it right with a real wedding."

I burst out laughing.

Helen shot me a glare. "What's so funny?"

"I'm laughing at how the Grant family has some nerve," I shot back.

She stormed over. "Claire, don't think the Goodwin family is still what it used to be. Your mother's health is failing, and everyone's watching. Are you seriously going to turn your back on the Grant family for a driver?"

Julian stood up.

I raised my hand, signaling him to sit back down. "Mrs. Grant, are you here to beg for money, or to threaten us?"

Helen shot back, "I'm giving you a way out."

I picked up the tablet from the coffee table and hit play on a recording.

Helen's voice came through the speakers. "Claire is so obsessed with Samuel that she'd die for him. Even if she realized the groom wasn't Samuel, she wouldn't dare cause a scandal.

"Her mom's barely alive, and the Goodwin family still relies on us to keep up appearances."

The living room fell completely silent, with only the soft clink of the medicine cup against the spoon breaking the quiet.

Helen's face turned ghostly pale. "Where did you get that recording?"

Julian looked at me, something new in his eyes.

I didn't bother explaining. I asked, "So is this your idea of giving me a way out?"

Helen lunged for the tablet.

Arthur stepped in and blocked her. "Mrs. Grant, don't try anything in the Goodwin residence."

Helen jabbed a finger at me. "How dare you tape me without my knowledge! Didn't anyone teach you any manners?"

My mom slammed the medicine cup down. "I'm still alive. It's not your place to lecture my daughter."

Helen flinched.

My mom almost never lost her temper in front of people, and after she got sick, she barely spoke at all.

She looked Helen right in the eye, her voice steady and clear. "If the Grant family wants that money, alright. Have Samuel bring Charlotte and apologize to Claire in front of all the guests."

Helen gritted her teeth. "That's impossible."

"Then please leave."

Helen stood there for a while, then abruptly shifted her attention to Julian. "Julian, your sister can stay in the city hospital only because Claire still finds you amusing. Once she's done with you, you and your sister are toast."

Julian's expression didn't change. "When things were hardest for Mila and me, we never relied on Samuel's charity to get by."

Helen was left speechless. She grabbed her bag and stormed out.

At the door, she turned back to look at me. "Claire, don't come crying to me when you regret this. Samuel's not someone nobody wants."

"Well then, may he and Charlotte be chained together for life," I shot back.

After the door closed, my mom slumped back in her wheelchair, looking exhausted.

Julian turned off the recording and asked, "When did you record that?"

"Before the wedding," I replied.

"Did you have this ready from the start?"