The Billionaire's Dangerous Redemption (by Claire Winters) novel Chapter 70

70 The Devil’s Bargain and a Chilling Realization

My father’s voice on the phone had disappeared, but the echo of his desperation Hingeved. This offer dangled before me like bait ma trap my mother’s company shares in exchange for her jade bracelet. Too good to be true

I placed the bracelet back in its velvet box and snapped it shut. Something wasn’t

adding up. Harold Shaw never gave anything away without a scheme behind it

My phone buzzed again. Another text from my father

*The offer is genuine. Think about it. Those shares would make you sole owner of your mother’s legacy.*

I typed back immediately:

*How did you get out of detention so quickly?*

Three dots appeared, disappeared, then reappeared.

*I had help from friends in high places.*

Friends in high places. That could only mean one person-Alistair. He still had

connections that could make legal problems vanish. The revelation made my blood boil. Even now, he was helping my father, probably to ease his own guilt.

My phone rang again. My father, calling back.

“What?” I answered coldly.

I’ve been thinking” he said, his tone surprisingly conciliatory. “Tll throw in twenty

percent of Shaw Enterprises as well

I nearly dropped the phone. Twenty percent of Shaw Enterprises was worth millions, This wasn’t just suspicious anymore-it was alarming.

“What’s really going on?” I demanded. “That bracelet isn’t worth that much.

A pause

1 had it appraised recently he finally admitted. “That jade is extremely rare. Worth

awer three hundred million on todays market

stared at the small velvet box in shock. Three faindred million? That couldn’t possibly be right. My mother had never mentioned anything about its value

“You’re lying” I said flatly

“Check for yourself if you don’t believe me, he countered. “But Ivy wants it. She’s always wanted it. It’s her dying wish.”

Of course it was. Ivy had spent her entire life coveting everything that was mine.

“Why should I care about her dying wish?” I asked roldly “She stole my fiancé on my wedding day.

“She’s dying, Hazel,” my father pleaded, his voice breaking. “Have some compassion”

I laughed bitterly. “Compassion? Like what you showed my mother? Or me?”

Silence stretched between us.

The company shares and twenty percent of Shaw Enterprises,” he repeated. “Just let

her wear it for her last few days. You’ll get it back after.”

After she was dead. The unspoken words hung in the air.

“I’ll think about it.” I said again. not committing.

“There’s something else,” my father said quickly before I could hang up. “At your wedding-your almost-wedding–there was a strange man there. From the Sinclair

family:

My heart skipped. Sebastian.

“What about him?” I asked carefully.

“He wasn’t on the guest list. At least, not properly. He used an invitation meant for the Thome family

Tfrowned. “How do you know this?”

Security footage, my father said dismissively. “The point is, the Sinclairs have been

The trend Chang Home

watching you. For years, apparently. Does that not concern you?”

It did concernine Deeply. But I wasn’t about to admit that to my father

“My relationships are none of your business replied coldly

“Sa there is a relationship” he pounced on thy choice of words. “Hazel, be careful. The Sinclairs aren’t just wealthy-they’re dangerous. They don’t do anything without calculation if Sebastian Sinclair is pursuing you, there’s a reason.

For once, my father’s warning aligned with my own instincts. The Sinclairs’ interest in

me had always seemed too perfect, too convenient.

“I can handle myself, I said.

“Like you handled Alistair?” he shot back.

The barb hit its mark. I flinched.

“T’m hanging up now,” I said, my voice tight.

“Wait,” he said urgently. “Ivy doesn’t have a week anymore. She has days. Maybe hours. If you’re going to agree to this deal, it needs to be now.”

I closed my eyes, sorting through my tangled emotions. No matter what had happened between us, Ivy was dying. Did I really want her last memory of me to be one of spite? Would I regret not showing a final act of mercy?

“I’ll meet you tomorrow” I found myself saying. “With the bracelet. But I want the paperwork for the shares ready to sign before you touch it.

“Done” he agreed instantly. “Thank you, Hazel. This means more than-

“Save it.” Tout him off. “This isn’t forgiveness. It’s business.

Lended the call and sat back in my chair, my mind racing. What was the real story

behind this bracelet? And why had Sebastian Sinclair been monitoring me long before

we officially met?

Pulling out my laptops. Esearched for information about rare jade. Most articles discussed historical pieces in museums, nothing that looked like my mother’s relatively simple bracelet. But one small detail caught my eye certain rare fade

The Boy Bato in and Ching Realization

Warieties were considered to bave spiritual properties in ancient cultures, believed to extend life or cure illness.

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