Chapter 11
Allen ile destors and nurses wrapped up their rounds and left, Virgil stayed in the room for a moment. When his phone buzzed agant, he sustered in exchanged a few words, and their stood to leave
At Jane’s quter insistence, Moira walked him to the elevator. The hallway was dum and quiet, with only the faint hum of hospital equipment toy the
Authey good waiting for the elevator, Moira hesitated. Then, in a low voice, she said. “Thank you”
Virgil slid his phone back into his pocket and glanced at her briefly, his tone steady and matter of fact. “No need for thanks. Youre my wile. what Tus supposed to do?
That my wond
-semi a ripple through Moira, her heart skipping a beat. She wasn’t sure why, but her pulse qus kenel het eindtam working try a way she didn’t eatively understand,
When the eley Mor doors slid open, Virgil stepped inside without looking back. Moira stond there watching him, not upset this time. Instead, to her
the omen of her lign.
i was small, bleniąt imperceptible, but it lingered until the doors closed. Only then fil she shake it off and head back row and the hospital voont
Thanksia Virgil’s frequent visits, Jane’s spirits food lifted Page (also been stopping by often, and Jane s health was steadily improving slay by slay.
With her mother clearly on the menil and managing well on hier men. Moira decided it was time to return to “work” Of course, she hadn’t told þase. she male showat her jobs.
As far as her mother knew, Maira had gotten approval for a late start, giving her time to stay by Janes side. Moira didn’t have the heart to tell hier the win had fallen thuigly entirely.
Sering Jane smile–a rare and p plane
precious thing—had been worths the lie. There was no way she was going to nim that by adding more stress to her
Lairly. Mona had stopped going to the hospital every day and thrown herself:
Cheadfirst into job hunting. But it felt like shouting into the vanil Every resume she sent ou seemed to disappear into thin air -no rallbacks, no emails, nothing”
The cada silence gnawed at her, the intial frustration snowballing into a simmering anger she could barely co
contain
Zea, always the voice of reason, had suggested she consider switching industries. “Eldoria’s packed with opportunities,” Zea had said. “Why bos yourself in You’ve got options. Moira”
Logical advice, sure, but easier said than done. Moira had poured five years into her field, climbing her way up until she was practically an expert Thuse hve years weren’t just experience; they were her ticket to a decent paycheck.
It she switched gears now, she’d have to start from scratch, and that was a
was a bitter pill to swallow.
she’d even humored the idea of going back to her roots with interior design jobs, something perfectly aligned with her degree. But when she saw salanes hovering around one to three grand a month, reality sinacked her in the face.
That wonddn’t even put a dent in her mom’s medical bills, let alone cover their day–to–day expenses. The math didn’t add up. So, Moira had no choice but to keep grunding.
Just as she was about to lose herself in another round of fruitless job applications, her phone buzzed. Seeing the hospital’s name flash on the screen. made her stomach drop. She snatched it up, her heart pounding as she answered.
small crowel had gathered outside the hospital room, and even before stepping in, Moira could hear Jayler’s grating voice slicing through the air bike ronds on a chalkland
Tine how shameless can you be? My son broke up with your daughter, and yet you two are still squatting in his house, refusing to leave. Who does that? What kind of twisted logic are you working with!”
Moira’s jaw clenched. She pushed through the cluster of onlookers, her expression like steel. “Mom” she called, her voice firm.
whose
Inde. Jane sat vinbly trembling her frustration barely contained. She wasn’t equipped to handle someone as loud and abrasive as Jaylee, w reputation as a sharp–tongued troublemaker preceded her.
But the moment she spotted Moira, Jane straightened, determined to make sure her daughter wasn’t painted in a bad light. “Jaylee,” Jane said, her
ser quivring bait steady enough, you need to speak with a little conscience
55 PM c
Chapter 11
“When Moira and Austin were together, he didn’t have a dime to his name. When you landed in the hospital, it was us who footed the bills. It was Mora running around, taking care of you like you were family,
“She gave five years of her life to your son–five whole years of her youth! And now. Austin’s hit it big, and he’s the one even asked for a penny in compensation for all that lost time
who cheated. Moira hasn’`i
Jaylee’s eyes widened in mock outrage, her voice turning even shriller. “Compensation for what? Lost youth? Are you serious right now! Your daughter was the one chasing after my son like a lovesick puppy! No one begged her to take care of me.
“She did it to suck up to him! And let’s not forget–my son paid that money hack, every last cent. You want to talk about lost years? My son wasted five years on your daughtert Five years that held him back
If it weren’t for you two dragging him down, he’d already be married to the heiress of Mitchell Group!
At the mention of Mitchell Group, Jane’s face darkened with indignation, but before she could get a word in. Moira stepped forward, her voice like ice. “Get out,” she said, cutting through the tension with a calm that was deadlier than any shout. Her piercing gaze locked onto Jaylee, unwavering
Jaylee shot Moira a glare, her face twisted with fury. “Moira, my son told me he never even touched you. If you don’t hand over the house. I’ll drag you to court. We’ll see who’s bluffing then!”
Turning to the growing crowd, Jaylee switched to full dramatic mode, raising her voice for maximum effect. “You all see this, right? My son never even slept with her, and now she’s clinging to a house worth over 700 grand! Seven hundred thousand dollars!
“Do you know how hard it is to earn that kind of money? This is daylight robbery! What kind of shameless people pull a stunt like this? You tell me -who’s in the wrong here?”
The crowd began to murmur among themselves, the tide of public opinion subtly shifting. People were always quick to forgive a man’s mistakes, but when it came to women, the standards were painfully strict
While a few sympathized with Moira, they also emildn’t ignore that taking someone else’s property wasn’t exactly a good look
ostly fellow p
patients from the same floor who knew Jane, started weighing in
The onlookers, mostly
“Jane, maybe your daughter should just give the house back, an older woman said, shaking her head. “200 thousand dollars is no joke?
“Yeah, someone else chimed in. “Breakups happen. If it were just a few thousing, sure, but 200 grand? That’s a lot to hold ordo, If it does go to court, the house will likely be returned.”
Another muttered, “Her son didn’t even sleep with your daughter, Honestly, it’s not riglu to keep the house”
Jane’s face flushed with anger, her hands trembling as she clutched the edge of her chair. She hadn’t expected Jaylee to stoop so low, airing dirty Laundry in front of everyone. Her chest heaved as she tried to steady her breathing, her eyes reddened with humiliation.
Moira stepped forward, gently placing a hand on her mother’s shoulder. “Mom, it’s okay. Let me deal with this.
Jane nodded, her lips pressed into a thin, grim line, as if holding back tears.
Moira turned to Jaylee, her expression cold and composed, but her voice carried a sharp edge. “Mrs. Santiago, let’s get one thing straight. Austin’s first investment was 160 thousand dollars, and 20 thousand of that came from me.
“Over the five years we were together, I wasn’t just his girlfriend I was his business partner. I helped him build everything he has now. If we’re going to start calculating who owes who, let’s do it properly.
“Austin’s worth 300 million dollars today, and by that math, I’m entitled to at least 100 million of it
Jaylee’s face darkened, her fury practically radiating off her. “100 million dollars? Are you out of your damn mind! That’s my son’s money, not yours! Don’t even dream about it!”
Moira didn’t flinch. Her tone was ice–cold, razor–sharp, “Oh really? When Austin started out, he couldn’t even afford to pay me a salary, I worked for free I worked double shifts as a waitress just to keep us afloat.
“So, if we’re going to talk about shamelessness, maybe you should take a good, long look in the mirror.”
The crowd, which had been wavering just moments ago, quickly shifted gears. Murmurs of support began to ripple through the group.
“You gave 70 thousand–almost half of his startup money.
- ey. You re
really helped him out.”
“If it weren’t for you, his business never would’ve taken off”
300 million dollars in assets, and she’s still trying to take a house from you? That’s the real definition of shameless.”
“Moira, you’re right to ask for what’s yours. Don’t let that bastard get away with it.”
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Chapter 11
Jaylee’s head snapped back in disbelief, her eyes wide as she realized the tide had turned. Moments ago, she had the crowd eating out of her hand.
Now they were rallying behind Moira.
Her expression twisted into pure rage. “You think you can just take what’s my son’s” she hissed, her voice dripping with venom. “You even think about asking Austin for that money, and I’ll make sure you regret it!”
Moira’s eyes flashed with a quiet, dangerous confidence. Mrs Santiago, I have the bank records for that 70 grand. Every single transfer is documented. Her voice was steady, but her words hit like a sledgehammer.
She had tolerated Jaylee for far too long, all for Austin. But now that the relationship was over, she was done playing nice.
Moira took a step closer, lowering her voice so only Jaylee could hear. “And let me remind you–I know everything Austin’s been up to over the past five years. Every shady deal. Every skeleton in his closet.
“If I decide to air it all out, he won’t just lose the Mitchell family–he’ll lose his freedom. So, unless you want your precious son in an orange jumpsuit, I suggest you stay out of my way
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