Chapter 5
Jordan snatched the ticket, her fingers trembling slightly. “It’s not my ticket. A friend is going on a trip and asked me to hold it for them.”
Maxwell’s expression cooled, but he didn’t question further.
He was too confident-confident that Jordan would never leave him.
Watching her enter the house, he turned to catch up with the mailman who had walked away.
Vanessa had mentioned wanting pastries from the new bakery in town, and he needed to arrange for someone to bring some back.
Meanwhile, when Jordan pushed open her door, her blood froze.
Her room looked as if it had been hit by a hurricane-drawers pulled out, clothes scattered everywhere, even the mattress had been flipped.
Most alarming was that the blue cloth pouch hidden in her pillowcase was missing.
“Looking for this, sis?” Vanessa leaned against the doorframe, dangling the familiar blue pouch.
Jordan immediately recognized it as the one her grandmother had secretly given her on her deathbed, containing her life savings-three hundred twenty-seven dollars and sixty cents.
“Give it back!” Jordan lunged forward to grab it.
Vanessa nimbly dodged, her lips curled in contempt. “What were you planning to do with this money?”
“None of your business.”
“You weren’t planning to retake the exam, were you?” Vanessa narrowed her eyes.
Jordan’s face drained of color.
“I knew it!” Vanessa laughed coldly. “Do you really think I’d let you have a chance to redeem yourself?”
“What do you want?” Jordan’s voice was terribly hoarse.
back.”
tilted her head, flashing an innocent smile. “It’s simple. Kneel down, bow to me three times, and I’ll give the money
Jordan’s nails dug deeply into her palms.
“What? Don’t want to?” Vanessa made as if to tear the pouch apart. “Then this money…”
“I’ll do it.”
Jordan’s knees hit the floor with a heavy thud. The first bow struck her forehead against the hardwood with a dull thump; with the second, tears splashed onto the floor; by the third, her entire body was trembling.
Chapter 5
“Can I have it back now?” she asked, her voice barely audible.
Vanessa smiled and then, as Jordan watched in horror, turned toward the fireplace and tossed the pouch with all the money inside into the roaring flames.
“No!”
Jordan lunged toward Vanessa, desperate to save the pouch before the flames consumed it.
But just as her fingertips were about to reach the pouch, Vanessa let out a piercing scream, falling backward, her arm “accidentally” striking the edge of the fireplace.
“АННН!”
Vanessa’s screams were ear-splitting.
Jordan froze in place, watching helplessly as an angry red burn mark instantly formed on Vanessa’s fair arm.
“What’s happening?!”
Maxwell and their parents burst into the room. When they saw Vanessa lying on the floor in agony, her arm badly burned,
their faces turned ashen.
“Jordan Hayes! What did you do to your sister?!” Her mother shrieked, rushing to Vanessa’s side, her voice dripping with concern and fury.
Jordan opened her mouth to explain, but before she could speak, her father slapped her hard across the face. “You ungrateful brat! If anything happens to Vanessa, I’ll never forgive you!”
Maxwell had already scooped Vanessa into his arms and was striding toward the door. “We need to get to the hospital!”
Jordan was roughly dragged along to the car.
At the hospital, the doctor’s expression was grave. “The patient has third-degree burns on her hand. She needs immediate skin grafting.”
“Use hers!” Her father pointed at Jordan without hesitation. “She’s her twin sister-the perfect match.”
“I don’t consent!” Jordan struggled violently. “Vanessa’s hand wasn’t burned by me! She did it herself…”
“You dare lie!” Her mother slapped her again. “If you hadn’t tried to steal her money, would Vanessa be hurt? And why did al money anyway? Don’t tell me you still wanted to retake the exam! Let me tell you, someone like you would never even if you retook it. You might as well just stay home and get married!”
Two nurses held her down as the anesthetic needle pierced her arm. As consciousness began to slip away, Jordan heard
Maxwell’s cold voice:
“You still wanted to retake the exam? Failing once usually means you’ll fail again. Besides, didn’t I say we’d get married early? Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”
Jordan lifted her head, looking at this man she had once longed for with every fiber of her being.
Not anymore,
