Chapter 4
856 Words
Rex may not have understood the Carlisle family's true standing, but he understood one thing very clearly: there were hundreds of millions sitting in my account.
And he was convinced my family could never possess that kind of wealth legitimately. This meant, in his mind, the money had to be dirty.
That was why he had transferred Yara into private banking and altered my account information behind the scenes. From the start, the two of them had been planning to steal the money for themselves.
Even after uncovering everything, I still chose to give Rex and the Cresswell family one final chance. The head of the Cresswell family had once been my father's classmate. I did not want things to end beyond repair.
"Rex," I said evenly, "I already know what you and Yara did to my account. This is the last chance I'm giving you. Transfer the money back immediately. Otherwise, you're the one who'll end up spending the rest of your life in prison."
For a brief moment, panic flickered across Rex's face. But he quickly forced himself to recover and let out a dismissive laugh.
"Stella, are you even listening to yourself?" he said coldly. "That money belongs to me. Why would I transfer it to you?"
Yara folded her arms and sneered beside him. "She really must've spent too long pretending to be rich. Does she actually think she can walk in here and take that money without anyone noticing?"
The branch manager immediately joined in.
"Mr. Cresswell, thank goodness you and Miss Nixon warned me in advance. Otherwise, I really would've been fooled by her." He looked at me with unconcealed contempt. "I actually believed she was some wealthy heiress. Turns out she's just another nobody pretending to be upper class."
At that point, I understood perfectly. Neither Rex nor Yara had any intention of backing down. And if that was the case, there was no longer any reason for me to protect the Cresswell family's reputation.
I lowered my gaze and sent a message to my assistant.
Stella: Investigate the Cresswell family. Immediately.
The moment I put my phone away, Yara walked straight up to me, lifting her chin arrogantly.
"Stella, don't tell me you still think you can get your hands on the Cresswell family's money. I've seen plenty of women trying to marry above their station, but someone as shameless as you? That's new even for me."
She leaned closer, a vicious smile spreading slowly across her face.
"Get on your knees and apologize properly. Maybe then I'll let you leave this bank with your dignity intact. Otherwise… " Her voice dropped lower. "I can make sure you never walk again."
I slapped her before she could finish speaking. The sound cracked through the lobby. For a second, the entire bank fell silent.
Yara stumbled backward and crashed onto the floor while the surrounding crowd collectively sucked in a sharp breath. Her bodyguards rushed forward to help her up, glaring at me like they wanted to tear me apart.
Rex's expression darkened completely. He strode toward me, fury written all over his face. "Stella, you keep laying hands on my woman right in front of me. Have you completely lost your mind? This is all my father's fault for arranging a marriage with a family beneath us in the first place."
"Our engagement is over," he said through clenched teeth. "The Cresswell family would never accept someone like you."
"You don't need to worry," I replied calmly. "I was already planning to end it myself." I looked directly at him. "After all, the Cresswell family won't survive much longer."
Rex's face flushed instantly. "What the hell did you just say? Who do you think you are to curse the Cresswell family?"
Then he laughed coldly. "Fine. Since you insist on learning this the hard way, don't blame me for what happens next."
The moment the words left his mouth, he lunged toward me with his hand raised.
I did not even move. Before he could touch me, the bank doors slammed open. Several bodyguards rushed inside, and one of them drove a kick straight into Rex's chest, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"You think you're worthy of touching Miss Carlisle?"
The branch manager turned pale and hurried to pull Rex back to his feet.
"Who the hell are you people?" he demanded shakily. "Mr. Cresswell is one of our bank's most important clients! How dare you attack him?"
He immediately turned toward security. "Get over here right now! Take these people to the police station!"
Before anyone could respond, one of the employees hurried over, looking visibly shaken. "Manager, something's wrong! All our clients are withdrawing their funds! Every account has been emptied!"
The branch manager's face lost all color. "What? How is that possible?"
Even Rex frowned. But before he could speak, his phone rang. The moment he answered, his assistant's frantic voice exploded through the line.
"Mr. Cresswell, something terrible's happened! The clients are saying you offended someone you never should've crossed. They're pulling all their investments and demanding compensation. The company's drowning in debt!"
- Writer
