At the Larsons' house, Mrs. Larson begged desperately, "Mr. Williams, please calm down."
"What do you mean she is not here? I gave you one million dollars to get that girl into my bed!" Mr. Williams yelled.
"That stupid bitch hooked up with Richard Cooper and is carrying his child!" Lucas blurted out.
"What? Mr. Richard?" Mr. Williams asked, shocked. "Didn't you say she was an orphan you adopted and has no family?"
"Mr. Williams, it's hard to explain," Mrs. Larson said. "We are as confused as you are. We don't know when or how she hooked up with Richard."
"Well, that is your family business. Either you send that girl to my bed or return my money. I give you three days." Mr. Williams stomped out of the house.
"Where do I start from? We have already used the money. What do I do?" Mrs. Larson said as she fell back onto the couch.
"Mom, I have an idea," Lucas said.
"What idea?" she asked, sitting up straight.
"Claudia has always wanted to know which orphanage she was adopted from, right? And we still have the necklace the orphanage gave us. Why don't we call her to come get the address of the orphanage and the necklace? Then we force her to give us the one million dollars or we send her to Mr. Williams' bed."
"That is a good idea," Mrs. Larson said, letting out a loud breath of relief. "But are you sure she can provide one million dollars?"
"Yes, Mom. She has hooked up with Mr. Richard. A million dollars shouldn't be a big deal, right?" Lucas asked.
"Yes, you're right," she replied.
First person pov
At Richard's penthouse
I toured the living room with Ma'am Lucy, amazed by how spacious it was. "Wow, the living room is so spacious. I can't get enough of it. But why is everything all black?"
"That's because Mr. Richard loves black," she replied with a smile.
I was sitting at the dining table when my phone rang. I checked the caller ID — it was Mom. Why is she calling me? I mumbled as I picked up.
"Claudia," her voice came through the phone, soft and mild, nothing like her usual harsh tone.
"Mom, are you alright? Why are you calling me?" I replied.
"Claudia, I'm sorry for trying to get rid of your child. I only did that because I needed the money Mr. Williams was offering to help your brother's business," she said.
"Mom, I'm your child too. Even though you're not my birth mother, I have called you Mom all my life. Why would you treat me like a commodity?" I said, tears filling my eyes.
"I had no other choice. We are in trouble. Mr. Williams is asking for a refund of the money he gave us. Please help Mommy one more time," she begged.
"Mom, where do I get a million dollars from?" I asked.
"You can ask Mr. Richard. He will give it to you," she said.
Suddenly I remembered the black card I had left at the hospital a month ago. An idea popped into my head.
"It's okay, Mom. For the sake of you raising me all these years, I will help just this once," I said and hung up.
"Ma'am Lucy, I'm stepping out for a moment. I'll be back soon," I told her as I dashed out of the house.
At the hospital, I stood outside the doctor's office, my heart pounding wildly. I wasn't here for a check-up. I had come to retrieve the Supreme Black Card I had accidentally left behind during my pregnancy test last month. That card had unlimited access and a ridiculously high limit. In my panic that day, I had forgotten it on the doctor's desk.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked softly and stepped inside.
The doctor from last time i think his name was Matthew looked up from his files and smiled kindly. "Oh, Miss, nice to see you again. How are you doing?"
"I'm fine, thank you," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Doctor, I left something here last month an exclusive black card. It's very important. Do you still have it?"
He nodded and opened his drawer, pulling out the sleek Supreme Black Card. "Yes, I kept it safe for you. It's too valuable to joke with."
"Thank you so much," I whispered, taking the card with trembling hands. The weight of it felt like both freedom and a heavy secret. I didn't want to use Richard's money like this, but I had no choice if I wanted to protect my baby and finally break free from the Larsons.
As I slipped the card into my bag, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Mom: "Claudia, did you ask Richard for the money? Did he give it to you?"
My jaw tightened. That was all she ever cared about.
With the Supreme Black Card safely in my possession, I left the hospital and headed straight toward the Larsons' house. My steps were shaky, but my resolve was stronger than ever.
They wanted their million dollars? Fine. They would get it.
But after today, I was done being their doormat.