Her voice trembled.
“They… only needed her.”
The way she said it made my stomach turn.
“As leverage.”
I felt something cold settle inside me.
“And you?” I asked quietly.
She looked down.
“They said I carried their blood.”
Her lips pressed together.
“So they kept me… alive.”
A bitter, broken sound escaped her.
“They were planning to marry me off.”
My grip tightened.
“To who?”
She shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
“They never told me.”
Of course they didn’t.
“You were a substitute,” I said.
She nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
Her voice dropped even lower.
“But her…”
Her eyes moved toward the girl again.
“…she was never meant to leave.”
Silence filled the car.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
I turned my head slightly.
+15 Bonus
3/11
Looking at the girl in Jason’s arms.
Small.
Fragile.
Used as nothing more than a bargaining piece.
Something disposable.
Something unnamed.
My jaw tightened.
That cold feeling inside me-
It sharpened.
Focused
Jason was tense.
The girl whimpered softly in his arms.
His grip tightened.
Careful.
Protective.
Dangerous.
I could see it in his eyes.
He had already decided.
So had I.
о
I leaned forward again, making sure the maid could hear me clearly.
“That’s over now.”
My voice was calm.
Certain.
Final.
“You don’t owe them anything.”
Her lips trembled.
She didn’t respond.
Like she didn’t believe it yet.
I didn’t expect her to.
Not after that.
+15 Bonus
4/11
Plum
I looked back at the girl.
Still curled.
Still shaking.
Still nameless.
“Hey…” I said softly.
She didn’t respond.
But her breathing hitched slightly.
I didn’t push.
Not yet.
Instead, I said it anyway.
“You’re safe now.”
My voice didn’t waver.
“Both of you.”
Pamela was silent.
Jason too.
But I could feel it.
The tension.
The anger.
The restraint.
It filled the car like pressure waiting to break.
No one said it out loud-
But we were all thinking the same thing.
This wasn’t over.
Not even close.
I pulled out my phone.
“Grandfather.”
He answered immediately.
“Amber?”
“We’re on our way back.”
A pause.
+15 Bonus
5/11
“I need a medical team ready.’
Another pause.
Then his tone sharpened.`
“…Understood.”
“And grandfather,” I added, my voice steady.
“We rescued two.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Then-
“I’ll be ready.”
The rest of the drive passed in silence.
Only the sound of the engine.
And the girl’s uneven breathing.
Jason hadn’t moved.
Hadn’t spoken.
He held her carefully, like she might break if he did.
Like she already had.
The gates of the Asher estate opened the moment we approached.
Lights.
Movement.
People already waiting.
Prepared.
Efficient.
Grandfather stood at the entrance.
Straight.
Composed.
The car stopped. 1
Doors opened immediately.
The medical team moved forward-
But Jason stepped out first.
+15 Bonus
6/11
Still holding her.
Still careful.
Still… controlled.
I stepped out behind him, helping the older girl.
Pamela followed, already scanning the surroundings like she expected the world to attack again.
“Inside,” Grandfather said.
His voice calm.
But firm.
Commanding.
The medical team moved with purpose.
“Let us take her, sir-”
Jason didn’t let go.
“Jason,” I said softly.
He didn’t look at me.
“She needs help.”
A beat.
Then slowly-
Carefully-
He nodded.
And passed her over.
And that’s when it happened.
The moment they crossed the threshold of the house-
VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: A Woman Worth Billions Dated the Wrong Brother