Chapter 5 Already Landed Yourself A New Man

Nate snapped, his voice thick with anger, "Madelyn, are you really about to walk away from your own family like this?"

Madelyn spoke deliberately, her voice measured and firm. "Anyone who treats me like a chess piece and always accuses me wrongly has no right to call themselves my family," she said.

Every word hit Nate like a punch to the gut, and a scowl twisted his face. "How dare you accuse us like this?" he snapped. "We've done so much just to give you a chance to mix with the high society. What else do you expect from us?"

Madelyn answered with a casual shrug, "You seriously think I'm impressed by that? That so-called high society..."

She let out a quiet laugh, saying nothing more, but her tone dripped with contempt.

Fury boiled over inside Nate. He jerked his arm up, ready to strike her across the face. But after a second's hesitation, remembering all the eyes around them, he pulled back. Instead, he gave her a rough shove on the shoulder.

"After everything we've done for you, this is how you repay us? You want to break ties? Fine by me!" he barked. "I'll make sure Dad locks your bank account. Let's see how long you can keep acting high and mighty then!"

Without another word, Nate spun on his heel and stormed off, not even glancing back at her. In his mind, Madelyn was nothing but a useless brat, and if she couldn't show a little gratitude, he would make damn sure she learned the hard way what life looked like without the Clark family's money behind her.

Madelyn, thrown off balance by the shove, staggered and almost slammed into the corner of a nearby table. Daniel quickly moved and grabbed her, steadying her before she could fall.

"Thanks," Madelyn said warmly, flashing him a small smile as she straightened up.

Neither of them realized that, across the street, a hidden camera had been quietly filming everything they did...

"Are you hurt?" Daniel asked, worry etched in his voice. He gave her a reassuring nod and added, "Once you're back in the fold, nobody will dare lay a finger on you again!"

Madelyn gave a genuine smile, warmth blooming in her chest from the rare feeling of being cared for. "It's alright; they won't dare lay a hand on me," she said lightly.

"When we found out you were back with the Clarks, we really thought you'd finally live the good life," Daniel said, still bristling with anger. "None of us ever imagined they'd turn around and treat you like dirt!"

He leaned closer, eager to put her mind at ease. "Don't worry. Professor Howard set aside a chunk of money for security," he added quickly. "We can get you a bodyguard. You won't have to lose sleep over your safety anymore!"

His voice softened as he kept trying to comfort her. "If anything's bothering you, just tell me. As long as you're willing to join our studio, I'll move mountains for you! There are so many problems at the studio that only you can help fix..."

"I'm all in," Madelyn said with a grin, flipping open the iPad to look over the documents. "The only thing left now is to wrap up the divorce!"

The following morning, Madelyn showed up at the courthouse bright and early.

She figured she had beaten everyone there, but the moment she stepped out of the car, her eyes landed on Jason's vehicle.

A bitter chuckle almost escaped her. It was almost laughable, she thought. Jason had shown up ahead of her, clearly in a hurry to get the divorce over and done with.

At that moment, the door of Jason's shiny Maybach swung open.

He climbed out, covering the space between them in a few long, tense strides. His face was stiff, barely holding back his fury. "You've got some explaining to do," he snapped, flinging a pile of photos at her.

The pictures flew everywhere like loose leaves, but Madelyn reacted quickly, snatching one out of the air. She recognized it at once-it was the scene from the café just the day before. It showed Daniel catching her just before she could fall after being shoved by Nate.

The instant Daniel steadied her had been caught on camera, the shot making it look like his hand lingered warmly on her shoulder while she gazed up at him with thankful eyes, giving the whole moment an oddly intimate feel.

"So this is the reason you're rushing for a divorce-you've already landed yourself a new man?" Jason sneered.

He almost never used that kind of biting tone. Madelyn noticed but brushed it off without much thought.