My phone vibrated one last time with the official notification of the opening bell.
The clerk took a deep breath as she looked at the updated market valuation on her feed.
“Ms. Miller, according to the public records that just went live five minutes ago…”
She paused, looking at me with wide eyes.
“…your personal net worth has just reached an astronomical figure.”
Cordelia stepped forward, her voice trembling slightly.
“Exactly how much are we talking about here?”
Part 3
The official read the number aloud in a voice that shook with disbelief.
“With the current stock market opening, her stake in Miller Tech is valued at over three billion dollars.”
The entire lobby went silent, and even the security guard by the door turned to stare at our group.
Tyler looked at me as if I had suddenly transformed into a stranger right before his eyes.
“No, that’s impossible,” he whispered.
Brielle was the first to find her voice, though it sounded strangled.
“Are you telling us that Jordan is a billionaire?”
“That is exactly what the verified financial records indicate,” the clerk replied.
Cordelia’s face went pale, and the arrogance she wore like armor began to crumble.
“Jordan, honey, there must have been some misunderstandings between us,” she said, her tone shifting to a sickeningly sweet pitch.
I looked at her with a cold, unwavering gaze.
“Don’t call me honey, Cordelia. You never bothered to learn who I was because you were too busy deciding who you wanted me to be.”
Tyler stood there like a statue.
“So all this time, that company you said you were ‘freelancing’ for was actually yours?”
“It was always mine.”
“And you lived in that small apartment while we paid for everything?”
“I lived with the man I loved, or at least the man I thought you were.”
My answer was a precise strike to his ego.
He finally realized that I hadn’t stayed in that toxic house out of a need for money or status.
I had stayed out of a misplaced loyalty that they had spent three years setting on fire.
Cordelia took a desperate step toward me.
“Family is the most important thing, and we can move past these little squabbles.”
The word “family” made my skin crawl.
They weren’t family when they insulted my heritage or mocked my mother’s hard work.
They only wanted to be family now that I was the one holding the power.
The clerk looked at us awkwardly and asked if we wanted to proceed with the signing.