Once His Bride, Reborn to Be His Punishment

"You can leave now," Hunter said coldly. "From this day on, the Emerson Group has nothing to do with you."

I had just turned to go when Eliza’s voice rang out behind me, sharp and arrogant.

"Wait!"

I paused mid-step but didn’t look back.

"Since Maya’s no longer chosen, she’s not part of the Emerson family, right?"

"According to tradition, she shouldn’t keep anything from the Emerson household either. She should leave with nothing.”

“Hunter, don’t you agree?"

The air in the study turned suffocatingly still.

I turned around slowly, letting my gaze cut past Eliza’s smug expression and fall directly on Hunter.

"Is this what you want?"

He stood frozen, his face shifting through a range of fleeting emotions.

His lashes trembled.

Then his eyes started to dodge mine.

And finally, he looked away.

Those few seconds of silence said more than words ever could.

Weston suddenly slammed the table and rose to his feet.

"Enough! Maya has been part of this family for twenty years. Even if she’s no longer our daughter-in-law, she’s still half a member of the Emerson family!"

"Dad!" Hunter finally opened his mouth. "Eliza’s right. Since we’ve made the decision, we should cut ties cleanly."

I looked at him, and then, unexpectedly, I smiled.

That calm, composed smile unsettled him.

"Uncle Weston, if this is truly Hunter’s decision, then I’ll respect it."

I glanced around the study, my eyes finally landing on Hunter.

He flinched and instinctively turned his face away, his fingers nervously twisting the hem of his sleeve.

"Uncle Weston, since things have already come to this, some accounts need to be settled too."

Though my voice was soft, the room fell into a heavy silence.

"I’ve been managing the family’s jewelry business since I was eighteen. It’s been five full years."

Eliza let out a mocking laugh, but it died instantly when Hunter shot her a warning glance.

"In the first year, the jewelry I designed won a national award, bringing in three hundred million in revenue and forty million in profit."

"In the second year, I earned an international award. Revenue soared to eight hundred million, and net profit reached one hundred twenty million."

"In the third year, I led Emerson Jewelry into the markets of Finland and Sweden..."

I listed the accomplishments one by one, each figure sharper than the last. With every word, Weston’s expression darkened further.

"In total, over five years, I generated more than two billion in net profit for the family."

Hunter bit lightly on his lower lip. He understood exactly what those numbers meant.

In my past life, these very projects had built the foundation that vaulted the Emersons into the top tier of Delaware’s elite.

"You raised me for twenty years, and I earned two billion for the family." My voice remained steady, devoid of emotion. "We’re even."

"The Emerson family owe me nothing, and I owe them nothing."

"I walk away with nothing, starting today, our ties end here."

Eliza suddenly let out a cold sneer. “What a noble speech, but is this what you call leaving with nothing?”

She strode up and yanked sharply at my dress. “This haute couture gown, it’s worth over a hundred thousand, isn’t it?”

Then she tugged up my sleeve, exposing the watch on my wrist. “Damn, a Richard Mille… women’s model starts at a million at least.”

Next, she reached into my bag and pulled out a key. “And this, your limited-edition supercar. Costs over ten million, right?”

“All of these luxuries, weren’t they paid with Emerson family money?”

I didn’t resist her rough, humiliating gestures. I simply stood still, my eyes locked on Hunter.

His fingers had curled so tightly into his palm that the skin had turned white, yet he said nothing.

“Hunter,” I asked quietly, “do the years we spent together really mean nothing to you?”

His eyelashes trembled slightly. His lips parted, but in the end, he said nothing.