I Texted My Dad One Word The World Burned novel Chapter 23

Chapter 3

The moment I stepped inside, the so–called “dream home” that I had poured my savings into nearly made me laugh in disbelief.

Pairs of shoes–seven or eight of them at least–were strewn haphazardly across the entryw

some toppled on their sides like trash.

The sofa specially imported from Millan, which I had once carefully selected for its sleek elegance, was now buried beneath a mountain of cheap arcade plush toys..

And the wall that should have held our wedding photo? My face was covered–mocked–by a dartboard nailed right over it,

My lips twitched twice, but not even the shadow of a smile came. What was there to laugh about? This was Daniel’s “surprise.”

The front door opened again.

Daniel walked in, supporting Emily by the arm.

The moment they saw me seated on the sofa, both froze.

Daniel hurried forward, his tone laced with explanation and justification.

‘Charlotte, Emily got kicked out by her landlord, so I let her stay here for a while. I was going to tell you, but it all happened suddenly. The house has been sitting empty anyway, so I figured a little life in it wouldn’t hurt-”

I cut him off with a single wave of my hand.

“She can pack her things and leave. Now.”

Daniel blinked, caught off guard by the ice in my voice. He wasn’t used to seeing me so decisive.

“You’re angry? Just because I left you alone at City Hall?”

So he knew what he did was wrong.

I drew in a slow, steady breath and repeated myself.

“I’m selling this house. I need the place cleared out.”

His expression shifted, sharp anger flashing in his eyes.

“You’d really throw away our home over a ring?”

Then, realizing how harsh he sounded, he softened his voice.

“You don’t like wearing something someone else has touched? Fine. I’ll buy you another, better one. Don’t be mad, sweetheart, please?”

“Let her leave,” I said again, my tone like stone.

Daniel snapped. With a sudden roar, he swept all the toys from the sofa in one furious motion.

“Emily! I said you could stay here temporarily. I didn’t say you could turn this place into a mess! Now you’ve made Charlotte angry. Get out, right now!”

Emily knelt quickly, crying as she scrambled to gather the scattered toys. Her voice trembled as she turned to me.

“Miss Green, I’m so sorry, I was thoughtless. Please forgive me for the trouble.”

This time, I didn’t soothe her with a gentle “It’s fine.” My eyes closed, shutting her out.

I only opened them again when she dragged her heavy suitcase past me–its wheels grinding painfully across my foot, hard enough to make my eyes sting with tears.

The pain was sharp, unbearable, instinct forcing words to my lips.

“Daniel–come back-”

Chapter 3

But before I could finish with “bring me the liniment,” he cut me off with a cold bark

“Enough, Charlotte. Don’t be so ruthless. Whatever it is, it can wait until I see her off.”

The door slammed shut behind them.

In that instant, it was as though a bucket of ice water poured over me, extinguishing the last spark of warmth in my chest.

I didn’t hesitate any longer. I called a real estate agent to list the villa at a set price. At the same time, I had my father’s team begin the valuation of NovaTech Inc. stock.

NovaTech–the company Daniel and I had built together from nothing.

I had invested money, time, and my very soul into it, pushing Daniel into Baymont’s spotlight as Baymont’s most prominent rising business star.

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