Shattering Her Saintly Act: My Second-Chance Showdown novel Chapter 1

"If you take that money, then you're no better than a hooker, Queenie York! You know that those wealthy men just love to take advantage of young women, and by agreeing, you're only enabling their terrible behavior! You're not going to accept his money, right, Queenie?" Julie Sutton asked.

I gaped at Julie, whose face was flushed from anger. I then glanced at Connor Greene, a golden boy in Brookhaven, who was standing there with a check for 50 million dollars.

It was then that I realized that I had been reborn—sent back to the very day I discovered that I was pregnant.

Upon noticing my silence, Julie grew visibly anxious. She took my hand and said earnestly, "You ought to know that money isn't everything, Queenie. If you sell yourself out for just 50 million dollars, then you're no better than those escorts working in clubs.

"You must not keep this baby—it's a disaster waiting to happen and will eventually destroy your whole life.

"You ought to know that even though we are broke, we should at least hold on to our dignity! You can't let those wealthy people walk all over us!"

Julie stood up straight with a look of righteous determination, as if she were the very personification of morality.

I, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel a shiver run down my spine as I looked at her.

I couldn't let her have her way this time. So, I pulled my hand from Julie's grasp and accepted the check in Connor's hand. "You can rest assured that I won't tell anyone about this. I'll hand over the child once it's born."

Julie's eyes widened in disbelief as she fixed her gaze on me. "You should know that there's a right and wrong way to make money! Your parents would be so ashamed of you that they'd disown you if they ever found out about this!

"You'd also be setting a terrible example for everyone! You ought to know that we may be poor, but we have our pride, and we're not going to sell our souls just for some money!"

I wouldn't fall for her sanctimonious nonsense this time. I smiled faintly, tucked the check into my handbag, and said indifferently, "You don't need to concern yourself with this."

If I had taken this check in my past life, I wouldn't have ended up with a broken family and a ruined life. I wasn't going to be that much of a fool again in this life, letting her tell me what to do.