Chapter 53: Chapter 53

“She went shopping,” he mumbled, looking at his feet.

“With what money?” Lisette’s voice rose in a pitch of pure, incredulous laughter.

“Her graduation money.”

“You mean the gift cards?” The sheer stupidity of the man was breathtaking. He didn't even realize the currency his own wife was carrying. Their parents had gifted her plastic credits to Gucci, Chanel, and Dolce & Gabbana. They were worth twenty thousand dollars in silk and leather, but you couldn't buy a loaf of bread or pay the rent with a designer logo.

“I gave her some cash for food, too,” he added defensively.

Lisette’s entire body began to vibrate as she fought the urge to howl with laughter. The irony was almost too much to bear. “Did you tell her what to buy, Michael? Did you give her a list?”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh my God! Next time you decide to kidnap a Ross, do your homework. Catalella has no idea how the world works. For all she knows, food is a miracle that manifests inside a refrigerator. She thinks a meal is something that Mama and the maid conjure onto the table by magic.”

“She can’t be that naive,” he whispered, his confidence crumbling.

“She married you, didn’t she?” Lisette exhaled, the air in the room feeling thicker, more toxic by the second. She felt like she was suffocating. “Listen to me. I will give you a hundred thousand dollars, right now, if you agree to an immediate annulment.”

Michael’s head cocked like a curious dog’s. He watched her, a dark, mischievous gleam beginning to dance in his eyes. He seemed to weigh the money against the pride he had left, but the look he gave her made her skin turn to ice. He had a counteroffer, and it was written in the grime of his expression.

“Sleep with me,” he said softly, “and I’ll consider it.”

The world tilted. Hell no.

"You must have lost your mind!" Lisette snapped at him.

Michael Mathews was a stain, and she would not let him be her first. She would not let him touch the one thing she still held for herself. “Not on your life,” she hissed.

“What are you so tense about, sweetheart? I’m sure Reno has already shown you the ropes.” Lisette flinched, looking away as a traitorous heat flooded her cheeks. The silence gave her away.

“Ha! You’re a virgin. You haven't slept with him yet. Okay, I have a better offer. Let's set a date. You give me your virginity, and I sign the papers.”

“Why should I trust a snake like you?”

“You can draw the papers up yourself. Bring them tomorrow night—”

“In this roach motel?”

“We can book the Waldorf. We don’t want your first time to be… unpleasant.”

“What exactly do you get out of this, Michael? Aside from the money?”

“The hundred thousand—and the bragging rights. I’ll be the only man alive who can say he deflowered both of the Ross girls.”

“You are a disgusting—”

Lisette’s insult died in her throat as the door creaked open. Catalella burst in, her arms overflowing with glossy shopping bags. Not a single one of them contained a grocery item.

“Lisette!” Catalella dropped her haul and threw herself into her sister’s arms.

Lisette held her, her heart breaking at the familiar scent of her sister’s perfume—a scent that didn't belong in a place like this. She found it hard to let go, feeling the girl's trembling frame.

“I’m so glad you’re here. Papa won’t let Mama come near this neighborhood, and AJ won’t even pick up my calls.” Lisette tried to look away from her sister’s brimming eyes but found she couldn't break the gaze. “When did Papa say he was getting us the new apartment? He promised.”

“Soon, hermanita,” Lisette lied, her voice a soothing balm over a gaping wound. Her father had promised an apartment, but he was thinking of a fortress, not a home for a husband he despised.

“I’ll talk to him. Maybe we can find you something in the school district so you can finish your classes.”

“Really!” The pure, unadulterated joy in Catalella’s voice was a knife to Lisette’s heart. It was the first spark of hope the girl had felt since her disastrous wedding night. “I’d offer you a drink, but we only have the tap water. It tastes a bit like metal.”

Lisette felt a hysterical laugh bubbling up at the sight of Catalella’s pouting lip. But the look of pure, burning shame on Michael’s face was the real prize. It would be so easy to break him now. She couldn't resist one last twist of the knife. “Did you at least get something for supper?”

“I did!” she chirped. “I saw a delivery boy outside and asked him to bring us something from De Alma. I would have walked, but I’m just so exhausted from the shopping. Daniela and I had the best time.”

“What delivery boy?” Michael’s voice was a thunderclap of suspicion.

“The ones by the valet, standing next to Lisette’s car.”

“My car!” Lisette gasped. She made a move for the door, but the sudden, sharp realization of her sister’s plight stopped her cold.

Catalella was going to starve in this room with a man who hated her. “How about a girls’ night? Come with me, Catalella. We’ll get a real dinner and have some actual fun.”

“Sure!” The girl didn't hesitate; she bolted for the door as if the floorboards were on fire.

Lisette paused at the threshold, catching Michael’s eyes. She let out a short, sharp laugh. “That’s the problem with taking a baby from its mother, Michael. It expects to be fed. Enjoy the silence of your married life.”

“Tomorrow,” he reminded her, his voice cold and transactional. “The money for your airhead sister.”

“Deal,” Lisette whispered, stepped out, and closed the door on the abyss.