Chapter 2 Took The Money and Leave

I forced myself to my feet and saw Evelyn walking towards me, flanked by two men. Alexander's face was stone-cold, his voice dripping with mockery. "Alicia, don't think you can get away with anything just because of some small favor. You have no right and no standing to compete with Evelyn for anything!" Lucas glanced at me briefly, his face unreadable. "Alicia, you need to face reality. I'll never have feelings for someone like you." With that, they led Evelyn away and disappeared into the woods, leaving me behind. As I watched them go, I dragged my blood-soaked legs, forcing a bitter smile. Just then, Victoria Black appeared, rolling her eyes at me with pure disdain. She was Lucas' mother, someone I had once held in high regard in my past life. But now, my respect for her seemed nothing more than a pathetic plea in her eyes. "Look at you, still in this state. You deserve it," she sneered. "A poor girl like you doesn't belong with our Lucas. Margaret must have lost her mind! If you had just taken the money and left, how much trouble could've been avoided? But no, you're so greedy, hanging onto Lucas and refusing to go." Hearing her words, I found that I wasn't as devastated as I had been in my past life. Instead, a fierce anger flared inside me, and Nova could sense it too. Just as I was about to push back, Victoria spoke again. "Alright, you must know why I'm here. I've raised the offer every time—first 5 million, then 90 million, and now ... I'm offering you 100 million, if you'll just leave Lucas!" Victoria looked down on me as if throwing more money at me would solve the problem of me standing in the way of her perfect son. In my past life, no amount of money would have made me accept such an offer. I would have refused it without a second thought. But this time, Nova's voice echoed in my mind. "Take it, Aly. What we need is freedom." I nodded silently at Victoria, accepting her terms. "A hundred million. I agree." Victoria's eyes widened in shock. "You ... you're really willing to take the money and leave?!" "Yes," I replied firmly. Her face lit up with joy, and she quickly pulled me over to sign the agreement. Once the document was signed, she let out a sigh of relief, only to follow it up with a few more biting words. "How is it that you suddenly have some self-awareness? With your pathetic state, staying by Lucas' side will be a stain on him forever! Only someone like Evelyn—a princess from a respected family—deserves to be with our family!" I faced her mockery with calm composure and replied coolly, "But I heard that Evelyn is just an adopted daughter. Is that true?" Victoria's eyes flickered with irritation, but she quickly regained her composure. "How do you know that? What does it matter to you whether Evelyn is adopted or not? The biological daughter of the Whites has been missing for over a decade. Evelyn was adopted to ease their grief. Since their biological daughter can't return, Evelyn, as the adopted one, is as good as a biological daughter to them!" She spoke with such certainty, as though she had already decided it was the undeniable truth. I let out a quiet sneer and chose not to respond. I couldn't help but wonder how fascinating it would be when the Whites learned the truth—that I was their biological daughter. "When are you going to tell them?" Nova asked softly. "We'll see. In this life, I'm going to make sure Evelyn pays for every bit of pain she put me through in the last one." The Moon Goddess brought me back for a reason—she's standing behind my revenge. Just then, Victoria cut into my thoughts, frowning at the contract in her hands like it left a bad taste in her mouth. "So, when exactly are you leaving?" she demanded. "I'll go once I take care of one last thing," I said. Victoria looked like she wanted to object, but I cut her off before she could. "Relax. I've taken the money, so I'll keep my word. I'll vanish completely—you'll never see me again, and no one will be able to find me." That seemed to satisfy her. With a smug look, she turned and left. Without wasting another second, I headed upstairs to the guest room. There, just as I expected, I found a few strands of Alexander's hair.