Chapter 193: A piece of advice
Patricia let out a weary sigh, her shoulders slumping in defeat. She, too, had once harbored dreams of seeing her daughter married into a life of comfort and wealth. But fate hadn’t been kind. Instead of a bright future, Lorie was now shackled to a cruel and powerful man. It was a situation far from what Patricia had ever imagined.
"Mom," Lorie said firmly, pulling her from her troubled thoughts. "There is a way out. Robert is only keeping me because of the money we owe him. If we pay him back, he’ll let me go."
Patricia’s eyes widened as anger and frustration flickered across her face. "Are you hearing yourself?" she snapped. "Where would we find that kind of money? I’ve already drained every last cent I had. That house you thought was yours – Robert already took it to cover the debt. We are left with nothing but this old place—and even if we sell it, it won’t fetch nearly enough."
She reached for Lorie’s hands, gripping them tightly, desperation thick in her voice. "Lorie, it’s not as easy as you think. Be smart," she pleaded. "Yes, Robert is ruthless, but he is also powerful. He has money, influence. What you need to do is get close to him. Use your beauty, your youth—make him fall for you. Control him from the inside. Once he is hooked, you’ll have him wrapped around your finger. Then you can live the life you always wanted."
Patricia’s eyes searched her daughter’s face, hoping to sway her. But all Lorie felt was a growing sense of suffocation. Her mother’s words only tightened the chains she was trying so desperately to break.
Disgust twisted in Lorie’s gut at the mere thought of Robert, his round face and bulging belly making her skin crawl. The idea of seducing him, of playing sweet to trap him, was beyond revolting.
"That’s not going to happen," she rejected her mother’s suggestion without hesitation. "I’ve found another way. I know exactly what I need to do to be free of him."
Her eyes gleamed with purpose as she grasped her mother’s hands. With urgency, she recounted her meeting with Nathan at the hospital.
"Anne’s parents are searching for her," she went on quickly. "And the pendant could be the key to identifying her. I can sell it to that man. That pendant could get me enough money to pay off Robert and finally walk away from this nightmare."