Lahat ng Kabanata ng Once Dumped Like Trash, Now a Vengeful Heiress: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

Mrs Lena froze and for the first time that evening, there was a crack in her flawless facade. Delaney quickly glanced at her mother, then at Norman. "What do you mean?" Mrs Lena asked, forcing a tight smile."You said she ran away," Norman replied, leaning forward slightly, his eyes locked on hers. "Took the cheque, and left us behind. But the cheque was never touched. So tell me, Mother... where did she go?"The silence stretched.After some time, Mrs Lena set her fork down slowly and dabbed her lips with her napkin. The cheque... Why didn't she ever think of that? She had shredded it and never imagined it would be a problem."Must we really bring up the past during dinner? That girl made her choice. She left you, she left her child, and that's the end of it. Dwelling on her won't change anything."But Norman didn't look away. His gaze was intense, the kind that dug through lies. Just as he had never doubted Delaney, he had believed every word his mother said to him. But what if the

For one endless second, she thought he would finally kiss her. She wanted him to. She needed him to. As he gripped her waist with one hand and dug his fingers into the back of her head with the other hand, Calla thought it was finally going to happen.But Julian only smirked and brushed the corner of her lips with his. It was nothing more than a fleeting ghost of a kiss, enough to set her on fire and enough to ruin her. Then slowly, he pulled back with his dark eyes still locked on hers and his fingers still tangled in her hair. He was fighting a war, deep inside himself and the last thing he wanted was to put an end to what was going on between them. But for some reasons, he withdrew his hand from Calla's hair, leaving her dizzy and confused. She didn't know whether to be angry that he had set her whole body on fire only to pull away, relieved that he had stopped before things went too far and ended in hurt and regret, or disappointed that she had let her feelings take control whil

LATER IN THE EVENING~Calla sat across from Vernon, still wondering how she had let him talk her into this. She should have been back at her desk finishing up the work piled on her, or at home getting enough rest. Instead, here she was, sitting in one of the biggest restaurants in the city.Vernon leaned back in his chair with the usual cocky smile tugging at his lips. He already knew what she was thinking and still couldn't believe she had agreed to have dinner with him."Relax, Calla. You look like I dragged you here against your will." "Didn't you?"Vernon chuckled softly and shook his head. "Come on. Like I said, this is a celebration. I just thought it was worth marking the occasion.""You really didn't need to do this," Calla replied with a soft smile. "And besides, you don't really strike me as the type who celebrates things like that.""That means you don't know me as well as you think, sweetheart.""And there it is," Calla muttered, rolling her eyes. "The nickname routine."

Julian furrowed his brows and looked at her for some time. Then, slowly he rose from his chair and walked over to her."Have you been drinking?""What? No," Calla replied quickly, then sighed. "Well... just a couple of glasses of champagne. That's all."Julian gave a small nod, before walking back to his seat. Of course, that explained it. She was drunk and not thinking straight. That was why she had suddenly come to him tonight.Back at his desk, he sat down and leaned back in his chair. "Go get some rest, Calla," "No, what?""I said—get some rest," Julian said firmly, picking up his pen and dismissing her at once. "We'll talk another time, when you're sober,""I am sober!" "I don't want confessions made under the haze of champagne. Come back to me when your mind is clear,"Calla's frustration exploded and she marched closer, "I only had champagne, Julian, not a whole bottle. Two fûcking glasses over that shîtty dinner, that's all."That word caught him and he looked up."Dinner?"

The moment Julian's lips crashed against hers, Calla's entire body went still. For a heartbeat, she couldn't breathe, couldn't think, and couldn't even remember where she was. His mouth was firm and demanding, and she didn't even know how to react. Part of her wanted to push him away, to tell him that this wasn't how things were supposed to happen. But the other part of her, the one she had buried deep down for years, didn't want him to stop.The warmth of his body seeped through the fabric of his shirt, and her knees felt weak as her trembling fingers found their way to his chest.She had imagined what it might be like to kiss Julian before. She had wondered, in secret moments, what it would feel like if his lips ever touched hers. But nothing—nothing, had prepared her for this. It wasn't gentle or careful. It was fierce, consuming, and completely out of control. It felt like he was taking everything she had been afraid to give—her anger, her confusion, her unspoken feelings—and pu