"If you need money that badly, go earn it yourself! Sell a kidney if you have to. What good is telling me?!"
Shirley Thorne had no intention of indulging Gideon Thorne and hung up on him.
The phone rang again moments later. This time, Shirley Thorne was even more blunt. She answered and immediately said, "I told you, it's useless telling me!"
Without waiting for a response, she hung up, blocked his number, and deleted his contact—the whole works.
There was no room for trash like that in her contacts.
After blocking her Vampire brother, Shirley Thorne turned her attention back to the gorgeous designer clothes in the closet, gleefully imagining herself wearing them.
Half an hour later, Shirley Thorne emerged, looking stunning in a red mermaid gown she had chosen.
In Ethan Grant's eyes, however, she was just a pretty vase. "Let's go to the hotel," he said coolly.
The richest man in Veridia getting married was no small affair. Ethan Grant had planned a press conference to announce their marriage in the grand lobby of Veridia's most luxurious hotel, scheduled for eight o'clock that evening.
To be honest, Shirley Thorne was a little nervous.
"I'll be back tonight. You can go upstairs."
Ethan Grant's tone brokered no argument. He turned and left without waiting for Shirley Thorne's reply, leaving her with only the sight of his imposing back.
'He really is handsome from the back,' she thought. 'That V-taper, those perfect proportions, the long legs... He has such an imposing presence. He moves with such style and flair. It's just a hotel lobby, but he makes it look like a high-fashion runway.'
'Too bad the handsome guy is a total ice block.'
Shirley Thorne couldn't help but sigh.
Once the human refrigerator was gone, Shirley Thorne instantly relaxed. Standing in the middle of the magnificent, gilded hotel lobby, she felt an overwhelming urge to roll around on the floor tiles that were worth tens of millions!
If she recalled correctly, this was the most luxurious hotel owned by the Grant Family. Everything inside, from the light fixtures to the wall décor, had been custom-designed by experts. Even a small decorative piece could be worth hundreds of thousands.
And from now on, she could enjoy all of it whenever she wanted!
Shirley Thorne was about to explode with joy!
But she hadn't even had two minutes to celebrate when she heard a commotion at the entrance. It sounded like someone was shouting her name.
A moment later, a staff member rushed over, apologizing. "Mrs. Grant, there's a man here claiming to be your brother. He's insisting on coming inside, and we can't stop him."
'My brother? Gideon Thorne, that Vampire?'
Shirley Thorne frowned and waved a hand dismissively. "Lead the way."
'He could have walked the path to heaven, but he chose to knock on the gates of hell.'
'Let's see just how special her predecessor's darling little brother is. Is he studded with diamonds? Plated in gold? Does he have a throne to inherit or an imperial destiny to fulfill?'
At the entrance, a young man with delicate features was screaming, "Shirley Thorne, get your ass out here!"
"You just married into a rich family and you're already blocking your own brother? Have you no conscience?"
The staff members trying to block him were in a bind. On the one hand, they felt the sister was being rather heartless. On the other, their professional duty meant they couldn't just let him in.
Just as the staff were struggling with what to do, Shirley Thorne strode over, radiating aggression. "What dog is barking now?"
Gideon Thorne choked, staring at his sister as if she were a stranger. He wasn't blind or deaf; he could clearly see the impatience on Shirley Thorne's face and hear the sarcasm in her voice. But why?
Ever since they were children, his sister had granted his every wish and never once gone against him. Even this marriage to the "wife-jinxing" billionaire—he was the one who had pulled the strings to make it happen.
'If it weren't for my brilliant maneuvering, how could Shirley Thorne have ever married the richest man in Veridia?'
At that thought, Gideon Thorne's sense of entitlement returned in full force. He roared, "Shirley Thorne, what right do you have to block me? If I hadn't arranged things, would the richest man in the city even know who you are? You want me to go tell Mom and Dad? Because I will!"
If the old Shirley Thorne had been confronted like this, she would have already been apologizing through sobs and tears. But things were different now.
She folded her arms and stared at the contemptible clown before her. "Tell me something, how old are you? Are you weaned yet? Going to tattle to Mom and Dad? Why don't you burn some joss paper for the Thorne Family ancestors and complain to the whole lot of them?"
PFFT! A nearby staff member couldn't hold back a snort of laughter, nearly dropping the broom in their hands.
Gideon Thorne's face flushed crimson with anger and humiliation. He had no idea what had happened to Shirley Thorne to make her change so drastically, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. The most pressing issue was not to become a laughingstock.
He pinched his thigh hard, forcing two hot tears from the corners of his eyes. His voice was thick with anguish. "Sister, you've changed. Do you remember when we were kids? Our family was poor, and you wouldn't eat the candy you got, saving it for me instead. We were so close then, stretching every last penny. But now that you have money, you're ready to disown your own brother? Are you even human?"
Gideon Thorne practically roared the last few words.
The surrounding staff exchanged uneasy glances, whispering among themselves and pointing discreetly at the pair.
Everyone was genuinely moved by Gideon Thorne's tearful performance. They subconsciously began to see him as the victim, and even if they didn't show it, the scales of their judgment tipped slightly in his favor.
Shirley Thorne, however, remained perfectly calm and composed. "Excuse me," she said coolly, "but you're wearing the latest Hermès shoes, a limited-edition Rolex on your wrist, and even that headphone cord peeking out of your pocket costs close to ten thousand."
"And if I recall correctly, all of that was paid for with my hard-earned money."
The crowd was stunned. Their gazes swiveled to Gideon Thorne, as intense as searchlights.