"Mm." Sidney knew exactly what he meant—it was nothing more than expecting her to be a quiet, submissive housewife.
"It's almost dawn, you should go back," Jayson said as he walked into the small room behind his office. It was a lounge, looking well-equipped, and Sidney assumed he spent his nights here when he didn't go home.
"Okay, I'll leave now," Sidney said. Since her goal was accomplished, she didn't want to stay any longer. She bid Jayson goodbye and left without hesitation.
Jayson turned around and looked at the door that had just closed, giving a cold snort. He thought to himself that Sidney's purpose was all about money. Once she achieved it, she didn't even look back, not even pretending. She was more naive than any woman he knew. Did she think she could challenge him? He just didn't want to waste any more time on her.
When Sidney returned to Jayson's house, she took a shower to wash off the smell of cigarettes and alcohol, then eagerly called her father. Esteban quickly answered, as if he hadn't slept all night, waiting for news from Sidney.
"How did it go?" Esteban asked immediately.
"He agreed to lend 30 million, and he wants you to go sign the loan agreement immediately." Sidney decided to start with this good news to make up for the bad news her father might dislike.
"What about the bid?" Esteban asked eagerly.
"I tried everything I could, but he refused, saying that the shareholders all want fairness." She hoped that saying it this way would make her father a little less angry.
"I've raised a useless thing like you! What good is 30 million if you can't secure the bid?" Esteban said angrily.
"At least it's better than nothing," Sidney replied helplessly. She really didn't understand business matters.
"Did I let you sleep with him for nothing? He won't even give you this one bid, I'll make you divorce him!" Esteban said in a fit of rage.
"The resort project isn't something Jayson can decide on alone. You need to take a step back, use the 30 million to keep things running, and let your sister properly manage the company without any more mistakes!" Sidney tried to advise patiently.
"Hmph! You think a loan of 30 million will satisfy me? What can such a small amount do?" Esteban sneered.
"Then what do you want?" Sidney didn't understand. Jayson had already made a concession, so why was her father still not satisfied?
"Tell him you want a divorce!"
"And then? I'm not that important to him! Don't overestimate me!"
"Didn't I tell you to marry him and keep him tied to you? Make him obey you completely!"
"Dad! What do you think Jayson is? What kind of woman doesn't fall at his feet? Why would he want to be obedient to me? Do you have any idea how many times I've seen him in the past month since we got married? I've seen him less than I've seen the damn president!"
"When she first agreed to marry him, it was just part of her plan to settle old scores with the Calderon family, then disappear and start fresh." If her family needed help and it was within her power, she'd be willing to lend a hand. But now, caught in the middle, she was suffering. She could only blame herself for being so naive back then, never imagining things would turn out like this.
"Hang up." Jayson said, and immediately hung up the phone, leaving only the busy signal for Sidney.
The beeping sound from the phone only made Sidney more frustrated. She hung up, then collapsed on the bed, unable to hold back her tears.
She didn't understand why, no matter how hard she tried, no matter how much she appeased her father, he still treated her like this. Wasn't his blood running through her veins? They were family, after all!
"What a sad family."
Sidney felt both sorrowful and self-mocking.
Sidney cried herself to sleep, and when she woke up, she didn't know if her father had gone to borrow money from Jayson, nor did she care anymore. It had been too long since she had eaten, and her stomach was uncomfortably empty. She finally went downstairs to find something to eat and heard voices from below.
She stood at the top of the stairs and overheard the butler politely conversing with someone, trying to convince the guest to leave.
After listening for a while, Sidney recognized the visitor as Sanaa. She hesitated to go downstairs, knowing that Sanaa's visit this time would surely cause trouble.
But she hadn't anticipated that Sanaa, her face flushed with frustration, would push past the housekeeper with a fierce determination, making her way upstairs to find Sidney.
The housekeeper was no pushover either, blocking her path. Sanaa then began shouting, cursing the housekeeper, as if deliberately trying to make sure the people upstairs could hear.
Sidney took a deep breath and decided to go downstairs. Just as Sanaa and the housekeeper were entangled in a fierce struggle, Sanaa spotted Sidney walking towards them, and with a maddened look, she lunged at Sidney, her ten sharp, crystal-like nails aiming for her.
Sidney reflexively dodged, but still got scratched on the side of her face. Sanaa laughed gleefully, just like when they were kids—whenever she failed an exam and beat Sidney, she would inspect Sidney's wounds with a grin, saying that Sidney was her perfect outlet for relieving stress.
Sidney wiped her cheek with the back of her hand and saw the blood. That made her angry. She was no longer the Sidney who used to cower under the bed, begging for mercy. She was no longer that bruised and battered little girl with nowhere to run!
