55 vouchers
Tristian had reached his breaking point. After being cut down by Kayla again and again, he shot to his feet, finger trembling as he jabbed it at her. “You…”
“Enough.” Jackson’s voice sliced through the air, low and sharp.
He had been silent until now, but the authority in his tone froze the room. “Haven’t you made yourself ridiculous enough already? Kay’s right. You’re supposed to be a man. Stop snapping at her like a child. Learn to think bigger, to see further.”
The words landed like a slap. Tristian jerked his hand back, face tight with frustration, his pride swallowing the anger he couldn’t release.
Jackson’s gaze shifted to Kayla. For a moment, there was a strange glimmer in his eyes, something layered and unreadable. It felt as though he wasn’t just looking at her but through her, at something else entirely.
Kayla caught the flicker and felt a chill. In that fleeting second, she thought she glimpsed disdain, even irritation, behind his measured calm.
Confusion swept over her, but before she could pin it down, his voice came again, deliberate and steady.
He said, “Kay’s right. The bonds you form young matter most in the long run. Since you’ve started to understand that, use your time wisely.
“I hear the Smith boys, the Wilson heir, and the Harris kid are all at your school. Promising stock. Spend time with them. It’ll do you no harm.”
The implication crashed over her like a weight. Her chest tightened until she forgot to breathe.
This wasn’t approval. It was an instruction. He wasn’t supporting her judgment.. He was steering her toward those boys, grooming her for future alliances. It was not for herself, not for her happiness, but for the Sexton name.
In her previous life, he had bartered her future the same way, treating her as a pawn to secure his empire. Nothing had changed.
Across the room, Tristian’s fury evaporated, replaced with smug triumph.
He leaned forward, his voice rich with mockery. “Dad’s right. If you’re so keen on building connections, then focus on those boys at school. Win their hearts now, and maybe someday you’ll finally bring something to the company.”
His words dripped with derision, a cruel laugh at the destiny waiting for her.
Kayla pressed her lips together, fingers curling into fists at her sides until her nails bit deep into her palms. Pain spread in hot pricks through her hand, but she forced herself still.
Now was not the time to fight back. She would endure.
Her silence dulled Tristian’s smile for a heartbeat, but then he leaned in again, his voice sharpening to a sneer. “Of course, wanting to help the family is one thing. Being worth anything is another.
“Look at your grades. Do you honestly think any of those heirs would take you seriously? Families like that don’t marry fools. With your record, you wouldn’t even make it past their gates.”
The flicker of approval in Jackson’s expression vanished instantly. His brow tightened, and he reached for the stack of files
on the coffee table.
1/3
7:41 pm
Chapter 69
A
55 vouchers
When he spoke again, his voice was colder than stone. “We’ll put aside what just happened. I won’t waste more time on it. But Tristian is right about one thing–your grades. Care to explain? I give you everything, comfort, resources, opportunities, and this is what you bring me in return?”
With a sudden flick, he hurled the stack of files straight at her. The weight of them cracked against Kayla’s face with brutal force. Her cheek lit up in searing pain, as though pressed with a hot brand.
The sharp comer sliced across her skin, leaving a shallow cut that welled with blood, a thin crimson bead against the shock- white of her face.
Jackson didn’t even blink. His eyes stayed fixed on her, cold and pitiless, untouched by guilt or regret.
Tristian leaned against the wall, a smug grin tugging at his lips. To him, this wasn’t his sister being scolded. It was free entertainment, a show he was enjoying far too much.
He even muttered under his breath, just loud enough for the sting to land, “Dad’s right. She’s pathetic. How could someone like her ever be worthy of our family’s name?”
Bailee’s heart ached as she pulled Kayla protectively into her arms.
Her voice trembled as she pleaded, “Honey, Kay’s still young. You don’t need to be so hard on her. We’re not exactly struggling to make ends meet.
“Even if she isn’t at the top of her class, she’ll never have to worry about food or shelter. Don’t hold her to such impossible standards.”
Kayla’s chest tightened with warmth at her mother’s words. No matter how cold her father and brother were, she still had her mother’s love, and that was enough to cling to.
But Bailee was far too trusting, too blind to the ruthless reality of the world. She didn’t see the truth. Her “good husband” and “good son” were both men who valued nothing but power and gain.
She didn’t realize that in Jackson’s eyes, if Kayla proved to have no use, then she had no worth at all, and he would never let her waste her life under his roof.
Sure enough, Jackson’s eyes cut to Bailee with a flash of irritation, his voice sharp with blame. “Coddling her will ruin her. If you keep shielding her like this, what kind of future will she have?
“Look around. Every respectable family chooses daughters–in–law who are accomplished, educated, and polished in every way. If she can’t even manage her studies, what man of standing would ever want her?”
Tristian jumped at the chance to pile on, his tone dripping with mock concern. “Mom, let’s be real. We’ve raised Kay all these years. She can’t just live like some pampered princess and give nothing back.
“In our world, a woman’s only real purpose is securing an alliance. If she can’t even do that, then what have we been feeding her for? It’s just a waste.”
Bailee’s
widened in disbelief. Her voice shook as she snapped back, “Tris, how could you say that? She’s your sister! How can you talk about her like she’s some commodity to be bargained away?”
Tristian only smirked, his tone full of scorn. “Mom, it’s not cruelty. It’s reality. You’ve just been too sheltered by Dad to see how things really work. But in our world? Marriages are business. Always have been.”
Bailee shook her head firmly, her voice steady and resolute. “I don’t care what other families do. My daughter deserves happiness. I want her to grow up and find someone she truly loves like I did. I don’t care about alliances. I just want her to live freely…”
2/3
“Enough. Stop this nonsense.” Jackson’s voice sliced through hers, cold and final.
65 vouchers
The flicker of distaste that crossed his face was gone in an instant, but Kayla saw it. And in that fleeting moment, her heart lurched with dread.
3/3
