A month later, my phone blew up with texts from Sierra. First insults. Then begging.

Turns out my dad couldn’t stand losing the Harrison family’s money. He pushed Sierra to marry Cole.

Cole turned her down. Over and over.

So Sierra tried to drug him.

She almost got away with it—but she got caught.

Cole slapped her across the face. “You know why I even bothered with you in the first place? You were just a prop. Something to make her jealous. Who gave you the right to pull this kind of shit?”

He cut off all business with the Morgans. Then he went after them hard.

My dad couldn’t take it. He actually came to me. [You’re still a Morgan. Go talk to him. You’re the only one who can get him to back off.]

I blocked his number.

The Morgans didn’t last much longer.

Cynthia found herself a new man, like everyone knew she would.

But she never got away with it.

My dad lost his mind. He locked Cynthia and Sierra in the basement. He stabbed Cynthia’s new boyfriend.

He said he’d given them everything. He wouldn’t let them betray him.

But I knew the truth. He’d never done anything for anyone but himself.

My dad went to prison. Cynthia went insane after everything he’d put her through. And Sierra tried to escape so many times that my dad finally broke both her legs.

Cole brought me a file. It was the transfer of all Morgan assets. Everything my dad owned, now mine.

There was another one too. From the Harrison estate.

I was looking at Cole offering me half of everything he’d built over the last few years.

I pushed the file back without hesitating. “I’ll take the Morgan part. That’s it.”

“You think it’s not enough?” He grabbed my hand. “I can give you all of it.”

“That’s not what I meant. This is your money.”

“No. That’s not—” He held on tighter, eyes red at the corners. “I did all of this for you.”

His voice cracked.

He had. His whole company, his whole drive—it was all to make me someone that Sierra could be jealous of.

“Thank you.” I pulled my hand back. “But we’re not together anymore. Your money has nothing to do with me.”

“Please.” He was almost crying now. “Take it. As compensation. You earned this.”

I still said no.

But not long after, the transfers started showing up in my account.

One after another. Adding up to a fortune.

Each with the same note:

[I’m sorry. Forgive me.]

I quit my job. I used what should’ve been Sierra’s money to start my own company.

With my dad out of the picture, nobody was holding me back.

I made a name for myself fast. Even started a partnership with the industry leader – West Holdings.

That was when I found out Zoey and Julian were the West kids. Julian West. Zoey West.

Meanwhile, Cole faded out of the business world. I heard he stopped chasing money and started hiking. Just traveling.

I didn’t think much about it.

But Zoey kept showing up at my office.

This time she spun around my desk and bent down with a grin.

“Tessa. What do you think of my brother?”

“Julian? He’s great.”

“Great like… good? Or good good?”

I looked up, curious.

She winked at me. “Come on, Tessa. You’re too smart to play dumb. You see it, right?”

I laughed. “Okay. He is pretty great.”

“I got that on tape!” Zoey pointed at me. “I’m telling him you said that! Julian! Julian! Guess what Tessa just said!”

I watched her run out the door and couldn’t help but laugh.

Oh, well. This isn’t so bad.