Chapter 2

Through the open double doors, Gloria Holman strode into the bridal lounge wrapped in a luxurious fur shawl, her pointed heels clicking sharply before her husband, Gray Holman, shuffled in behind her.

Demi tightened her grip on the scissors hidden in her sleeve, her nails biting into her palm as she watched the couple who had raised her like a servant.

Gloria swept her cold, narrow eyes across the room, frowning in disgust when she saw the water dripping down Ezell's chin.

"You can't even handle a girl. Useless thing."

Ezell shrank back, dropping his head without a word as he retreated behind Keely, all his earlier arrogance gone.

Gray pulled a cigar from his pocket with fingers stained yellow from decades of smoking. As the nominal chairman of the Holman Group, he lit the cigar, took a deep puff, and looked away from Demi toward the ceiling.

Gloria sat down on the velvet sofa, the massive emerald ring on her right index finger glinting dully under the chandelier.

"Give her the paperwork."

A man in a tailored suit pulled a thick document from his briefcase and placed it flat on the vanity table in front of Demi.

The bold black letters on the cover read Substitute Marriage Agreement. The words felt like a bucket of ice water poured straight over Demi's head.

Demi didn't even reach for the pages. She straightened her spine, her voice tight.

"I'm not signing this. This is illegal coercion."

Gloria let out a sharp laugh, picking up a teacup to take a slow sip.

"Illegal? You ate my food and wore my clothes under my roof for twenty years. This is called paying off your debt."

Demi bit her lower lip until she tasted rust, her eyes reddening with fury.

"You adopted me from the orphanage just for today?"

Gloria set the porcelain cup down with a loud clatter.

"What else? Did you actually expect me to love you like my own flesh and blood? You're nothing but a nameless stray with unknown parents."

The last sliver of illusion in Demi's chest shattered completely. She let out a cold laugh and looked at Gray through the haze of cigar smoke.

"Father, is this what you want too?"

Gray blew out an anxious cloud of smoke, hunching his shoulders to avoid her eyes.

"Demi, just consider it doing the family a favor. The Colliers are billionaires. They won't treat you badly financially."

Demi's chest heaved. She snatched the agreement off the table and ripped it cleanly in half, the sound of tearing paper cutting through the quiet room.

Keely shrieked and lunged forward too late, pointing a trembling finger at Demi's nose.

"Have you lost your mind? If we offend the Collier family, our entire company will go bankrupt!"

Demi threw the torn scraps straight into Keely's face.

"Whether your family lives or dies has nothing to do with me!"

Gloria shot up from the sofa, marched up to Demi, and swung her hand across Demi's cheek with a loud crack.

Demi's head snapped to the side. Her left cheek swelled instantly, a thin line of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She didn't shed a tear. She pressed the tip of her tongue against the cut and turned her head back to glare at Gloria.

Unsettled by her icy stare, Gloria raised her chin and scoffed.

"Do you think tearing up one copy changes anything? The lawyer has plenty of backups."

The lawyer immediately pulled two fresh copies from his briefcase, laid them neatly on the table, and uncapped a black Montblanc pen.

Gloria folded her arms across her chest, looking down at Demi.

"If you refuse to sign today, I will cut off your tuition at Bay Area United University immediately, and I'll make sure not a single company in the Bay Area ever dares to hire you."

Demi's heart contracted painfully. Her degree at United University was her only ticket out of this mud pit, and Gloria had grabbed her directly by the throat.

She stared at the cold metal pen on the wood, her fingers trembling as her mind raced for a way to survive.

Keely sneered from the side, rubbing her cheek where the paper had hit her.

"Hurry up and sign it. Or do you really want to end up homeless sleeping under a freeway overpass?"

Demi drew in a slow, ragged breath, forcing down the humiliation burning in her chest. Fighting them head-on right now would leave her with nothing.

She reached out, picked up the pen, paused for a second above the dotted line, and signed her name in sharp strokes.

A satisfied smile spread across Gloria's face. She reached for the contract, but Demi slammed her palm down over the paper.

Demi looked up, her amber eyes hard as flint.

"I signed it, but we are adding a supplemental clause at the bottom."

Gloria frowned impatiently.

"What kind of trick are you trying to pull now?"

Demi spoke slowly, her voice echoing in the lounge.

"From this moment on, I sever all legal and family ties with the Holman household. Whether I live or die, we never see each other again."

The room went dead silent. Gray froze with the cigar halfway to his mouth, staring in shock at the girl who had quietly endured their abuse for two decades.

Gloria barked out a laugh filled with contempt.

"I couldn't ask for more. Lawyer, write it in for her."

The lawyer quickly drafted the severance clause at the bottom of both copies, and Demi pressed her thumb into the red ink pad, stamping her print over her signature without hesitation.

She stood up, ripped the heavy lace bridal veil from her hair, threw it like a dirty rag at Ezell's feet, and strode toward the open doors.