“Put that down! Who gave you permission to break into my house?”
My sudden shout made her flinch, and her hand pressed against her chest. But annoyance quickly replaced her fear.
“What are you yelling for? Mr. Vale himself recorded my fingerprint in this house, so I can come and go whenever I please. Oh, take that too! Move everything to the new place Mr. Vale bought for me.”
She was pointing at the little gold ring on my vanity. It was barely five grams, worth less than five hundred. Dominic had skipped meals and eaten instant noodles for three months just so he could buy it for me back when we had nothing.
Back then, he swore he’d give me the best life.
Now, even though I owned necklaces worth millions, that tiny gold ring was still the most precious thing I had.
Before the worker could touch it, I grabbed his hand with a cold, mocking smile tugging at my lips. “What’s this, Marina? I thought you said you didn’t care if a man was rich or poor. Yet even this cheap little trinket, you can’t let it go?”
Isla's POV
Marina’s face immediately darkened. “It’s not that I care about money itself. But wherever the money is, that’s where love is. Miss Isla, if you want something, you should fight for it yourself.”
I let out a cold laugh. “That’s the first time I’ve heard someone dress up gold-digging like it’s something noble.”
“No need to be jealous,” she said, stepping closer. “In the end, it all depends on Mr. Vale’s choice. As for these things...” she waved her hand at the movers “...I’ll gladly accept them.”
Then she pointed at the top shelf of the cabinet. “That trophy looks nice. Take it down and pack it too.”
My head snapped in that direction, and my breath was instantly caught in my throat.
That was my mother’s trophy.
“Don’t touch it!”
I shoved past the worker and clutched the trophy to my chest.
Marina nearly stumbled from the impact. Her face twisted in anger. “Isla! Are you seriously making a scene over a stupid old trophy? It’s not like it even belongs to you! You’re just an actress! If I take Mr. Vale’s things, what does it have to do with you? Grab it from her!”
“You dare!” I shot back and raised my hand high.
Her face immediately went pale, and she shrank back and threw her arms over her head. “Ah!”
“Isla!”
Suddenly, my wrist was seized in a firm grip.