The Billionaire's Dangerous Redemption (by Claire Winters) novel Chapter 145

145 The Price of a Broken Bracelet

Hazel’s POV

I stepped through the glass doors of Evening Gala headquarters, my heels clicking sharply against the marble floor. The security guard nodded respectfully as I passed. My conversation with Tanya at the coffee shop yesterday had left me with a bitter taste, but I’d expected her to crawl back to me eventually.

What I hadn’t expected was for her to show up at my office again the very next

morning.

“Ms. Shaw, your stepmother is waiting in the conference room,” Cherry informed me, her expression apologetic. “She arrived thirty minutes ago and refused to leave. Security was about to escort her out when I suggested putting her somewhere

contained.”

“Smart thinking,” I replied, setting my designer bag on my desk. “How does she look today?”

“Desperate,” Cherry said flatly. “And she brought documents.”

I sighed, checking my watch. “Give me five minutes to prepare, then show her in.”

Cherry nodded and left. I pulled out my tablet and quickly reviewed the financial status of Shaw Enterprises-my father’s failing company. As expected, they were on the verge of bankruptcy. Father’s legal troubles had scared away investors, and without my designs, they had nothing unique to offer the market.

Right on schedule, my office door opened. Tanya marched in, looking even more disheveled than yesterday. Her blouse had a small coffee stain on the collar, and the dark circles under her eyes told me she hadn’t slept well.

“Fifty million,” she announced without preamble, dropping a folder on my desk. “That’s what we need. Or you can return the company shares to your father.”

I didn’t bother looking at the folder. “Good morning to you too, Tanya. I see you’ve ignored my request to make an appointment.”

“Don’t play games with me, Hazel.” She jabbed a finger at the folder. “Your father is facing jail time. Even with Alistair’s legal team helping us, the prosecutor won’t drop

the charges without full restitution to the investors.”

So Alistair was still trying to help my family. That information was more valuable than anything in her folder.

“Alistair’s helping Father? Interesting.” I leaned back in my chair. “That means he’s recovered enough from his illness for me to finalize our divorce.”

Tanya’s face twisted with anger. “Is that all you care about? Your father could go to prison!”

“Actions have consequences,” I replied calmly. “Father stole my designs, claimed credit for my work, and then tried to frame me for fraud. The fact that he’s facing prison seems perfectly fair.”

“You’ve always been so selfish!” Tanya slammed her hands on my desk. “This family gave you everything!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “This family? You mean the father who abandoned me after mother died? The stepmother who treated me like a servant? Or perhaps the stepsister who stole my fiancé on my wedding day?”

“Ivy is dead!” Tanya shrieked, tears welling in her eyes. “My daughter is dead, and you’re still bitter about a man!”

I stood, my patience thinning. “This isn’t about Alistair. This is about years of manipulation and abuse. This is about you and Father using me for my talent while giving all the credit and rewards to Ivy.”

“That’s not true! You were always difficult, always thinking you were better than everyone!”

“I wasn’t better,” I said. “I was different. I had talent. And instead of nurturing that talent, you punished me for it.”

Tanya paced the room, her designer knockoff heels scuffing my expensive carpet. “We’re family, Hazel, whether you like it or not. Family helps each other.”

“Like you helped me when Father kicked me out?” I asked, my voice dangerously quiet. “Like you helped when Ivy wrecked my wedding dress? Or perhaps like you helped when she destroyed the jade bracelet my mother left me?”

Tanya scoffed. “That again? That bracelet was a fake. We both know it.”

My eyes narrowed. “Is that what you told yourself to justify letting Ivy smash it to pieces? That it was worthless?”

“It was worthless!” Tanya insisted. “Your mother was never rich enough to afford real jade like that.”

I walked to the window, looking out at the city skyline. “My mother came from one of the oldest families in Shanghai before the revolution forced them to flee. That bracelet was one of the few heirlooms they managed to save.”

“If that were true, why would she leave it to an ungrateful child like you?” Tanya sneered.

I turned back to face her, my composure intact despite her attempts to provoke me. “Is this really why you came here? To argue about a bracelet from ten years ago? Or did you want to discuss the fifty million you think I owe you?”

Tanya moved to block the door. “You’re not leaving until you agree to help us. We raised you, fed you, clothed you—”

“You did the bare minimum required by law,” I cut in. “And now you want me to reward you for it?”

“You ruined us!” she cried. “You took everything!”

“I took back what was mine,” I corrected her. “My talent, my designs, my company.”

“Your father’s company,” she insisted.

“The company I built with my work while he took the credit,” I replied evenly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting in twenty minutes.”

Tanya didn’t budge from the door. “Fifty million, or return the shares. Those are your options.”

I stepped closer to her, my voice dropping to a confidential tone. “Let me tell you a secret, Tanya. That jade bracelet Ivy smashed? The one you were so convinced was fake?”

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“It was the real one,” I revealed. “Worth about three hundred million at auction, given its imperial provenance and flawless condition.”

The blood drained from her face. “You’re lying.”

“I had it appraised before mother gave it to me,” I continued, enjoying the growing horror on her face. “She wanted me to understand its value, both financial and

sentimental.”

“If it was so valuable, why didn’t you stop Ivy from breaking it?” Tanya challenged, but her voice trembled.

“Because I was nineteen and terrified of both you and Father,” I admitted. “And because I never imagined someone would deliberately destroy something so precious out of pure jealousy.”

Tanya’s breathing became shallow. “Three hundred million?”

I nodded. “So here’s my counter-offer. You want me to return Father’s company shares? Fine. Bring me back my mother’s jade bracelet in perfect condition, or pay me its market value-three hundred million dollars.”

“That’s impossible!” she sputtered. “The bracelet is broken!”

“Not my problem,” I echoed her words from our previous conversations over the years. “Maybe you should have thought of that before you let Ivy smash a priceless artifact.”

Tanya’s face contorted with rage and desperation. “You planned this! You knew all along!”

“No,” I said with genuine sadness. “I never wanted the bracelet destroyed. That was Ivy’s doing, with your blessing. I’m simply naming my price for the shares you want.”

“You know we can’t pay that!” she cried.

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