He Lied About the Photo, I Quit the Shoot

Chapter 4

Yvonne marched right into my house, bold as brass, like she owned the place.

And me? I was stuck in the guest room, trying to heal my broken body.

Lucas paraded her around at every high-profile event, grinding my dignity into the dirt without a single shred of shame.

Days dragged by before he finally bothered to remember I existed. He held out a diamond-encrusted bracelet to me.

"This is your compensation. Be good, and the position of Mrs. Gray will still be yours."

I didn't reach for it. He didn't care either way, just turned on his heel and walked right out.

One second later, Yvonne strolled in, arms loaded with shopping bags.

She clamped a hand over her mouth in fake shock, then plucked the bracelet off the floor between two fingers like it was trash.

"Isn't this the one I picked out and left behind? He's using this to fob you off?"

I leaned back against the headboard, my lips bloodless. I didn't even have enough strength left to argue with her.

The only thing I could feel was the dull, throbbing ache in the wound at my lower back, flaring back to life.

Then she held out her hand, shoving the ring on her ring finger right in my face to show off.

My pupils blew wide instinctively, and I scrambled to push myself up into a sitting position, my body moving on its own.

That was my wedding ring. The one Lucas made for me.

He'd designed it himself, custom-made just for me. No other rich socialite in all of Manhattan got the special treatment I got.

I'd never even brought myself to wear it, and now it was in her hand!

A smug grin spread across Yvonne's face, gloating so hard it practically glowed.

"You know what? I asked Lucas if he could engrave my name inside the matching band, and he said yes without even thinking about it. What good does a marriage certificate do you anyway? A man's heart is where home is, right?

"As long as I'm here, you're just the other woman in this relationship. Oh, and by the way, your blood did the trick. My baby's perfectly healthy."

Ice crawled through my entire body, settling heavy in my chest.

After she left, I picked up the phone with steady hands and called my assistant.

"Move the plan up. Start it now."

Three days later, a major auction kicked off in Manhattan.

Yvonne had never seen anything that fancy in her life, so there was no way she wouldn't beg Lucas to take her.

And I was right. I sat in my private box on the top floor, and watched him walk in with Yvonne and George tucked against his side, before they disappeared into the box right next to mine.

Lucas spoiled Yvonne rotten, no holding back. He'd tossed me a leftover hand-me-down bracelet to get rid of me, but for her? Every single thing she wanted, he bought without a second thought.

That Klein blue gemstone bracelet she glanced at? He bought.

The one-of-a-kind limited edition gown she gushed over? He bought.

When all the other items were gone, the presenter leaned onto the mic with a teasing, mysterious air and announced, "Our final lot tonight is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it's the development rights to the entire district."

I shot upright in my seat and raised my paddle. "Fifty million."

My son's grave lay within those boundaries. I couldn't let the land fall into someone else's hands. Whatever it took.

But the very next second, Yvonne's voice rang out from the box next door. "Eighty million!"

I heard her sweet, clingy coo through the wall, "George always wanted an amusement park. This piece of land is perfect. We'll just clear it out and build it from scratch."

In that instant, all the blood in my body turned ice-cold and ran backwards through my veins.

I couldn't hold back any longer, I burst through the door of their box.

"Lucas Gray! That place is where Carlo is buried!"

Lucas sat sprawled on the chair, not even moving a muscle.

George twirled his tie around his little fingers and piped up in a sweet, babyish voice, "Daddy, I want my amusement park, please."

Lucas chuckled and played with the little boy for ages before he finally turned to answer me.

"That kid is dead already. Isn't it better to put this land to better use for the people who're still alive?"

A cold dread shot straight up my spine, freezing every muscle in my body, and my hand still moved to lift my bidding paddle, ready to go higher.

But Lucas spoke in a cold, sharp voice that stopped me cold.

"Tara, I've frozen all the cards under your name. George is my son. I can't refuse even one small wish of his."

I hurled my bidding paddle straight at his face, and the words tore out of my throat in a raw scream, "What about my baby?! You killed him! Can't you even let him rest in peace?"

All I got in reply was Yvonne's tinkling, mocking giggle.

No one in that room was willing to cross Lucas. So, of course, he won the bid. The outcome was never in doubt.

When the auction staff came over to collect payment, Lucas shouldered right past me without a second glance. He only tossed one sentence over his shoulder.

"Know your place. Making a scene like this? It's ugly."

He pulled out his black card, pinched it between two fingers, and slid it casually toward the staff.

But they didn't take it.

Lucas' brow furrowed, and he snapped impatiently, "What's wrong now?"

"Mr. Gray," the staff said, their voice steady and clear. "All the group's shareholders have pulled out collectively. Every asset under your name was officially frozen half an hour ago."