Ch. Called Off the Wedding 55 Called Off the Wedding 55

Chapter 55 

Cynthia locked every door, then climbed back into bed. 

Maybe it was because Father Benedict had left, but that night, she slept deeper than she had in ages. 

The next morning, she made herself breakfast–just some eggs and toast–and sat at the kitchen table, scrolling through the latest financial news from The Capital on her phone. 

A call came in from an unlisted number. 

Her grip on the phone tightened. Even without a name, she recognized the number instantly. 

She stared at the digits for a long while, frowning, her thumb hovering over the screen. Finally, just as the ringtone was about to cut out, she answered.§ 

A voice she hadn’t heard in nearly seven years filled her ear–familiar, yet strangely foreign. 

“Cyndi, it’s Dad. I’m in Cloudcrest City on a business trip. I heard you’re getting married, so I thought I’d stop by and see you. time? Could we meet?” 

Her expression didn’t change, but something flickered in her cool eyes. 

“Where?” 

He rattled off an address without hesitation. 

Cynthia glanced at the time–she still had two hours before she was supposed to meet Dominic. 

www 

After hanging up, she lost her appetite. She cleaned up quickly, slipped on her coat, and left the apartment. 

The address Terrance Tremaine had given her belonged to one of the city’s more upscale hotels. 

She stepped into the lobby, gave his narne at the desk, and was led by a server into the restaurant. 

Do you 

have 

Seated at a table, Terrance looked relaxed but impeccably dressed, his clothes silent proof of his expensive taste. Even after all these years, he seemed unchanged–his hair still thick and dark, a touch of distinguished grace lent by age alone. 

On the table in front of him lay a gold credit card. 

When he saw her, Terrance gestured to the chair across from him. “Sit.“}] 

She took her seat in silence. He immediately slid the credit card across the table toward her. 

‘This is your wedding gift from me,” he said.” 

How generous, Cynthia thought coldly.” 

She barely glanced at the card before pushing it back toward him. 

When her mother left the Tremaines, she hadn’t taken a cent. Cynthia saw no reason to accept money from him now. 

“What do you want?” she asked, cutting straight to the point. 

Terrance smiled, a soundless, practiced gesture. 

“You really are your mother’s daughter, Cynthia.” 

She gave no reply. 

He sighed, quietly. 

“Since you’re being so direct, I won’t beat around the bush either. I’ll tell you exactly why I’m here.“}] 

Of course, Cynthia thought. She wasn’t the least bit surprised.” 

“When your grandfather passed, he left you fifteen percent of Tremaine Holdings,” Terrance said. “You’ve been away from the family for years now. Those shares aren’t doing you any good. Why not let me have them?” 

Cynthes met his eyes Tve already handed them over to my sister to manage.“” 

Terrance’s smile softened, his tone almost fatherly. “You’ve only let her manage them. You never transferred the shares to her. These years, she’s turned her back on you, never given you a penny in dividends. Those shares are useless in your name.“” 

He pushed the credit card toward her again. 

“You’re newly marned, about to start a family–there will be plenty of expenses. I’m willing to buy those shares outright from you, all at once What do you say?‘ 

Cynthia didn’t move. 

“And what use would they be in your hands?” she asked 

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Chapter 55 

Terrance’s kindly mask cracked, a hint of real frustration slipping through. 

“And your sister would use them any better? If she had any talent for it, the Tremaines wouldn’t be in decline after all these years.”> 

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