Chapter 7 - 8 Threats
I blinked. Then snorted. ‘You’ve officially lost the plot. You’re pimping me out to a man who looks like he gets senior citizen discounts.’
‘Don’t be dramatic,’ Mum snapped, though her voice stayed polished and posh. ‘If you won’t marry Rhys, you’ll have to marry someone. You don’t get to float around like some spoiled socialite with no value. That’s not how this works.’
I stared at her. ‘So, this is it? I dump Rhys, and suddenly you’re throwing me at the next billionaire with a functioning heart valve?’
Mum pursed her lips like she was trying not to roll her eyes. ‘I was furious when I heard about the state of your relationship with Rhys. Especially your attitude yesterday. You were cold. Rude. Disrespectful. You embarrassed me. But the situation, as it turns out, could still be salvaged.’
‘Right, because now that your precious Catherine’s back in Skyline City, suddenly it’s “convenient” I’m out of the way,’ I said, unable to stop the bitterness from slipping out.
Mum didn’t even blink. ‘It is convenient. Rhys and Catherine have history. They’re better suited.’
‘So I did you a favour then.’
‘You didn’t do me a favour,’ she snapped. ‘You created a mess. Without Catherine’s timely return, what you did may have seriously offended the Grangers. Do you have any idea how valuable that connection is? You don’t want Rhys? Fine. But you’re going to make it right by finding another match—and soon.’
‘No,’ I said flatly.
Mum leaned forward, that terrifying stillness settling over her face—the kind that always came before she did something diabolical. ‘I invested a fortune raising you. Education. Clothes. Debutante nonsense. Do you think that was free? You’ve done nothing for the family, Mirabelle. At the very least, you owe us a strategic alliance. It’s the least you can do.’