Andrea couldn’t help but look over at Reba, who seemed totally unbothered.


    She felt bitter.


    She just couldn’t ept it.


    Why does she alwayse out on top? Why is everyone so eager to shield her? Andrea thought resentfully,


    “I can pay you whatever you want,” Andrea said firmly, still ring at Reba. “Just help me tie her up so she


    can’t move<b>!</b>”


    The two thugs sized up Mark, who looked ready to throw down at a moment’s notice, then nced at Andrea, who was basically seething with jealousy<b>. </b>In the end, they dismissed her proposal, not even bothering to hide their contempt. “Go ask someone else.”


    They weren’t stupid.


    Those two neers clearly had higher status.


    Andrea might have deep pockets, but at the end of the day, this was just some drama between women. No way were they going to risk their lives or catch a felony over something this petty.


    “You guys!” Andrea could do nothing but seethe, frustration and anger flooding her–she waspletely out of options.


    “Mark, we’re leaving,” Reba said coolly, clearly done with Andrea and unwilling to waste another second on


    her.


    “Don’t even think about leaving!” Andrea burst forward to block her way, eyes zing hotter than ever. “You’re not going anywhere until you call Jeffrey and make him forgive everything!”


    If Reba left now, Andrea would lose every bit of leverage she had.


    She knew full well exactly what kind of nightmare was going to hit her next.


    Reba just shot her an icy nce and kept walking, totally unfazed.


    Bang! “I said you’re not leaving!” Andrea snatched up a ss, smashed it, and pointed the jagged edge right at Reba. “If you take one more step, I swear I’ll—”


    Crash!-the ss slipped from Andrea’s trembling hand and hit the floor with a loud tter.


    The threat died on her lips as the shattered ss scattered at her feet.


    Mark was even quicker, grabbing Andrea’s wrist and twisting it behind her back in one smooth move.


    Andrea let out a sharp cry of pain.


    <b>14:30 </b>Mon, Oct 6


    Chapter 287 <fn0bb9> Discover more novels at FιndNovel</fn0bb9>


    200


    “Everyone’s gotta pay up when ites to their own mistakes,” Reba said tfy. “Ever since you decided to steal someone else’s life, you had to know this day would catch up with you.”


    “What did I ever do that was so wrong?” Andrea snapped, clutching her wrist, barely holding back tears. “All 1 ever wanted was to get ahead–just to survive, is that really a crime?”


    “You grew up surrounded by money, never had to worry about anything, your parents doted on you, and every wish you ever had just came true. Life was basically handed to you on a silver tter.


    But me? I never had any of that. Not a damn thing.”


    “Ever since I was born, I was nothing but a letdown–just a girl, useless for grabbing power or helping them get ahead. Anything I did that rubbed them the wrong way? They’d either hit me or scream bloody murder.


    “I wanted out–I wanted to run from that family, from that nightmare. I wanted a life better than yours, better than someone who thinks the world owes her everything just because she was born lucky! What makes me so wrong? Where did I mess up?”


    Andrea was practically shouting by now, her emotion boiling over.


    Just imagining losing Jeffrey’s shield and being dragged back into that old nightmare made her break out in cold sweat–she just couldn’t take it.


    After college, she hunted everywhere, desperate to find whatever rich heir had nearly drowned as a kid, just hoping to hitch a ride into thatfortable life she’d always fantasized about.


    But now?


    All because of Reba, Andrea had lost it all.


    “There’s nothing wrong with wanting out,” Reba replied coolly, not a hint of pity in her eyes. “But scamming and deceiving just to satisfy your own selfish desires? What you cheat your way into neversts. Sooner orter, it all falls apart.”


    Andrea scoffed, herughter cold and bitter. ‘Of course. That’s always your excuse!‘ she thought.


    Reba’s brows knitted slightly.


    Andrea didn’t bother hiding her resentment anymore. “It’s easy for you to run your mouth when you’ve never had to live through what I have. If you were stuck in my shoes, I doubt you’d do much better–hell, you might even go further than me and break every rule just to get ahead!”


    Reba raised a brow. “Maybe. Suit yourself,” she tossed over her shoulder, walking away without another word, clearly done with the whole argument.


    After all, nobody can truly feel what it’s like to live someone else’s life.


    They hadpletely different backgrounds, different families, different childhoods–pretty much nothing about their worlds had ever been the same.


    Maybe Andrea had a point; maybe if Reba really grew up in that mess, she wouldn’t have done any better.


    <b>14:30 </b>Mon, Oct <b>6 </b>


    But one thing was certain: Reba would’ve fought her way out, wed for a better life, instead of cutting corners and ying dirty just to escape.


    Andrea stood frozen as Reba walked away, her emotions spiraling out of control until she just snapped. screaming, “Aaaah!“–her frustration exploding.


    She grabbed every piece of ssware on the table and hurled it to the ground, the crash of shattering ss echoing through the room.


    She looked absolutely deranged, her face twisted with rage and desperation.


    Reba heard the chaos behind her but didn’t even spare a nce. She calmly handed her coat to Mark and slipped into the car as if none of it concerned her.


    “So, how did it go?” Jessica asked as soon as Reba slid into the car.


    “Just like we thought,” Reba replied, her tone t. “She hit rock bottom–was about to do something crazy.”


    Jessica grinned. “And you didn’t call me for backup?”


    Reba shot a look at Mark behind the wheel. “Mark handled it before I could.”


    Jessica raised an eyebrow. “How many?”


    Reba replied, “Four.”


    Jessica just stared, dumbfounded.


    Jessica couldn’t help but grin. “Your bodyguard is seriously something else—not only is he easy on the eyes, but the guy can fight! What agency did you find him from? I need to order a whole squad for myself!”


    “Trust me, it’s all about the person, not where they work,” Mark replied matter–of–factly, ncing in the rearview as he drove. “Don’t let those shypanies fool you.”


    Reba just went speechless.


    Jessica could only stare in silence.


    Once that whole mess was over, Reba couldn’t shake off how unstable Andrea had just seemed. She called Amelia and warned her to keep an eye out today, just in case Andrea got any crazy ideas and tried to show up at her ce seeking revenge.


    “Ms. Jensen,” Mark said, unwavering as always, “the other guy may not turn heads like me, and he can’t fight or think half as well as I do, but you can trust him–he’ll keep Samuel and your mom out of trouble.”


    Reba shot him a look.


    Mark added, “He’s the silent but lethal type–actions speak louder than words with him.


    “So why’d you tell me to fire him before?” Reba asked, remembering how Mark had gone all out to sell himself after the interview.


    :.


    “Back then, I didn’t know you needed a personal bodyguard, Mark replied earnestly. “When ites to just watching the house. I’m worth ten of him anyway.”


    Reba just let it go, choosing not to say anything back.


    Mark was great at pretty much everything, though his confidence could be a little much. Still, it never came off as fake—it was almost charming in a goofy way.


    At five in the afternoon, Reba and Jessica headed out to the banquet hotel.


    Together, Reba and Jessica went to the hotel for the banquet.


    The hotel was perched on a hilltop, surrounded by wide greenwns. For the big event, the whole yard was decoratedvishly, looking especially grand.


    As Reba and Jessica were about to pull up, a fleet of top–tier Rolls–Royces suddenly appeared in front of them, while a pack of limited–edition Maybachs swooped in behind–leaving them right in the thick of it.


    “Well, talk about awkward,” Jessica gossiped, ncing over at Reba. “If we’d actually pissed anyone off here, I’d seriously think these two groups set this up just to mess with us.”


    All those luxury cars had their Bentley totally boxed in from both sides.


    Honestly… it was so freaking weird.


    “Trust me, they’re doing it on purpose,” Mark chimed in, deadpan.


    Reba nced over, curiosity piqued. “Oh? What makes you say that?”


    Mark never missed these things. “At thest turn, I could vaguely make out a row of cars ahead—hazard lights shing. As soon as we got close, they all suddenly started up and drove off.”


    “Or maybe they just figured your driving’s a little risky, and didn’t want you putting a scratch on their prized cars,” Jessica joked, trying to soundpletely serious.


    Mark shot back, dead serious, “You can doubt my character if you want, but never my driving skills.”


    Jessica justughed and dropped the subject.


    Before long, they pulled up to the hotel.


    The doors of the Rolls–Royces in front popped open, and bodyguards stepped out in unison, forming two straight lines on either side of the path leading up to the hotel entrance.


    Reba assumed they were rolling out the red carpet for some VIP, and was about to ask Mark to park, when a young man got out of the second Rolls–Royce and strode right over.


    The next second, there was a knock on her car door.


    Jack Quinn was standing at her window in a sharply cut suit, looking every bit the gentleman. “Cousin Reba, please.”


    “Huh?” Reba blinked,pletely thrown off.


    “What the-?!” Jessica gawked in utter disbelief.


    Jessica leaned closer to the half–open window, her tone tentative but full of shock. “Hold up–is all of this really for Reba?”