Chapter 157: Me or Her

That kiss hit me so hard my mind went blank.

I couldn’t think at all. I could only nod, again and again, clinging to him like I’d forgotten how to stand on my own.

That night, I stayed quietly in his arms.

The awkwardness I used to feel was gone.

The invisible wall in my chest the one I never knew how to explain started to crack.

Little by little, I let Lewis in.

From the start, our mateship had been an arrangement.

A strategic pairing.

He needed my connection to the Ashbourne s.

I needed his protection within the Hales’ territory.

We both thought it was clean. Simple. Temporary.

But somewhere along the way, it changed.

What he wanted was never influence or leverage.

He wanted me.

And my heart once shattered by Juilain, sworn never to trust again began to mend under Lewis’s quiet care. Slowly. Carefully.

For the first time in a long while, I felt safe enough to hope.

I wasn’t afraid of what came next, because I knew he would always be there.

He was always one step ahead, guarding every angle.

Not just because he cared but because losing me once had carved something deep into him.

Now that I was here again, he made sure no one would ever touch me the same way.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my face against his chest.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

He exhaled softly. “We’re together. You don’t need to thank me.”

Then his voice lowered.

“When I tracked down the man behind the crash, I had another thought. You’ve been trying to push Lena and Grant apart, haven’t you? You could’ve used this tonight. Why didn’t you?”

I was quiet for a moment.

“It was tempting,” I admitted. “But I knew he wouldn’t agree. Grant ’s problem was never lack of love it was confusion. Now he finally understands what he wants.”

“So Lena matters more to him than Lincy?”

“Yes. And now that my mom is carrying his child, there’s no way he’d walk away. I didn’t want to force it and risk everything.”

In the darkness, I frowned.

“When a man finally chooses, you can’t drag him elsewhere. Lincy can make him hesitate but she can’t make him leave. Starting today, he’s already drawn a line with Monica. He wants to return to his true family.”

Lewis was quiet, then asked gently,

“If he really changes… could you accept him?”

I shook my head.

“That’s like asking if I could forgive Juilain. A man who crossed the line can never step back. Even if I end up alone, I won’t forgive that kind of betrayal. But I don’t want things to turn ugly between him and my mom either. I know he won’t agree to separation easily.”

Lewis patted my back, steady and warm.

“Don’t think about it tonight. Rest. We’ll find a way.”

I hesitated, then said softly,

“I do have an idea. Even if he refuses… he won’t have a choice.”

By the next morning, Lewis moved fast.

Everything Monica and Lincy owned surfaced before they could hide a thing.

All of Monica’s luxury items were stored overseas in Lincy’s villa.

By dawn, every bag, every piece of jewelry gone.

Hundreds of rare items. Worth more than I cared to count.

We also traced every account.

I looked at Monica calmly.

“Transfer it now. If you delay, your daughter stays inside.”

She looked exhausted, hollowed out.

For Lincy, she complied with every demand.

She still believed that as long as Lincy was safe, she could rebuild.

She was wrong.

What came next would be the real beginning of her nightmare.

“Riley,” she said tightly, “I’ve done everything. Save Lincy now.”

I nodded.

“She’ll be out within twenty-four hours.”

Then I added evenly,

“But the villa you’re staying in belongs to my father. You’ll need to pack up and leave.”

Monica froze.

“Riley, I’ve already given you everything,” she said shakily. “I don’t even have a place to stay now. It’s freezing outside. Are you trying to kill me?”

I sent her some money without even looking at my phone.

“Whether you rent somewhere or go back to your old country is up to you,” I said lightly. “But just so you know, whatever you left behind there doesn’t belong to you anymore. Even if you go back, you won’t get anything.”

I looked at her steadily.

“Aunt Monica, twenty years ago, you were dancing in clubs, living wherever someone would take you in. No home. No roots. I’m not doing anything cruel. I’m just returning you to where you started.”

She always bragged about her love for my dad.

“So I’m curious,” I added softly. “Without money, how long will that love last?”

She broke down instantly, clutching Grant ’s arm, crying like she’d been wronged by the world.

“I can suffer,” she sobbed. “But Lincy she’s your daughter! She grew up protected. How can you let her live like this?”

Before Grant could speak, I cut in.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to make things right with my mom and me? Then cut ties with them. Completely.”

My voice stayed even.

“Lincy pushed me to the edge once. This woman destroyed my mother’s happiness. Back then, my mom was ready to settle down with you. It was Monica who leaked those photos. She wanted to provoke her. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have wasted twenty years.”

I watched realization hit Grant like a delayed wound.

He had been happy once.

So happy he’d even given my mom part of his power.

Then she turned cold overnight.

Now he finally understood why.

“It was you,” he roared.

“I didn’t mean to ” Monica started.

The sound of his palm against her face cut the air.

I inhaled sharply and stepped in.

“Dad. Enough.”

Then I looked him straight in the eyes.

“You can’t stand in two circles anymore. You have to choose. Them or us.”

I paused before adding calmly,

“If you choose them, I’ll understand. You’ve spent twenty years together. But then set my mom free immediately. Don’t trap her.”

The word separate didn’t even finish leaving my mouth before he answered.

“Lena is my mate,” he said firmly. “I wronged her once. I won’t do it again.”

Just as I expected.

His heart had never truly left my mother.

Good.

He didn’t know it yet, but he had already stepped into the path I laid out.

A leader stands by his choice.

And now that he’d chosen us, there would be no shadows allowed behind his back.

Lincy was still his blood. No parent can truly turn away.

I was forcing him into a corner.

No matter what he chose next, something would break.

All I needed now was one final reason.

One truth that would leave him with no way out.

After a full day of questioning, Lincy came out barely holding herself together.

I waited in the car, playing the part of the worried sister.

In truth, I was just there to watch.

She collapsed into Monica’s arms, both of them crying like victims of fate.

What a touching scene.

I leaned back in my seat, calm and patient.

I couldn’t help wondering

What would her face look like when she found out that while she was locked away for one day…

Everything she owned had vanished?

The thought made my pulse quicken.

This was going to be beautiful.

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