I could feel my brother’s hatred toward me, so I’ve decided to disappear—go somewhere they’ll never find me again.
“Have you made up your mind, Miss Renner? Once you sign the contract, you understand that your life—it all belongs to the Orman Group. Resigning later won’t be an option.”
“I’m aware,” I said, calm and steady.
There was a pause on the other end, then a thin smile in the man’s voice. “Then welcome aboard, Miss Renner. The Orman Group awaits.”
As soon as the line went dead, I booked a one-way ferry to Mexico. Departure: exactly one week from now.
One week. That would be enough to clean house, to tie off loose ends and to cut the cord between me and my brothers—for good.
I hesitated for maybe a second, then dialed Asher’s number. No answer. Not that I expected one.
Next up: Noah. Always the most distant of the three, but at least he was polite enough to pretend he didn’t hate me.
He picked up after five rings. “What is it?”
“Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve,” I said. “I figured maybe today, if you’re not busy, we could get together.”
I already knew they were busy. They’d be taking Sylvie to some expensive resort, same as they’d done every year since she showed up on my sixteenth birthday and turned our family upside down.
Noah didn’t speak for a long moment.
“I’ve got everything ready. All you have to do is show up. I even made Sylvie’s favorite cream cake.”
The sneer in his voice was instant. “You’ve got some nerve bringing her up. After everything you’ve put her through? She’s still in the hospital. Sprained ankle, fever…”
Right. The pool. Sylvie had fallen in, and because I’d been the one standing closest, all three of them assumed I’d pushed her—even after both Sylvie and I told them I hadn’t.
I ignored his accusation. “Then I’ll bring the cake to the hospital. No trouble.”
I’d never extended an olive branch like this before. Normally, I’d hang up the second someone mentioned “what I’d put her through.” But this time was different. I was leaving. And before I disappeared for good, I needed one proper goodbye. Even if it was just for me.
A faint voice came through the receiver. Sylvie.
“Is that Kaia? I heard something about cake…”
“She made you one,” Noah said stiffly. “Said it’s the kind you like.”
“Oww, that sounds nice. Kaia always makes the best cake,” Sylvie said, sounding like a kid at Christmas.
“I can stop by if you want the cake,” I said softly.
Noah didn’t say yes, but he didn’t say no either. I took the silence as a green light and hung up.
I hailed a cab, went straight to my apartment, and retrieved the cream cake I’d made this morning. I boxed it up neatly, tied it with a bold red ribbon.
