BRAIDED BROOD

Chapter 7

Emily lunged forward, grabbed his shirt, and shoved the crumpled cash in his face. "I know people like you can throw money around without a thought. But plenty of people can't." He tried to brush past her, but Emily gripped his clothes tighter.

He shoved her back against the wall, eyes gone red with anger. “Who do you think you are? Seriously, who the hell are you? I have no interest in what you have to say, so get lost. Stay away from Kyle Huxley, or things will get really nasty.”

Before he could turn away, Emily grabbed his collar, twisted her weight into it, and slammed him back against the wall instead. She held him there, staring directly into his eyes with pure steel.

“Your name is Kyle Jeffery, right? Stop ranting about things you know nothing about. Last warning: touch me again, and I'll take it as a death wish." Stunned, Jeffery wrenched her hand off his collar and stormed down the stairs.

Huxley searched everywhere before he finally spotted her near the subway entrance, walking slowly. He ran up and caught her wrist.

“Wait. Are you upset?”

Emily looked at him, completely drained. “Do I look like a pushover to you?”

“No, that’s not it. I’m really…”

Before he could finish his apology, Emily shoved the cash still in her hand, along with the purse and jewelry, into his arms and walked off. A few paces down the concrete, she paused, reached down to rip off her painful red heels, and hurled them straight at Huxley's head. Without looking back, she kept walking, barefoot.

Emily kept going, one heavy step after another, trying to hold herself together while her whole world seemed to be caving in. A loud engine roared behind her. Jeffery sped past on his motorcycle, Jasmine clinging to his back. Both of them glanced down at her through their visors as they tore into the night.

When Jeffery pulled up outside Jasmine's house, he cut the engine and pulled off his helmet, then helped her with hers. He watched her for a long moment, lost in thought, then smiled.

“You have to go inside now and get some rest, okay?”

“Are we here already?” She asked blankly.

“Why are you spacing out so much?” His smile faded. “Do you really like Huxley that much? Even though he has no interest in you?’

She answered softly. “I am going to make sure he does. Don't worry.”

Meanwhile, Huxley went back to Jupiter mansion. He was completely unfazed by the day's disaster, whistling cheerfully and jumping around his room after a hot shower. His good mood vanished instantly the moment he walked out and found Secretary York standing in the shadows.

“Kyle Huxley! What on earth were you thinking?”

“Well, I just took a shower,” Huxley muttered, playing dumb.

“Do you have any idea what kind of chaos you caused at the wedding today?"

“Ugh! What's wrong with giving my grandfather a wedding gift?” he snapped, crossing his arms.

“Well, in return, he also prepared a gift for you too.” York pulled out his phone and held up a photo of a young woman.

“Who’s that?” Huxley asked, curious despite himself.

“Your real fiancée,” York said coldly. “She's the granddaughter of the SK Group Chairman.”

“What the hell? Are you forcing me into an arranged marriage?!”

York ignored the outburst entirely. “You’ll meet her tomorrow. It’s the first meeting, so make sure you’re good to her.”

“Come on! Why are you doing this to me?” He asked in despair.

“Did you really think you’d be fine with the mess you made at the wedding?”

Jeez, whatever. Huxley muttered, turning to slam his bedroom door shut.

“You’d better show up if you want to keep your spot as the Chairman’s heir!” York yelled through the door.

“Damn it!” he swore.

The morning sun hit the top floor of the Jupiter Group's headquarters, though Chairman Kyle barely noticed, absorbed in his coffee. He swirled the dark liquid in his cup, looking out over the city skyline with a slow, deeply satisfied smile.

The heavy glass door clicked open. Secretary York stepped in, holding a stack of files.

“You know, York,” the Chairman said, not bothering to turn around. “I’ve gotten married five times, but yesterday was the best wedding I’ve ever had. I got to see quite an amusing spectacle.”

Then he remembered how Emily made Huxley kneel before him and also witnessed how she slammed Jeffery against a wall like it was nothing, without missing a beat.

“That girl is no ordinary girl…” he muttered, nodding to himself. His smile vanished, replaced by the sharp, calculating look that had built his empire.

“Look into that young lady who came to the wedding,” he said, all business now.

“Yes, sir,” York answered, bowing before slipping back out.

That same morning, Emily stood in the kitchen washing dishes. Her back ached from the previous day's chaos, but she kept scrubbing. Behind her, the floorboards groaned as her stepmother, Darus, shuffled in, yawning like an open grave.

“Mother, good morning,” Emily said cheerfully.

“Don’t good morning me. I need breakfast,” Darus shouted. “Honestly, Emily, how are you ever going to get anything in life when you move so slowly?”

“I’m sorry. I woke up a bit late today.” Emily murmured, keeping her eyes on the plate in her hands. “I’ll make something soon.”

“Damn it! I’m going to starve because of you! How annoying.” Darus groaned and stalked off toward the sitting room.

Ten minutes later, Darus had finished eating, and Emily stood by the couch. She was suffocating in her stiff school uniform, her heavy backpack weighing down her shoulders. She stared at her stepmom in the sitting room, walked straight to her, and stood still.

"What are you standing there for?" Darus asked, eyes glued to her phone.

“Umm… Can I ask …you for a favor?” Emily stammered.

“No, don’t bother.”

The blunt rejection made Emily’s stomach drop. Desperate, she reached out, grabbing Darus’s sleeve and dropping straight to her knees on the linoleum floor. "Please! Just listen to me, just this once."

Darus wrenched her arm free, looking down at her stepdaughter with open disgust. “What is it?”

"Can you please lend me some money for my first semester's tuition?" The words spilled out of Emily in a frantic rush. "I'll work double shifts. I'll work as hard as I can at my first job and pay you back, I promise."

“Tuition?” Darus’s voice spiked into a screech. “What are you talking about? You want me to take the money I saved for Yara’s tuition and hand it to you? Wait...” She stopped, studying Emily's face. “Did you pray that Yara wouldn’t get into any college? So you could go instead?”

Emily flinched. “No! That’s not what I ...”

“You were being all high and mighty before, going on about having tons of money. And now you're begging on your knees for my daughter's tuition? Are you insane? Have you completely lost your mind?" Darus shouted.

A loud groan came from the bedroom. “Why are you being so loud? Shut up!” Yara whined, hurling a pillow over her head. "Let me sleep!"

Darus shot her one last glare, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "Get out of my sight. Just go.

At noon, the tension in the house had dissolved into a lazy boredom. Darus and Yara sprawled on the couch, flipping through TV channels until a bright, blaring news banner flashed across the screen: THE NATION’S JACKPOT GIRL.

The anchor’s voice practically trembled with gossip-fueled excitement.

“Overnight, a mystery woman has become the most envied girl in the country. The internet has already crowned her the Nation's Jackpot Girl. Sources confirm she is Kyle Huxley's secret fiancée, first in line to inherit Jupiter’s Group fortune. But who really is this girl? She must be stunning. Yesterday, Huxley shocked high society by bringing her as his date to his grandfather’s wedding. Take a look at this exclusive footage..."

A blurry, zoomed-in photo filled the screen. It shows the side profile of a girl, mostly hidden behind Huxley's shoulder as he shielded her from the paparazzi.

Darus squinted at the screen, her brow furrowing. “Doesn’t that girl kind of look like Emily?” she asked Yara.

“Emily? In a luxury hotel with a billionaire? As if!” Yara let out a loud, mocking scoff.

“No, I’m serious. The jawline, the hair... it looks exactly like her,” Darus muttered.

“Mom! I'm really sensitive right now, okay?” Yara whined, tossing the remote aside. “Stop annoying me with stupid theories."

Before Darus could argue, her phone rang. Seeing her husband's name on the screen, her sour expression instantly melted into a sweet, high-pitched purr.

“Hi, honey!”

“Of course we’re all doing well. Emily and Yara are out right now. They left together a little while ago. The two of them are practically inseparable.” The lie came smoothly and easily. "Oh! You're coming back tomorrow?"