29 Chapter 31
29 Chapter 31
Chapter 31- An Aunt’s Desperate Secret and a Staggering Demand
The morning sun filtered through my curtains as I slowly woke from a dream that left me feeling warm and unsettled. In my dream, Damien had been holding me close, his lips against my car whispering words I couldn’t quite remember now. The phantom sensation of his arms around me lingered even as I stretched and faced reality.
I groaned when I checked my phone. Three missed calls from Julian. I’d been avoiding him for days, but it seemed he wasn’t getting the hint. With a sigh, I called him back.
“Finally,” Julian answered on the first ring. “I’ve been trying to reach you.”
“What do you want?” I kept my voice cold. No point in pretending politeness anymore.
“About the divorce papers…”
Here we go again. I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Just sign them, Julian.”
“I can’t right now,” he said, his voice taking on that pleading tone I’d grown to despise. “Ivy’s doctor has concerns about her latest test results. She’s so fragile, Hazel. If she finds out we’re divorcing-”
“Stop.” I cut him off, my patience evaporating. “Ivy stole my wedding. She’s your wife now. My emotional state didn’t matter to either of you then, so hers doesn’t matter to
me now.”
“You don’t mean that. You were always the compassionate one.”
“That Hazel is gone,” I said firmly. “She died the day your betrayed her.”
Julian sighed dramatically. “I’m just asking for a little more time.”
“No. I’ve instructed my lawyer to proceed with or without your cooperation.”
“Why are you being so difficult?” His voice hardened. “After everything we’ve been through-”
“After I gave you my blood for five years, and you repaid me by marrying my stepsister? Is that what we’ve been through?” I laughed bitterly. “Goodbye, Julian.”
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I hung up and tossed my phone on the bed, feeling drained already. Ever since I’d started the divorce proceedings, Jullan had been finding excuses to delay. First it was some business matter, then Ivy’s health, always something. I was done waiting.
I had just finished getting dressed when my doorbell rang–an angry, persistent buzz that suggested whoever was on the other side wasn’t in a good mood. Cautiously, I checked through the peephole and was surprised to see my cousin Wesley Preston, his face flushed with obvious anger.
“Wesley?” I opened the door. “What’s wrong?”
He pushed past me without waiting for an invitation. “What’s wrong? You have the nerve to ask that?”
I closed the door, bewildered by his hostility. Wesley and I had never been particularly close, but we’d always been civil.
“I don’t understand,” I said, keeping my distance. Something about his demeanor made
me wary.
“My parents are getting divorced because of you!” he spat, his finger jabbing in my direction.
I blinked, genuinely confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Mom took twenty million from Dad’s company and gave it to you! Did you think that
wouldn’t have consequences?”
The accusation hit me like cold water. “That’s not possible. Your mother never gave me twenty million.”
“Don’t lie to me!” Wesley’s face was contorted with rage. “Dad found the transfer records. She confessed everything
My aunt Margaret was my mother’s sister. After my mother died, she’d tried to help me when she could, though my father and stepmother had limited our contact. But twenty million? That didn’t make sense.
“Wesley, I swear I never received any money from your mother,” I said firmly. “There
must be some mistake.”
“Then where did the money go?” He paced my living room like a caged animal. “Dad’s threatening to press charges against her for embezzlement. Our family is falling apart!”
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My stomach dropped. If my aunt was in this kind of trouble, I needed to speak with her directly.
“Give me a minute,” I said, grabbing my phone to call her.
Margaret answered after several rings, her voice small and tearful. “Hazel, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want you to find out this way.”
“Aunt Margaret, what’s going on? Wesley is here saying you gave me twenty million
dollars.”
She sniffled. “Not directly. Remember that investment fund I recommended when you were trying to start your business? The one that promised high returns but needed a large initial investment?”
The pieces started falling into place. Three years ago, desperate for capital to launch my design line, I’d been searching for investors. Aunt Margaret had connected me with what she called a “family friend’s investment opportunity.” I’d borrowed heavily and invested everything I had. Six months later, I’d received a substantial return that allowed me to open my first small studio.
“That wasn’t a real investment fund,” I said slowly, the realization dawning on me.
“No,” she admitted quietly. “I couldn’t bear to see you struggle when Harrison was sabotaging all your efforts to get legitimate funding. So I… I took money from Robert’s company. I planned to replace it before he noticed, but…”
“But I paid back the principal plus interest,” I finished. “To an account you
controlled.
“Yes,” she whispered. “And I used that money for other things. Our beach house, Wesley’s tuition… I thought I’d find a way to put the original amount back, but then Robert started investigating discrepancies in the books.”
Horror washed ove me. My aunt had committed a crime to help me, and now she was facing the consequences.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, watching Wesley’s accusatory glare from across the
room.
“You were already carrying so much weight,” she said. “I didn’t want to add to your
burdens. You reminded me so much of your mother–so deter 80 talented. I
couldn’t stand by and watch you be crushed by Harrison’s vindictiveness like she was.”
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My eyes stung with tears. “I’ll fix :. Somehow.”
“It’s too late,” she said. “Robert isn’t really angry about the money. He’s been looking for a reason to leave me for his secretary. The embezzlement just gives him grounds to cut me off without a fair settlement.”
After assuring her I’d find a solution, I hung up and faced Wesley.
“Your father’s company is failing, isn’t it?” I asked, suddenly understanding the real
issue.
Wesley looked surprised, then defensive. “How did you know?”
“Because if it were thriving, he wouldn’t care about twenty million that disappeared three years ago, I reasoned. “He’s using this as an excuse to blame your mother for financial problems that were already there.”
“That’s not…” Wesley started to protest, then deflated. “Things have been rough. Dad’s made some bad investments. But Mom’s embezzlement is real, and now she might face criminal charges.”
I squared my shoulders. “What would it take to make this go away? How much does your father need?”
Wesley laughed bitterly. “Why? Are you planning to help?”
“Your mother helped me when no one else would,” I said simply. “I owe her.”
“You’d never be able to afford it, he scoffed.
“Try me.” My tone was challenging. “How much?”
“Ten million might cover some immediate debts, but-
“And to completely solve the problem?” I interrupted.
Wesley studied me with newfound interest, perhaps wondering if I was serious. “Ten million? Are you trying to get rid of a beggar? At least fifty million, to clear the bank loans and outstanding debts, and avoid prosecution.”
I struggled to keep my expression neutral as the number hung in the air between us. Fifty million. I didn’t have anywhere near that amount, even with my business doing well. The loan from Damien was earmarked for specific expansion plans, not for bailing
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out relatives.
But my aunt had risked everything to help me when I had nothing. I couldn’t abandon
her now.
*Tll get it,” I said with more confidence than I felt. “But I want everything in writing. Your father drops all charges, gives your mother a fair divorce settlement, and this never gets mentioned again.”
Wesley’s eyes widened. “You can actually get that kind of money?”
1 thought of Damien, of the papers I’d signed just last night. Of the promise I’d made myself not to be a burden to him.
“I’ll find a way,” I said, showing Wesley to the door. “Have your father’s lawyer contact mine with the terms. But tell him if he tries to extort more later, I’ll make sure
everyone knows exactly why his company is failing.”
After Wesley left, I sank onto my sofa, my mind racing. Fifty million dollars. The sum seemed impossible, yet I couldn’t let my aunt face criminal charges for trying to help me. She was the only family member who’d ever truly been there for me…
I stared at my phone, knowing I had limited options. Private loans. Selling shares in my company. Or…
My finger hovered over Damien’s name in my contacts. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t use our relationship this way. That I wouldn’t become the kind of woman who expected a wealthy man to solve her problems.
But this wasn’t just my problem. It was my aunt’s freedom at stake.
With a deep breath, I tapped the call button, praying I wasn’t about to make the biggest mistake of my life.
