Chapter 8
When the private investigator handed me the photos, I finally realized Vanessa had lined up a new sugar daddy right after Bryce’s face got ruined.
The guy was a big time real estate developer.
He was notorious for playing around, so I wasn’t surprised he’d go for someone like Vanessa.
In the photos she was draped in jewelry, flashing a limited edition Hermes bag worth at least ten grand, looking like she was living her best life off her new bankroll
I couldn’t help but laugh–Vanessa sure worked fast.
I just wondered what that guy would think once he found out her little “history.”
Especially since his wife, Vivian, was not the type of woman you ever wanted to cross.
So I anonymously mailed the photos to Vivian.
That very same day, she stormed into a hotel wearing sky high stilettos and dragging a dozen bodyguards with her.
From what I heard, Vanessa got beaten to a pulp, stripped down, and thrown out onto the street.
She lost the baby right then and there.
After the hospital, she completely snapped.
She wandered around downtown like a homeless crackhead, bragging to strangers about how “successful” she was, then digging scraps out of dumpsters at night just to survive.
Some people who didn’t know the backstory even pitied her.
But honestly? Vanessa brought every damn bit of it on herself.
The scandal went viral.
Bryce and Vanessa’s names were still trending nonstop.
People online even started hunting Vanessa down with rotten food and eggs to throw at her.
But none of that had anything to do with me anymore.
was too busy opening my own design studio and launching my fashion label–Daybreak.
One evening I was having dinner with my dad when there was a frantic knock at the door.
opened it and froze–Vanessa.
almost didn’t recognize her.
The woman who used to strut around like a Beverly Hills housewife now looked like a bag lady–hair a mess, face smeared with dirt, reeking like a dumpster.
She looked ten, maybe fifteen years older.
‘Skyler, it’s Auntie,” she croaked.
“Get your dad. Please. I finally found you guys. I swear I was wrong, I know I was wrong…”
I shot her a cold glance but said nothing.
Every step that led her here was her own fault.
If she hadn’t been so damn greedy, if she’d just lived a normal life with my dad, she never would’ve hit rock bottom like this.
“Skyler? Who’s out there making all that noise?”
Chapter 8
My dad walked over, and the moment he saw her, his face twisted with disgust.
“Robert, it’s me.” Vanessa cried, latching onto him like a drowning woman.
“I know I screwed up. Please forgive me. Let’s start over, let’s make it right.”
“You really think after everything you did, I’d forgive you?”
“You tried to ruin my daughter’s life, and you want me to forget that?”
He yanked his hand free and wiped it on his pants like she was contagious.
You’ve got some nerve.”
“Robert, I was wrong. I was a monster, I admit it.”
“Everyone out there wants me dead. You’re the only ones who can save me!”
My dad sneered.
“Save you? You nearly got my daughter killed.”
You don’t get to play the victim here. Now get the hell out before I call the cops.”
At the word “cops,” Vanessa lost it.
She collapsed to the floor, thrashing and wailing, blaming us for her downfall, blaming fate, blaming everyone but herself.
I just shook my head and called building security to drag her out.
Chapter 9
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.