Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Floyd’s brain was doing somersaults. ‘Is Geneva out to burn her cheating husband to the ground?‘ Floyd thought.
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‘Stan’s gotta be dumber than a bag of hammers! How do you score a wife this drop–dead gorgeous and sharp as a tack, then go fooling around with her sister?‘ But a darker thought slithered in. ‘Hang on.
‘If Geneva’s actually Stan’s wife and they patch things up down the road, what if she turns her guns on Taylor Group? We’d be roadkill!‘
As if she could see right through him, Geneva sipped her water and said, smooth as silk, “Relax, Floyd. I wouldn’t lift a pinky to help Stan. Not in a million years.”
She stood, brushing off her skirt like she was brushing off the whole damn world. “I’ll shoot you the full data file later.”
Floyd nearly tripped over himself getting up as she headed for the door. “Yo, hold up, Ms. Motley! Your phone…”
He clung to the sleek device, silently begging she’d forget about it. This baby was too sweet to let go.
Geneva threw a quick glance back. “Yours now. Don’t sweat it.”
Floyd’s jaw hit the floor. “You serious?!” It was like winning the lottery on his birthday.
His mind raced to the future–Taylor Group’s solar batteries powering every gadget from whole wide world. He was practically vibrating with hype.
“Wait, wait! We haven’t nailed down the profit split yet!” he added.
Without missing a step, Geneva tossed over her shoulder, “Seventy–thirty. My thirty goes straight to charity. Don’t even try sending it my way.”
To her, cash was just Monopoly money.
Floyd froze, gobsmacked. ‘Who is this woman?‘
Across town, Tabitha and Vera had just been sprung after three days behind bars. They looked like they’d been chewed up and spit out, and it gut- punched Rocky, Salena, and Stan.
Tabitha collapsed into Stan’s arms, sobbing like her world was ending, and it tore his heart to shreds. His icy glare locked onto Rocky and Salena.
“Tabitha’s my woman,” he growled, low and dangerous. “Nobody lays a finger on her. So what’s the deal with your daughter? You gonna handle her, or do I have to roll up my sleeves?”
Rocky jumped in, all nervous energy. “Look, Geneva’s just got a chip on her shoulder. She didn’t mean to screw over Tabitha. We’ll talk some sense into her, get her to say sorry…”
But Tabitha, still sniffling, piped up. “No, Dad, Mom, forget the apology. I don’t hold it against my sister. I’m just… worried sick about her. These past two years, she’s been running with some real shady types. If that gets out, her name’s mud…”
She broke down again, tears streaming, “It’s all my fault. If it wasn’t for me, she wouldn’t have gone off the rails like this…”
Rocky and Satena bought every word, hook, line, and sinker, not even pausing to wonder if it added up.
“That ungrateful little troublemaker!” Rocky bellowed. “We’re dragging her back home before she makes us the laughingstock of the city!”
And just like that, the Motley family stormed off to the swanky hotel where Geneva was crashing.
Rocky flashed his bigwig businessman smile at the front desk, claiming he was there to pick up his daughter.
The staff didn’t blink–his name was a golden ticket. They waved the whole Motley crew right up.
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Chapter 15
The Motley family didn’t bother with niceties–they barged into Geneva’s room like they were storming a castle, the door crashing open.
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Salena came in swinging, tearing into her daughter without a second’s pause. “You little troublemaker! Where the hell have you been? What kind of mess have you been cooking up? You trying to make the Motley family the town joke?”
Geneva’s eyes narrowed, sharp as a blade. “Tabitha’s been running her mouth, hasn’t she?”
Tabitha hung back, pulling her classic damsel–in–distress act, all wide eyes and fake sniffles.
Salena didn’t miss a beat. “Your sister’s just looking out for you, and you repay her by calling the cops on her?”
Geneva nearly laughed out loud. ‘Wasn’t it Tabitha who dialed 911 on herself?‘
Salena’s blind devotion to her golden child was so intense it was like she lived in her own reality.
Geneva couldn’t make sense of it. ‘If she didn’t want me, why the hell did she have me? Why bring a kid into this world just to treat her like dirt? What, just because she gave birth to me, I’m supposed to owe her forever?‘
“Mrs. Motley,” Geneva said, her voice cool and cutting, “I’m your daughter too, last I checked. You think it’s cute to sling mud at me with no proof? Real nice look for you.”
ce stiff as a board. “It’s a war zone out there. If you weren’t up to some shady business, how’re you even still breathing?”
Should’ve just dropped dead? That’d be more normal to you?” Geneva’s words dripped with venom.
dn’t given a single thought to the dangers she’d faced alone, yet here Salena was, strutting in to shame her for “disgracing” the
ena had a rough go when she was pregnant with Geneva, but how was that Geneva’s fault? She didn’t ask to exist.
“Why does Salena act like her pain was a tab I have to pick up?‘ she thought.
Salena met Geneva’s icy stare–those eyes so cold they could chill a room–and faltered, words catching in her throat.
This daughter she’d always pushed aside had never looked at her like this, like she was just some stranger, not her mother.
“You… you’ve sure gotten cocky out there, huh?” Salena stammered. “I’m your mom, and now I can’t even set you straight?”
Rocky stepped in, gently pulling Salena back. “Geneva, don’t give your mom a hard time. She’s just worried sick.” Then, softening his tone, he added, “We came to bring you back home, kiddo.”
“No way in hell,” Geneva shot back, unflinching.
Rocky’s face darkened, his patience thinning. “Geneva, don’t play games.”
He thought he had her pegged. Geneva had always been desperate for his approval, her eyes lighting up like a kid on Christmas whenever he spared her a glance.
She’d tiptoe around his temper, always trying to keep the peace. He figured a stern look would have her scrambling to pack her bags and come crawling back to the Motley family.
But Geneva just stared him down, cool as ice.
“Mr. Motley,” she said, her voice steady as a rock, “the day I left your house, I was done. I’m not part of the Motley family anymore. You stay out of my business, I’ll stay out of yours. We’ll all sleep better that way.”
Rocky’s jaw clenched, stunned by her guts, “You’re saying you want to cut ties? With us? The whole Motley family?”
Geneva didn’t flinch. “I’m saying you don’t need me, and I don’t need you.”
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Chapter 15
“You sure about that?” Rocky sneered, leaning in. “You walk away, everything–every single dime–goes to your sister. You’ll get squat.”
He was dead certain she’d back down, but Geneva’s gaze didn’t waver. “Mr. Motley, I wouldn’t touch your money if you paid me to.”
Her defiance lit a match under Rocky. “Fine! You think you’re all that? Let’s see how you survive out there, Miss High–and–Mighty!”
He spun on his heel, barking, “We’re done here. The Motley family doesn’t have a daughter like her! She won’t see a cent of my fortune!”
He paused, waiting for her to crack, to beg him to stay. But Geneva just stood there, colder than a January night.
Rocky’s pride took a beating, and he stormed out, his ego in shreds.
Tabitha, ever the drama queen, chimed in, all fake concern. “Sis, don’t make Dad madder. Just say you’re sorry. He’ll let it go, I swear.”
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Geneva didn’t budge, and Tabitha doubled down, her voice sugary enough to rot teeth. “Come on, sis, you’re clueless out there. You really gonna drag our name through the dirt just to prove a point?”
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Geneva shot her a smirk sharp enough to draw blood. “Knocked up before a ring and sneaking around with your sister’s man? Yeah, Tabitha, you’re the one making us look like a soap opera. You’re not embarrassed, so why should I be? I’m out here living my truth, no shame in my game.”
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