The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 19

“Lucie, if you want the ring so badly, take it,” Shannon spat, her voice thick with bitterness. “But the band’s so tiny. With fingers as thick as yours, I doubt you could even squeeze it on.”

Reluctantly, she slipped the ring from her hand and shoved it toward Lucie.

Lucie took it, her face unreadable.

Her fingers were nothing like Shannon’s—no graceful elegance, just strength and scars. After years of restoring antiques, digging through dirt, hauling crates, her knuckles were rough, her skin hardened by calluses.

Shannon had never worked a day in her life. Coddled and cherished, she flaunted her title as Vice Secretary at Heath International, always on Steven’s arm, her hands as soft as her life was easy.

Steven glared. “Satisfied now? Why do you always have to take what’s Shannon’s?”

Lucie met his gaze, numbness spreading through her chest. Once, she’d treasured this ring. Now, it felt filthy.

Without a word, Lucie spun on her heel. The ring flashed in the sun as she launched it high and hard into the shimmering man-made lake.

“I don’t want anything tainted by you.”

The ring arced, caught the light, and vanished beneath the water with a faint splash.

The crowd gasped in stunned delight.

“Damn, that’s savage,” someone whispered.

Steven’s face twisted in fury. “You… you just wanted to pick a fight, didn’t you?”

She had demanded the ring with such defiance, only to toss it away. That’s a public humiliation for Shannon, plain and simple.

Shannon trembled, her voice quivering with rage and tears. “If you wanted the ring so much, why did you throw it away?”

Lucie’s lips curled into a cold, hollow smile. “Because I’d rather toss my things into the mud than hand them to her.”

She turned to face the crowd, her voice ringing out clear and sharp.

“That diamond ring is worth seven million dollars. If you can finds it, it’s yours.”

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