Chapter 7

The tires of Kain's Aston Martin screeched loudly as he slammed on the brakes in front of the Raymond family's sprawling Long Island estate.

He stomped into the lavishly decorated living room, his suit slightly wrinkled, his face tight with lingering anger.

Eleanor was sitting on a velvet sofa, sipping afternoon tea. When she saw Kain, she immediately set her cup down and plastered on a sickeningly sweet smile.

Kain skipped the pleasantries. He stood in the center of the room and announced, "I have officially broken off the engagement with Avah."

Preston, who was reading a financial report, slammed his bone-china teacup onto the glass table. His face darkened as he calculated the financial hit.

Jaclyn came running down the grand staircase. She widened her eyes, playing the perfect picture of innocent distress, and threw herself into Kain's arms.

Kain wrapped his arms around Jaclyn's waist. He looked at Preston. "Jaclyn is the only daughter-in-law the Hopkins family will ever acknowledge."

A greedy, calculating light sparked in Eleanor's eyes. She covered her mouth, hiding her triumphant smirk.

Preston felt a sharp ache at the thought of losing control over Avah's massive trust fund, but his mind quickly weighed the pros and cons.

Kain sneered, adding fuel to the fire. "Avah is currently in the hospital, hooking up with some broke, bottom-tier loser."

He used the most degrading words he could find, painting Avah as a desperate woman throwing herself at a peasant.

Eleanor let out a loud, mocking scoff. "I always knew that girl was useless. Once stained, always stained."

Jaclyn squeezed out two fake tears. She clutched Kain's sleeve. "How could my sister abandon our family's honor for a poor man?"

Preston made his decision. He completely discarded Avah in his mind. From now on, all family resources would be poured into Jaclyn.

He cleared his throat, changing the subject to what truly mattered. "The Metropolitan Museum of Art charity gala is next week."

A fanatical gleam appeared in Preston's eyes. "I have reliable information. Atticus Duke, the mysterious head of the Duke Consortium, will be attending."

The moment Kain heard that name, his arrogant posture vanished. He leaned forward, his face filled with desperate reverence.

"The Hopkins family is actively seeking funding from the Duke Consortium," Kain said eagerly. "This gala is our only chance to get close to him."

Eleanor grabbed Jaclyn's hands, her voice trembling with excitement. "You must look flawless at that gala, Jaclyn. You need to catch the eye of that titan."

Jaclyn's eyes burned with naked ambition. She silently vowed to make the mysterious billionaire fall to his knees for her.

The four of them sat in the luxurious living room, completely consumed by their manic fantasies of absolute wealth and power.

They had absolutely no idea that the "broke loser" Kain had just insulted in the hospital was Atticus Duke himself.

Back at the hospital, Avah was undergoing meticulous examinations by the top-tier specialists.

They treated her ankle with cutting-edge methods and even prescribed an incredibly expensive psychological trauma intervention program.

Avah tried to ask the nurse for the billing details, but the nurse simply smiled. "Everything has been paid in full by the hotel, Ms. Raymond."

This abnormal level of generosity set off massive alarm bells in Avah's head. She needed to know the truth.

Avah slowly opened her door to ask for a glass of water, just in time to hear two nurses whispering excitedly at the station down the hall. "Did you see the man who took over the Presidential Suite next door?" one murmured. "The one with the little boy. He's the one who carried her in." Avah pulled back into the shadows, her eyes narrowing.

Avah changed into a fresh hospital gown. Grabbing a medical crutch the hospital had provided, she carefully shifted her weight and slowly hobbled out of her room and down the hall.

She stopped in front of the slightly open door of the Presidential Suite. As she raised her hand to knock, she peeked through the crack and froze.