Chapter 7 I Have Better Things To Do Than Spread The News

"Do you honestly believe I would waste my energy disciplining them? They don't not even worth a moment of my time." Madelyn's voice cut through the air like a blade.

The two maids, expecting Madelyn to crumble under Jason's authority and offer an immediate apology, were stunned. Their smug grins faded as Madelyn's words hung in the room.

Madelyn's cool gaze flicked toward Jason. "You might want to keep a closer eye on your staff. Those small trinkets you misplace are not just slipping through the cracks. I would wager they're being peddled on second-hand sites."

Jason's expression darkened, his piercing stare sweeping over the maids, who shrank under its weight.

With a faint, icy smile, Madelyn turned and glided upstairs to collect her belongings.

But as she moved, Jason's voice, thick with accusation, stopped her. "Are you so bitter that you aired our divorce to the world?"

His company's PR team had just alerted him to whispers of their marital strife circulating among media outlets.

They were scrambling to contain the rumors, but the flood of leaks was proving difficult to stem.

Madelyn, genuinely unaware of the gossip, shrugged with indifference. "I have far better things to do than spread the news," she replied coolly, before continuing to pack.

No sooner had she stepped out of the villa than her phone buzzed. It was her mother, Sharon Clark, calling.

Madelyn knew precisely why Sharon was calling, and though she had no desire to return to the Clarks' place, she saw it as the perfect chance to cut ties with the Clark family for good.

With resolve, she made her way to the Clark family home.

Upon entering the house, she was greeted by a tense scene in the living room. There she saw her father, Roger Clark, her mother, Sharon, her brother Connor, and the ever-dramatic Rebecca, who sat with her head bowed, eyes red and puffy from crocodile tears.

The moment Madelyn crossed the threshold, Roger's voice boomed with fury. "Madelyn, what nonsense have you been spreading? Trying to stir up trouble, are you? Rebecca and her husband are having a problem because of you! Apologize to her now, and then you'll come with me to apologize to the Powell family!"

Roger had always ruled the household with an iron fist, his word unchallenged.

Once, Madelyn might have quailed before him, but now she let out a soft, dismissive laugh. "I didn't come to apologize," she said smoothly. "I'm here to declare that the Clark family's affairs no longer concern me. I'm here to cut ties with all of you."

"What?"

"Cut ties with us?" Sharon's face flushed with shock, while Roger's twisted with outrage.

Roger's voice trembled with rage. "I can't believe that you are still throwing a tantrum. Do you know how much we've spent on you since we took you back? Now you want to cut ties with us? Fine-pay us five million for the years we raised you, and you're free to go!"

"Five million?" Madelyn's laugh was sharp with disbelief.

She had been brought back to the Clark family at eighteen, a mere five years ago. Now they asked for a million a year? Their audacity was impressive.

"Madelyn, don't upset Mom and Dad," Rebecca interjected, her tone dripping with feigned concern, though her eyes gleamed with barely concealed triumph. "They can't take the stress."

"Rebecca, don't waste your breath," Connor barked, glaring at Madelyn. "If she wants to go, let her! I would love to see how she lives on her own."

"Madelyn, how could you say such things?" Sharon began, her voice quivering. "I carried you for nine months, gave birth to you-"

"You gave birth to me, then lost me," Madelyn cut in, her tone as cold as steel. "All your love went to Rebecca, didn't it?"

Had even a flicker of genuine affection warmed Madelyn's heart from the Clark family, this bitter rift might never have come to pass.

Instead, they not only treated her with cold indifference but schemed to wring every ounce of sacrifice from her for their own gain.

"I'll pay you back," Madelyn declared, a serene smile playing on her lips.

Roger blinked, stunned. "You have five million? Where on earth did you get that kind of money?"

"One moment, please," Madelyn replied calmly.

She had braced herself for a drawn-out battle to sever ties, but Roger's swift agreement caught her off guard, sparking a quiet thrill of satisfaction.

She turned and slipped into the shadowy storage room tucked at the end of the first floor, her modest sanctuary before marriage.

Moments later, she emerged with a notebook. She opened it before Roger, her voice steady as she began, "The day you brought me back, you threw a welcome-back party at Breeze Restaurant. The bill came to 3, 700, split evenly among us. My share was 529."

Her words had barely settled when the Clark family's faces shifted.

Shock, disbelief, and a trace of unease rippled through them.

Madelyn had been keeping a ledger from the very day she came back to the Clark family.

Every meal she consumed, the cost of ingredients, the gas bill, the chef's wages, even the utilities she used-all were recorded with precision.

"When I attended university," she continued, flipping through the pages, "my tuition was waived due to my academic excellence. You provided one month's living expenses, then conveniently forgot to provide more."

Madelyn presented each entry with calm clarity. "And when I married, the funds Jason arranged for the wedding somehow found their way into your hands. So, the money you claim to have given me for the occasion-I don't owe that back, do I?"

Madelyn turned to the notebook's final page, her finger resting on the neatly tallied sum.

"Over these years with you, my expenses total 49, 822.53. Let's round it to an even 50, 000, and with that, we can cut ties for good."