Angel from Hell

Chapter 4 Broken Family

Dorothy watched coldly as the three of them stood together—her mother gently comforting Katherine, Katherine sobbing into her mother's arms, and Richard embracing them both with a satisfied smile.

They looked like a picture-perfect family. So what did that make her? And what about her father?

Dorothy swallowed the bitter questions that rose to her lips and turned to leave.

Suddenly, Katherine broke away from Suzy and blocked Dorothy's path.

"You're not going anywhere. You owe me an explanation. What the hell is going on?"

Dorothy raised an eyebrow. "What do you think? It's exactly what it looks like."

Katherine clenched her teeth, taking a moment to regain her composure. "Listen carefully. Vincent is mine. We're about to get engaged. A man like Vincent deserves a mistress or two because it suits his status. If you behave yourself, I might let him visit you from time to time. Otherwise, you know exactly what I'm capable of."

"What you're capable of?" Dorothy scoffed, "You mean bribing classmates to frame me for cheating or hiring people to harass me?"

"You—!"

Katherine's face flushed red, her finger trembling as she pointed at Dorothy.

Suzy stepped around Katherine, pulling her behind and glaring at Dorothy with a look full of bitterness and regret.

Her voice was cold as ice. "What do you want me to do to make you leave Katherine alone? Hasn't Richard been more than good to us over the years? Haven't Katherine and Richard treated us well enough? What exactly are you dissatisfied with? Them, or me? Can't I have a new family after your father, that coward, abandoned us and committed suicide in shame?"

"So, is that how you see my dad? A coward?"

Dorothy's gaze darkened, her hand trembling as she pointed past her mother to Richard, who wore the expression of a benevolent father. "What about him?"

Suzy turned to look at Richard, her face softening as she saw his contented smile. The answer was clear.

Dorothy let out a bitter laugh. "You fell in love with him long ago, didn't you? That's why you couldn't wait to jump into his bed just three months after Dad died..."

Suzy cut her off with a slap. "You don't know anything!"

"No, I should have known. Dad was barely gone, and suddenly, you're the chief designer at Sunite Group. You're disgusting." Dorothy held her stinging cheek and stared straight into her mother's eyes, blurting out her suspicion.

"The position of chief designer was mine to begin with! If it weren't for your father, I wouldn't have quit and become a housewife! You're just like him—cold and selfish!"

Suzy's eyes blazed with a crazed intensity as she glared at Dorothy. "Nobody cared about my talent. It was all chores, dirty dishes piled in the sink, and your filthy diapers! No one understood my despair and my breakdown! No one except Richard! He saved me!"

Suzy's years of pent-up grievances spilled out, leaving her trembling with anger. When she finally calmed down, her eyes were filled with resentment as she looked at Dorothy.

"I wish I had never met your father, never given birth to you."

Dorothy swallowed all the questions she had been holding back. The answers she had been searching for no longer mattered.

In her mother's heart, there had never been any room for her or her father.

She smiled bitterly, "As you wish."

With that, she walked out with her head held high.

This house was no longer her home. Let them have it—let them be the perfect little family.

As she left the Sunite Estate, Dorothy hailed a taxi.

In the backseat, she pulled out her wallet and stared at the photo tucked inside. The three of them had once smiled so happily and blissfully. But now... The happiness of the past only made her current disappointment even deeper.

Her father always said that the woman he loved most in the world was her mother, and the second was his beloved daughter.

But now her father was gone, and her mother had changed.

The woman she once called "Mom" had become a stranger who chilled her to the bone.

Dorothy could understand her mother's resentment and ambition. As a wife, her mother could choose to forget and start over.

But as a daughter, Dorothy couldn't allow her father to die in vain.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and shut her wallet, tucking it back into her bag. Then, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

"Good morning, future brother-in-law," she greeted.

Vincent's voice was cold. "It's hardly morning anymore."

Dorothy chuckled. "I figured you'd be tired from last night and still sleeping."

Vincent, who was flipping through documents in his office, closed the file and narrowed his eyes. "Are you doubting my stamina?"

She hadn't meant that!

"I just thought you might need a little extra rest."

"Tell me what you want."

"Tonight, the Koran Group is hosting a charity gala. They're one of the bidders for the Francis Bridge project. We can't miss this opportunity," Dorothy said.

Vincent raised an eyebrow. "You can't miss it, but I can. A million-dollar project is pocket change for me—it won’t make much of a difference whether I land it or not."

She couldn’t argue with that.

With the wealth and power of the Valentine Group, they could easily ignore the Francis Memorial Bridge project.

In fact, from Vincent's perspective, it would be more beneficial if the project fell through, as it would eliminate his internal rivals in the family like swatting a fly.

Dorothy offered him a flattering smile. "Then I'll trouble you to accompany me. How does that sound?"

"To think you'd stoop so low just to marry me." Vincent sneered.

"Isn't that the creed of businessmen—to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals?" she asked, her father's downfall still a fresh wound in her heart.

Vincent's voice was calm and steady. "That's your creed, not mine."

Lowering her voice, she softened her tone into a plea. "It doesn't matter whose it is. Look, I've put so much effort into this—won't you please come with me? Pretty please?"

He smirked. Intrigued by the idea of watching her work her magic to secure the project.

"Five o'clock. Meet me at the office."

Dorothy checked into a nearby hotel and took a nap.

After a sleepless day and night, she was utterly exhausted.

Her alarm woke her at 4 PM. She got up, freshened up, and headed out to buy a dress and apply makeup.

Even in a modest cocktail dress, her curves made her look elegant and poised.

When she arrived at the Valentine Group headquarters, she didn't go inside. Instead, she called Vincent.

Vincent didn't show up for a while, as if testing her resolve.

Finally, at six o'clock, his tall figure appeared at the entrance.

The moment she saw him, a smile melted Dorothy's expressionless face.

"My dear brother-in-law, you're late."

"Are you upset?" He reached out and casually brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead.

She tilted her head slightly, smiling, "Not at all. Let's go."

She opened the car door to his car, but as soon as she sat down, Vincent pulled her into his arms.

His warm breath surrounded her as he whispered, low and seductive, "How do you plan to thank me?"