Chapter 3
[Streamer, your boyfriend treats you so well. Why don’t you sneak over to his place and surprise him?]
Cody had already left the livestream, but Amber clearly saw the comment. A flicker of panic crossed her face before she tried to change the subject.
Unfortunately for her, I took control of the chat.
[Yeah, I bet your boyfriend misses you.]
[Why does it look like you don’t actually want to go? Is this so-called loving boyfriend just part of the script?]
The comments spiraled out of control. Amber clenched her jaw and forced a sugary smile.
“Okay, babes. I’ll go.”
That night, the doorbell rang at the Miller residence.
Cody went to answer it. The moment he saw who stood outside, he froze as if he had been struck by lightning.
Brenda hurried after him, her composure visibly cracking.
Amber spoke first, lifting a gift bag with a bright smile. “Aunt Brenda, Cody, I brought you the new bottle of red wine I just bought.”
Cody recovered quickly. “Victoria, this is Amber. She’s my cousin.”
My stomach churned. I did not acknowledge either of them.
Meanwhile, Amber’s comment section flooded with demands for her to go live so everyone could watch her sweet reunion with her boyfriend in real time.
She quickly claimed the town’s reception was terrible and she could not stream.
Seeing that I showed no reaction, she seemed relieved, as if she had perfectly concealed the truth. She dropped onto the couch beside me.
The perfume she wore was the same limited edition fragrance I had left behind in this house.
“Victoria, I’ve heard so much about you from Cody. Seeing you in person is… underwhelming. He always said you were beautiful.”
She tilted her head, eyes drifting to Cody. “I guess love really does make people blind. I’m so jealous of you. If I had a boyfriend like my cousin, I’d wake up smiling every single day.”
Then she whined playfully for Cody to peel an orange and feed her, glancing at me in open provocation.
“Victoria, don’t mind me. I’ve always been clingy with Cody since we were kids.”
Of course I did not mind.
The moment she walked into the Miller house, I had already started a livestream on my own phone and slipped it into my pocket.
Every word she said was being broadcast live on my TikTok.
When she saw I still refused to react, she leaned closer.
“Victoria, why do you look so unhappy? Are you jealous that Cody and I are close?”
“Relax. We grew up together. If I’d wanted him, do you really think it would be your turn to marry him?”
Cody finally snapped at me when I continued to ignore her.
“Victoria, you’ve been sulking since you got here. Amber is a guest. What is wrong with you? If you’re going to keep acting like this, you can get out. My house doesn’t welcome that kind of attitude.”
I let out a cold laugh. “A kept man really thinks he gets to bark at me? I paid for this house. If anyone should leave, it’s you.”
Cody went silent instantly.
Seeing him shut down, Amber jumped in. “Victoria, how can you say that? You’re married. What’s yours is Cody’s. He’s a man. Where is his dignity if you talk to him like that?”
Dignity?
When I had been hopelessly in love, I had insisted on marrying Cody despite the vast difference between the Sterling family and the Millers.
People whispered that he was living off me. That he was just the Sterling family’s in-house son-in-law.
To protect his pride, I tiptoed around him, afraid that any generosity from me would feel like charity.
In return, he used my money to support his mistress, and his entire family treated me like a fool.
Cody patted Amber’s shoulder. “Enough. What do you want to eat? I’ll cook for you.”
He never stepped into the kitchen at home.
But watching him now, moving with practiced ease, knowing exactly what Amber liked and what she avoided, it was obvious this was not his first time cooking for her.
Amber leaned in close to me, lowering her voice.
“Victoria, you might have money, but it’s your parents’ money. Not yours. Aren’t you just another trust fund baby? What gives you the right to look down on Cody?”
“His family might be poor, but he built himself up and became the chairman of OmniCore Solutions. He even found jobs for half his relatives. What gives you, a spoiled rich girl, the right to insult the backbone of the Miller family?”
OmniCore Solutions?
That was the company I had handed to Cody years ago.
I had wondered why it had shown zero growth.
Now I knew.
To him, it was nothing but a family retirement home.
I immediately texted my secretary to investigate.
The results came back quickly.
OmniCore Solutions had become a hollow shell. From executives to security guards, every position was filled with Cody’s connections.