My husband and My Son Betrayed Me, I Took 99M & Left

Chapter 2

The next day was Adrian's grandfather's 90th birthday.

Early in the morning, Adrian came pounding on my bedroom door.

"Nora, get out! It's Grandpa's birthday today. Don't you dare throw a tantrum!"

His furious roar came from outside the door.

I opened it, ready to go.

He froze for a moment, seemingly surprised by how cooperative I was.

I was wearing a plain-colored long dress and light makeup that concealed the exhaustion on my face.

Adrian looked me up and down, then frowned again.

"What are you wearing? Are you dressed for a funeral?"

His tone was biting. He turned around, took a gift box from the walk-in closet, and tossed it at my feet.

"Put this on."

I opened the box. Inside was a fiery red strapless gown.

The style was bold, the fabric revealing, and it was completely unlike anything I would wear.

More importantly, I recognized the dress.

Last week, Madeline had posted a photo of herself trying it on. The caption read: The style is way too daring. I wouldn't dare wear it out. Adrian insisted on buying it for me.

So this was what she didn't want anymore.

I sneered silently, but my expression remained unchanged.

"Okay."

I picked up the dress and turned toward the bathroom.

When I came out in the red dress, which was clearly a size too small and clung tightly to my body, Adrian looked satisfied.

"That's more like it. Remember, I want you to hold yourself together today. Don't embarrass me."

He ordered me as if he were bestowing some enormous favor upon me.

The birthday banquet was held at a six-star hotel under the Grant family's ownership, drawing a crowd of distinguished guests and prominent figures.

I held Adrian's arm, like an exquisite puppet, a proper smile fixed on my face.

Halfway through the banquet, the appearance of one figure instantly drew everyone's attention.

Madeline.

She was wearing the same style of red gown as mine, but both the cut and the fabric were clearly from a more luxurious custom-made version.

With flawless makeup and a radiant presence, she made a high-profile entrance as Adrian's "personal secretary".

"Mommy!"

A crisp child's voice rang out.

Like a butterfly breaking free from its restraints, Leo flew into Madeline's arms in front of all the guests.

The entire room erupted in an uproar.

Everyone's eyes turned toward me, Adrian, and Madeline, filled with curiosity and ridicule.

I became the biggest joke in the room.

"Bastard!"

Adrian's grandfather rose from his seat in fury, slamming his hand on the table as his cane struck heavily against the floor.

"Adrian! What is this? Explain yourself!"

Adrian's face looked grim, yet he instinctively shielded Madeline and Leo behind him.

He didn't even look at me. Instead, he loudly turned the blame on me.

"You should be asking Nora! Ask her how she's been doing her job as a mother! She can't even control her own son!"

In an instant, all the accusations were directed at me.

From an angle where I couldn't see her, Madeline gave me a smug smile.

Then she immediately put on a tearful expression, picked up a glass of red wine, and swayed gracefully toward me.

"Nora, don't blame Adrian or Leo. It's all my fault…" she spoke hypocritically, her eyes reddening.

"I… I'll raise a glass to you and apologize."

As she spoke, her wrist tilted.

The entire glass of crimson wine spilled squarely across the front of my dress.

"Ah!"

She let out an exaggerated scream.

Clap, clap, clap!

Leo excitedly applauded from the side, shouting, "Serves you right, you witch!"

"Madeline!"

Adrian rushed over in a single stride and anxiously caught Madeline as she staggered.

He didn't even look at me. Instead, he turned around and angrily rebuked me.

"Nora, what the hell are you doing? You couldn't even stand properly, and you scared Madeline! Can you afford the consequences?"

The guests around us pointed and whispered among themselves.

I felt like a clown stripped naked and placed at the center of a stage for everyone to stare at.

The cold wine trickled down my dress, sticky and icy against my skin.

I took a deep breath. I didn't cry or make a scene.

Under everyone's stunned gaze, I slowly took off the red outer layer of the dress, already filthy and stained.

No, more precisely, it was merely a detachable sheer overlay.

Once I removed it, the camisole underneath was revealed, along with… my arms, covered in needle marks and bruises.

Dense purple-blue marks overlapped, both old and new. Under the dazzling lights of the banquet hall, they were horrifying to look at.

They were the scars left by years of blood draws and injections of various medications.

To provide experimental serum for Adrian's frail, sickly distant cousin, I had become the Grant family's walking blood bank.

It was Adrian's demand, and one of the "bargaining chips" I had used to eke out an existence in this family.

Adrian's pupils suddenly dilated, and a trace of barely perceptible panic flashed across his eyes.

The entire room fell silent.

The mocking voices and whispers stopped.

Everyone was stunned by the horrific condition of my arms.

Adrian's face turned ashen. To keep me from speaking and silence the gossip, he practically gritted his teeth as he took out his phone and made a transfer to me right there.

Ding.

A notification sounded from my phone, "Your account has been credited with $990,000.00."

"I'm giving you money. Go upstairs and change into something new. Don't embarrass yourself here!"

He lowered his voice and forced the words out through gritted teeth.

I looked at the number on my phone, feeling nothing as another cold voice rang out in my mind.

"Host, your current mission funds have reached $99 million. You're only one transfer away from reaching $99.99 million and leaving this world for good."

I calmly put away my phone and picked up my handbag.

Under the complicated gazes of Adrian, Madeline, Leo, and all the guests, I calmly turned around and walked toward the elevator.

Just one more transfer.

Almost there.