Two Reborn, One Throne novel Chapter 16

After finishing her dinner in the cramped studio apartment, Grace put down her silverware and headed back to her own two-bedroom place.

Before locking the door, she glanced at the dress Amber had disdainfully rejected.

She wanted to take it with her, but she needed to maintain appearances. So, she left it draped prominently over the dining table before heading home.

Once inside, she didn't bother wringing out the towel Lucian had left soaking in the bathroom sink, nor did she tidy up his room. She barely swept up the shattered vase Lucian had left on the living room floor before hopping into the shower.

Grace planned to hop into bed right after her shower and flirt with some handsome guys online to spice up her dull evening. Just then, her phone screen lit up.

It was a text notification from the bank.

Grace was largely illiterate, but she could piece together the gist of the message well enough.

It mentioned something about an account alteration and forfeited interest.

Grace panicked. Was it a scam text?

After rereading it multiple times to ensure she wasn't mistaken, she rushed into her bedroom and dug out the bank book and debit card she had secretly set up using Lucian's ID.

There shouldn't be any issue, right?

Still, an inexplicable sense of dread washed over her. She completely forgot about the shower, grabbed the bank book and card, and hurried out the door.

She had to get to the bottom of this. That account held her entire life savings, locked into a fixed-term deposit. If the interest was forfeited, it meant years of hard work had evaporated into thin air.

She quickened her pace, heading straight for the bank ATM across from their food cart stand.

Back at the school.

"Dad, it's a good thing he blocked you. Want to celebrate? I can grab some barbecue on my way home from study hall." Amber didn't think Lucian blocking her father was a bad thing at all.

In fact, she thought it was fantastic.

If she wasn't currently focused on slowly disillusioning her father so he would give up entirely, she would have blocked Grace's number on his phone too.

"Amber, how can you say that? I work hard to pay for your education, and this is how you gloat?"

"Dad, Lucian refused to take the dinner Grace made you deliver, didn't he?"

Amber ruthlessly cut off her father's nagging.

Hearing his dead silence on the other end, Amber wanted to laugh. "You didn't even take a single bite of your own dinner before biking all the way over there, did you?"

"Amber..."

"Dad, if you pull a stunt like this again, I'm blocking your number too. I really want to see who matters more to you—them, or your own daughter."

Click.

Amber hung up.

She didn't want to be so harsh with her father, but if she didn't play hardball, Grace and Lucian would only get more arrogant. She didn't mind playing the villain or being fiercely unreasonable if it meant saving him.

As long as it helped him break free from Grace's manipulation and finally see her for the parasite she truly was, Amber was perfectly fine being the bad guy.

Listening to the dead tone, Arthur looked up at the silhouette of Amber's school, then down at the insulated dinner container he had kept tucked inside his jacket to keep it warm. His eyes reddened with a deep sigh. "Kids grow up and get their own ideas. I'm getting old; they don't want to deal with me anymore."

Arthur started his motorcycle to head home, but just as he turned around, his phone rang again.

Seeing Grace's name on the screen, Arthur frowned, unsure of how to answer. But as soon as he picked up, Grace was sobbing hysterically. "Arthur, hurry! Get to the ATM across from our stand! All my money's been stolen!"

Arthur: "!!!"