Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 827

If she hadn't aggressively expanded the smart home and mobile tech markets, would the Mercer family have seen a fraction of those orders?

Now they had the audacity to erase all her contributions and lecture her about loyalty.

It was infuriating.

She sat on the edge of the velvet sofa, seething in the quiet room, when her phone screen suddenly lit up.

Bella snatched it up. She had memorized the number by now.

Lucas.

He was remarkably persistent. It seemed he really couldn't get enough of her.

Fueled by the dark, restless anger swirling in her chest, Bella found herself craving an outlet. She typed a quick, cold reply: *"You know the room number."*

For the past few weeks, Lucas had been messaging her every single night, waiting for an opening. This was the first time she had actually summoned him.

Her physical wounds had fully healed. The bruises had faded into nothing. She had been incredibly careful, managing to hide the entire ordeal from everyone around her.

But even though the physical pain was gone, and her wedding was just days away, the psychological shadow lingered. A heavy, suffocating darkness refused to leave her mind.

Especially the final words Silas Thorne's subordinate had thrown at her. The warning that it was the last time, that Silas found her too old, and that even if she crawled back begging, she wouldn't see another dime.

That utter dismissal gnawed at her pride.

No matter how ecstatic she felt about becoming Sebastian's wife, the trauma of that night clung to her, trapping her in a suffocating cage of humiliation and helplessness.

Lucas delivering himself to her door was exactly what she needed.

Across town, Lucas's eyes lit up when the text came through.

Debbie Harris was completely lost in a high-stakes gambling trance at the VIP tables. Lucas easily slipped out unnoticed.

Having shadowed Debbie for weeks, he knew her habits perfectly. When the chips were down, she couldn't care less if the building was on fire, let alone notice his absence. Her devotion to the gambling tables was almost admirable.

Lucas rushed straight to Bella's hotel.

That would be the ultimate jackpot.

But a split second later, an icy splash of water hit his chest.

Lucas flinched, shocked, as Bella stared at him with cold, dead eyes.

"Wash yourself. I don't touch dirty men."

For the sake of a massive payday, Lucas swallowed his pride. He nodded quickly, practically running into the marble bathroom. He scrubbed himself spotless and emerged a few minutes later, a white towel wrapped securely around his waist.

Bella's frown deepened. "Who told you to cover up? Drop it."

Lucas instantly let the towel fall to the floor. Whatever shred of dignity he had left didn't matter. The service industry was all about catering to the client, and he had dealt with sugar mommas far more demanding than Bella.

This was nothing he couldn't handle.

But her next words nearly made his jaw hit the floor.