Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Fury simmered in Vincent’s eyes as he observed the despicable way the Hayes family treated Stephanie.

Their sole purpose for the visit was not to reclaim Stephanie but to secure themselves the betrothal gift.

“How much do you think Stephie is worth?” Vincent asked, his tone distant and indifferent.

Horace’s eyes gleamed with greed. “As head of the Fletcher family, you shouldn’t skimp on the gift. it’d only look bad for you if word got out.”

Matilda nodded. “Horace’s right. Plus, Stephie’s not your ordinary girl. She’s got the looks and the talent.

Stephanic sneered at them. “Then, tell me, what was my major in university? Can you answer that now?”

Putting on an awkward smile, Matilda said, “Oh, it’s an impressive major, I’m sure. You’re an S-class designer at Starlight Design Studio, earning tens of millions of dollars. Few socialites could compare to you, Stephin.” Turning to Vincent, she continued, “Stephie’s lucky to have you, but you’re lucky to have her as your wile, too. We were thinking a five-percent share in the Fletcher Group would make a fitting gift.”

Vincent’s eyes narrowed. “And how much of a share exactly are you asking for?”

Matilda hold out her hand. “Just five percent.”

“Fletcher Group is worth billions. Five percent means 1 billion dollars, not to mention yearly dividends. You’re really trying to squeeze money out of me, aren’t you?” Vincent remarked coldly.

Horace chuckled wryly. “Don’t listen to her. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. We’re only asking for one percent.”

Stephanie gripped Vincent’s hand. “I left home at 14. Let’s just settle up for my first 13 years with a 2,000-dollar yearly payout.”

Hence, that amounted to a total of 26,000 dollars,

Matilda was furious as she heard the worth of Stephanie’s betrothal gift going from tens of millions of dollars to a mere 26,000 dollars.

“Stephanie, have you ever heard of a betrothal gift as pathetic as 26,000 dollars? I must’ve given birth to you in vain!” she spat out.

Having endured years of neglect from her parents, Stephanie then witnessed their shamelessness firsthand.

She responded coldly, “At Mrs. Fletcher’s birthday party, Florence gave me a brooch that was a blatant copy of my design. I did not confront her then. But I had surveillance cameras installed in my office, which perfectly caught her stealing my designs. Here’s the evidence.”

She tossed a flash drive to Matilda. “Sign it, or I’ll expose this video. Florence’s reputation’s already in ruins. If this goes public, it’s game over for her. Lorelai already thinks poorly of her. You think Douglas would marry her if she wasn’t a designer? Oh, and isn’t Florence’s on Post-Exposure Prophylaxis?”

Horace and Matilda’s laces contorted in anger, their eyes filled with animosity as they looked at Stephanie,

Matilda spoke darkly. “Stephanie, were you planning to use this video to blackmail us into cutting ties?”

“Yes, replied Stephanie bluntly.

Horace angrily said, “Flore’s your sister. How can you do this?” 55

Stephanie pretended to clean her ears. “Enough, She’s done too much to me. This is just payback. Now, sign the papers. Vincent and 1 ba

Upon seeing Stephanie’s determination to go all out, Horace scowled as he scrawled his signature Madida followed suit and slammed the penda

de, zo May

Chapter 39

forcefully.

Stephanie smiled as she t

tucked the documents into her bag. “Mr. and Mrs. Hayes, I’ll wire over the 26,000 dollars.”

Horace grunted and stormed out without another word.

Matilda glared at Stephanie. “You, ingrate!” she said begrudgingly.

Stephanie lowered her eyes as the door slammed, unable to hold back a laugh.

in this lifetime, her ties with the Hayes were severed. She felt no sadness or regret, only relief and joy.

Upon seeing her shoulders sh

subtly, Vincent thought Stephanie was crying as her hair obscured her profile.

“It’s okay, Stephie. You have me,” he comforted.

Stephanie turned to him, eyes bright. “You thought I was crying?”

Vincent was startled to see no sadness, only joy, in her eyes.

Hugging his thin waist, Stephanie said, “Vincent, from now on, it’s just you and me.”

“I’m here all the time.” Vincent assured her.

“No, I still have Grandpa and Julianna, too,” Stephanie pointed out.

Vincent’s brows furrowed. “You’ll only need me.”

Stephanie was surprised by his possessiveness but teased, “I smell jealousy.”

Vincent leaned in seriously, sniffing “Oh, really? Naughty girl. But, Stephie…

“Yeah?” she asked.

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“Florence copied your designs. Did she take your previous sketches, too?” he asked.

Stephanie nodded. “I didn’t care about getting the credits. I thought we were family, so I gave my sketches to help her. But now that I see her true colors, that generosity ends here.”

“I’ve truly found a gem in you,” Vincent said, chuckling.

That very afternoon, Stephanie placed an announcement in the newspaper, publicly severing ties with the Hayes family.

While such news would normally occupy minimal space, the chief editor recognized the significance and prominently featured it on a noticeable page.

Before long, word spread throughout Jacaster,

Everyone then knew that Stephanie was no longer a part of the Hayes family.

Stephanie for breaking free frond toxic relatives and standing on her own.

lembed her for what they saw as cold-heartedness, abandoning her family once she achieved success.

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Chapter 39

Stephanie, however, paid no heed to the opinions swirling around her and continued to live life on her own terms.

After all, the Hayes family had always made her feel like she was the one causing problems for them.

She thought to herself, “Their unhappiness isn’t my problem. I’ll be happy regardless.”

Before getting off work, Vincent told Stephanie that he had a dinner appointment and wouldn’t be able to pick her up.

He told Willow to send Stephanie back to Tranquil Garden.

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Stephanie cheerfully agreed but then had another idea. She could meet with Douglas instead of going straight home and earn some quick cash.

Logging into the dark web, she arranged to meet Douglas at Harmony Healthcare Hub at six.

The hacker swiftly relayed the information to Douglas

Receiving the message, a glint of determination flickered in Douglas’ eyes.

That night, he would make Summer regret ever crossing him.

Stephanie made an excuse about dinner with Julianna so that Willow w

wouldn’t come to pick her up.

At first, she considered changing into the clothes she wore the last time, but she realized it might give away her identity. Instead, she wore a thin hyper- realistic mask and a short wig.

Pleased with her discreet disguise, Stephanie put on her sportswear and baseball cap before leaving for Harmony Healthcare Hub.

When she arrived, Douglas was already sitting there, casually crossing his legs as he waited.

He looked Stephanie up and down as she sat across from him and asked, “You’re Summer?”

Stephanie nodded silently.

Douglas snorted. “You were all mysterious last time. None of that today?”

Ignoring his sarcasm, Stephanie cut right to jabbing his sore spot. “Didn’t you doubt me before? Why come looking for me again? Still struggling with impotence problems?” she asked loudly.

Her words caused all eyes to turn Douglas’ way.

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