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Gavin would be there.
I went, bringing Leo.
Leo was annoyingly cheerful, like a real fiancé meeting the folks.
"Hah! Fake fiancé for days, and bam! Meet the parents! Kinda nervous."
I rolled my eyes.
"It's just for show. Don't get carried away."
He pouted.
"Can't I enjoy playing fiancé?"
I sighed, amused.
"Fine. Whatever floats your boat."
"Better." He perked up again.
Gavin and Isabella were already there.
Seeing us enter, Gavin scowled. His hostility was confusing.
"Amelia, seriously? I thought Leo's just your shield that day in public!"
"The Vances are sinking! Marry a bum off the street! Don't shackle yourself to his debt!"
I ignored him. Leo spoke up.
"Relax. I'm off their books. Their mess isn't mine. You worry about yourself. Heard Payne Corp lost major backers. Panicking?"
Gavin's face went purple.
"They lack vision! I don't need them! I've secured a new venture – bigger returns!"
Isabella chimed in smugly.
"Gavin's a business genius! You losers – a bastard and a fraud – beg nicely, maybe we'll give you jobs."
I looked at her like she was dumb. Book-smart she wasn't, just dazzled by Gavin's wallet.
"Isabella! Mind your manners!" Mr Wright cut in.
I smiled faintly.
"Thanks for the concern. But leaving the Wrights doesn't mean I lose everything."
Isabella's eyes lit up. She thrust out a hand.
"Oh! Hand over the black card! You're not a Wright! You can't use our money!"
I almost laughed. Did she think everyone lived off family funds?
"Sorry. Unlike you, I stopped using family money years ago."
"Liar! Where did you get the bags, the jewels, the cars without my family's money?!"
I glanced at Mr Wright.
He spoke firmly.
"Amelia speaks true. Since college, she hasn't taken a dime."
"After her MBA, she revitalized our company. Without Amelia, Wright Enterprises wouldn't be here today."
"Frankly, giving her the company wouldn't be excessive."
"Dad! You favor her! Just because you had her longer?!" Isabella's eyes welled up.
Gavin frowned.
"Mr Wright, Isabella is your flesh and blood. After her suffering... You coddling Amelia? Doesn't that hurt your real daughter?"
Mr Wright looked pained. I saw his struggle.
"Dad, don't feel guilty. You raised me. I owe you."
Mr Wright, torn, stayed silent.
At dinner, Gavin boasted about investing with Isabella in the Southside land development.
I knew the project. Corporations salivated over it.
Rumors said the government would develop Southside massively. Securing it meant dethroning the Hamiltons.
The prize was huge and the cost was astronomical. Gavin needed Isabella's money.
