Chapter 73
55 vouchers
Kayla knew Bailee only wanted peace, the kind of harmony that kept a household together. But that was no longer possible. Her mother had to face the truth.
“Mom, Kayla said, her voice low but steady, “do you really believe they’re doing this for me? Would you ever lash out at the people you love most? Because it sure sounds to me like they meant every single word.”
Bailee’s fingers tightened around her daughter’s hand, as if she could ward off the possibility that Kayla might be right. Panic flickered across her face. “No, of course not. Your father and your brother are your family, the ones who care for you most. They would never hurt you.”
Kayla lowered her gaze, the faintest shadow of a bitter smile passing over her lips.
In her last life, she had believed that, too. And yet, in the end, it was precisely those two men who cut her the deepest.
“But Mom, you heard him yourself,” she pressed on. “To Tristian, I’m nothing but a bargaining chip for the family. Even that stupid bet? If I lose, he wants me to shave my head and beg his forgiveness. Mom, does that sound like someone who sees me as family?”
She met Bailee’s eyes with quiet intensity, stripping away the illusions her mother clung to. “If you’re so sure they love me, then why are you here tonight? Why couldn’t you sleep?”
The words struck home. Bailee faltered, unable to answer, because Kayla had voiced the very thought that had driven her to Kayla’s room.
Kayla slipped her hand free and tucked it into her pocket, her face cooling, the sadness beneath her composure unmistakable.
She said. “Tell me the truth, Mom. Is it just because I’m a girl? That to Dad, to Tristian, even to you, I’ll never be worth as much?
“No matter how hard I work and no matter what I achieve, I’ll always end up nothing more than a pawn in some marriage deal? Just a piece of property to be traded?”
Bailee’s expression crumpled. Her eyes reddened as she shook her head fiercely. “No. Don’t say that. You’re my precious girl. You are not a tool, and you will never be a commodity.”
The warmth in her mother’s denial softened something in Kayla’s chest. She believed Bailee truly loved her, but love alone wasn’t enough.
For years, Bailee had turned away from the company, choosing a life of ease, blind to the changes rotting it from within.
Kayla needed her mother to see Jackson and Tristian for who they really were, to stand with her, if her plan for revenge was ever to succeed.
“Mom, Kayla said gently, “I know you love me. As long as you’re here, you won’t let Dad and Tristian force me to sacrifice myself for their gains. But don’t you see? They don’t listen to you anymore.”
Bailee gave a small, almost indulgent smile, as if Kayla were being paranoid. “Oh, sweetheart, don’t be silly. I’m a Perry. Your father owes everything to my family. He told me himself. Whatever I ask of him, he’ll do.”
Watching her mother’s face, so certain, so serene in that fragile bubble of happiness, Kayla felt nothing but irony, Jackson had played his hand well. Even now, Bailee was convinced she was the center of his world.
For all her gilded upbringing, Bailee had been sheltered too well, never taught how cruel people could be.
1/3
Chapter 73
་་།
55 vouchers
And in Kayla’s last life, this gentle, guileless woman had died suddenly in an “accident”
She would never have guessed that after her death, her beloved daughter would be left at the mercy of Tristian, Jackson, and
their allies.
Kayla realized that letting Bailee remain wrapped in the fragile illusion Jackson had crafted, clinging to a false sense of happiness, would only harm her in the end. It was better she opened her eyes now, to see Jackson for who he truly was.
The accident that day, and Jackson’s chilling reaction, had already convinced Kayla that something far darker lay beneath
the surface.
She clasped Bailee’s hand firmly, her gaze steady and unyielding.
“Mom, I know you love Dad,” she said quietly, each word deliberate, “but does he really love you? If he did, why would Perry Group. Grandpa’s life’s work, become Sexton Group, his empire alone?
“When was the last time you visited the company? Do people there even remember that you were once its rightful owner?
“And if Dad and Tristian are determined to trade my future for profit, what power do you have to stop them? You have neither wealth nor influence anymore.”
Bailee’s face drained of color. She shook her head violently, terror flashing in her eyes.
“No, that can’t be. Without the Perry family, your father would never have risen so high. He’s distant, yes, but he still cares for me. Everyone knows him as a good husband.
“And Tris, he’s my son. If I protect you, he’ll listen to me. He must…” But her voice wavered, trembling more with each word. her certainty unraveling.
Kayla’s heart sank. Her mother sensed the truth as well. She simply refused to face it.
Jackson’s reputation as the perfect husband had been forged years ago, before he gained control, back when her grandfather was alive.
After his death, when Bailee surrendered the company to Jackson, everything had changed.
“Mom,” Kayla pressed, “you say Tristian will obey you. But today, in front of you, he humiliated me without hesitation. When you tried to stop him, did he show the slightest respect?
“No, he fears only Dad, because Dad controls the company, his career, and his future.
“And haven’t you noticed how careful you’ve become around Dad? How you weigh every word, as if you’re afraid to upset him? I remember when I was little, it was the other way around. He used to hover around you, desperate to keep you smiling. When did the roles reverse?”
The answer was clear. It had all begun after Bailee’s father passed away, when she abandoned the company’s affairs, leaving Jackson to tighten his grip piece by piece. He even erased its name, reshaping Perry Group into the Sexton Group.
Though Bailee still lived in comfort, Jackson’s affection had long since withered, replaced with a cold indifference. He never spoke of business at home, and when Bailee dared to ask, he dismissed her with impatience, accusing her of meddling.
Yayla remembered all too well from her previous life when she had been mistreated. Bailee went to the Sexton Group to plead with Jackson, only to be barred at the door. The receptionist didn’t even know she was the chairman’s wife.
It was then Bailee learned the truth that Jackson had already driven out the last of the old Perry loyalists.
2/3
7:42 pm
Chapter 74
