Shattered Ties

Valerie stepped through the heavy oak doors of the Vance residence, her posture stiff and her guard raised high. The quiet luxury of the massive foyer offered zero comfort. The crystal chandelier above cast cold, mocking shadows on the walls. Before her foot even fully crossed the threshold, a vicious shout tore through the air.

"You finally decided to show up, huh?"

Roland stormed out of the main living room, his face flushed an ugly shade of crimson.

Valerie refused to shrink back, answering him in a flat tone. "Didn't you ask me to come?"

Roland had never tolerated her defiance. Enraged by her icy disrespect, he grabbed a ceramic teacup from the nearby console table and hurled it right at her head.

The cup narrowly missed her face and smashed violently against the marble tiles at her feet. The sharp sound of breaking porcelain echoed loudly in the tense room. A jagged shard of ceramic ricocheted upward, slicing deep into the back of Valerie's fair hand. Bright red blood immediately welled up from the gash, dripping a steady trail down her fingers and staining the pristine floor.

Valerie did not flinch. She did not even spare a glance at her bleeding hand. Her expression remained an impassive mask as she stared straight into his furious eyes.

"Did you call me back home just to throw a tantrum? Now that you have vented your anger, I am going to leave."

She pivoted on her heel, fully intending to walk right back out the front door.

Cordelia stepped into the hallway, smoothing down her expensive silk dress. She had been watching the assault from the shadows, clearly enjoying the spectacle before deciding to intervene. "Enough, Roland. Do not get all worked up and forget the main thing."

Roland took a harsh, ragged breath, remembering exactly why they needed her here. "Stand right there! I heard that Donovan has divorced you."

Valerie paused her retreat. She turned her head slightly to face them. "Yes."

Roland roared, a thick vein throbbing in his temple. "You insolent girl! Go right back to the Whitmore residence right now! I do not care how you do it, but you are not leaving the Whitmore family!"

The Whitmore family was a massive cash cow. The Vance family business had been clinging to life for three years entirely because of that connection. Roland knew their company would be wiped off the map in Brookhaven if they lost the Whitmores' financial backing now.

Valerie found his desperate demands genuinely amusing. "Do you think I am that dumb to agree to step into a hellhole twice?"

Cordelia stepped closer, forcing a sickeningly sweet, pleading tone into her voice. She despised her stepdaughter, but pride meant nothing when their lavish lifestyle was on the line. "Valerie, you know that our family cannot survive without the Whitmores."

Valerie stated plainly. "What does that have to do with me? I am not a Vance."

Ever since Roland had abandoned her mother and destroyed their family, she considered every tie to this house permanently severed. Seeing Valerie stand her ground with such cold detachment, Cordelia frowned. She tugged urgently at Roland's sleeve, giving him a pointed, calculated look.

Roland caught the silent message. He narrowed his eyes and pulled out his ultimate weapon. "Okay. Then I am going to call the hospital and terminate the financial support for your mother's medical treatment right this second."

Helena had been relying on expensive ICU treatments for years to stay alive. Roland had weaponized those daily hospital bills over and over, holding Helena's life hostage to keep Valerie in line. He expected Valerie to panic and submit, knowing she could never afford the staggering costs alone.

However, the threat failed to land this time. Valerie casually raised an eyebrow, ignoring the throbbing pain in her hand.

"Who do you think Donovan is? A gullible nobody? Someone you guys can toy with repeatedly?"

Roland and Cordelia both paled. The Whitmores had originally demanded Bianca for the marriage alliance. Cordelia had refused to let her precious daughter marry an allegedly ugly, disabled man, so she had drugged Valerie and swapped her in. The deception was a ticking time bomb.

Roland snapped, waving his hand dismissively. "I do not care. Figure it out yourself."

Valerie crossed her arms, sealing their fate. "No can do. Donovan chased me out of the Whitmore residence, so I can never go back there unless he personally comes over to take me."

A fierce wave of triumph washed over her. She knew the arrogant, distant Donovan Whitmore would rather die than step foot in the Vance residence. He would never show up. She had successfully called their bluff.

Her silent victory lasted for barely five seconds.

Frantic footsteps echoed down the hallway. A housekeeper scurried into the living room, her chest heaving and her eyes wide with sheer panic.

"Mr. Vance, Mrs. Vance, someone from the Whitmore family is here."