He Outbid Me, I Ruined His Plan

Chapter 4

I ignored her and talked to Henry. "Is the company so broke you can't even afford a single hotel room?"

Henry scrambled to explain himself. "Honey, Shane just came to drop off some documents. We're not staying together. I'll send her out right now!"

He waved sharply to order Shane to leave right away, but she was in a soaked, figure-hugging dress. She threw her arms around him and cuddled up to him unashamedly.

Henry went dead silent instantly. Next came the sounds of ragged, muffled gasps and the soft rustle of fabric.

I listened to the sounds from the other end in silence.

After a long minute, Henry cleared his throat awkwardly and spoke, "She's gone already... Honey, hurry up and transfer that nine million to my account, okay? The client's gonna get impatient if we wait much longer."

He was calling me "honey" out of one side of his mouth, while his other hand roamed greedily through Shane's hair and down her waist.

I forced back a wave of nausea and looked away, giving a noncommittal hum.

"Got it."

Before Henry could get another word in, I kept going.

"Shane actually reminded me of something. She just graduated, so she really needs to build up her resume. The branch office is expanding its operations right now. She can head over there next week."

Henry froze for a second, the words bursting out before he could even think them through.

"The branch's management is still a mess! How can you make her go suffer over there?"

I let out a sharp, cold laugh. "When I chose to fund her education, I picked her specifically because she was tough enough to put up with hard conditions.

"What, she could tough it out back then, but she can't do it now?"

When I first started supporting Shane, she didn't even own a single decent set of clothes. I was the one who brought her into the company, who got her this job in the first place.

And this was how she repaid me!

Give someone a hand once, and they're grateful. Spoil them for years, and they turn on you.

I'd raised an ungrateful backstabber who bit the hand that fed her!

When he felt I was dead set on sending Shane to Australia, Henry's voice turned cold and sharp.

"No way. She's not going to the branch. Pick someone else."

My gaze turned icy.

Since the day we met, for better or for worse, this was the first time Henry had ever spoken to me like that!

I didn't bother arguing with him. I kept my voice perfectly calm.

"It’s simple... nine million, or Shane goes to the branch. Your call."

Henry blew up, his tone thick with rage. "Paula, aren't you taking this too far? Shane just came to drop off some documents, and you're gonna ship her off? How did I never notice how cruel and unreasonable you were before?"

I watched him lean into the arms of a disheveled Shane, and I almost laughed out loud from how furious I was.

Henry's absolute shamelessness had hit a new low I never even thought possible.

"Looks like you don't want that nine million after all."

At that, a flash of vicious spite crossed Shane's eyes. She spoke in a tearful, trembling voice.

"Sis, Paula, it's my fault. I shouldn't have come to see Mr. Walton at night. Don't fight over me, okay? I'll just leave!"

Henry grabbed her arm hard to stop her, his face softening with clear distress.

"Who dares make you leave? I'm still the one in charge of this house!"

As the two of them clung to each other like they couldn't bear to be apart, Henry still found time to snap at me.

"Paula, don't you go too far! Like I can't scrounge up a few lousy million without you?

"Let me make this clear. Not only is Shane staying, but you're also going to hand over your project president position to her!"

Henry slammed the phone down with a sharp c***k. He didn't even spare a second to cool off after hanging up, fished something from around Shane's neck and tossed it into the tray with a clink.

"Use this for capital verification. This antique gold medallion is worth 45 million on the market. Is that enough?"

The second I saw the engraved family medallion lying on the tray, I shot to my feet.

That was the Page family heirloom my mother had asked Henry to keep safe right before she died.

How dare he give something so precious to his mistress?

My knuckles turned white where I gripped the railing, white-hot rage surging through me. All I wanted to do was storm downstairs and make that pair pay for what they'd done.

I didn't care when he gave away those nice suits, I didn't care about that fancy name-brand watch either.

Hell, I could even throw Henry out of the trash he was without a second thought!

But this? He dared to use my mother's last keepsake to kiss his mistress' ass? To pawn off the Page family's heirloom?

Watching the staff member carry the gold medallion off for inspection, my face twisted into a dark, icy scowl.

I picked up my phone and called directly.

"Get my legal team on the line, file for an emergency injunction right now. That gold medallion is part of my pre-marital trust. Henry has no right to dispose of it."