Chapter 8
“You want me to cut all financial support to Miss Amalia and her laughter?” Lawyer Maria Alcaraz raised an eyebrow, studying Izzy carefully. “Everything!”
“Yes, “Trzy answered, her voice cold. She knew that finances had the potential to complicate everything if not handled swiftly. This was the first task on her packed schedule, and hesitation was a luxury she couldn’t afford
With that in mind, she immediately reached out to Maria, her late grandfather’s trusted lawyer and the executor of his will, to arrange a meeting before she could start executing her plans step by step. Each move needed to be precise, deliberate, and impeccably timed if she wanted everything to fall into place without a hitch.
Maria leaned back, folding her hands on the desk. “Just to be clear, we’re talking about canceling all the credit cards under Your Accounts as well?”
Izzy nodded. “Supplementary cards, yes. Let’s start with credit cards. But keep the deposits going into their bank accounts for now. I need copies of my credit report. I don’t want them touching my credit anymore.”
Maria jotted down a quick note on the pad in front of her, then looked up, her gaze serious. “Canceling the credit cards is straightforward. But they’re going to notice something’s up. Are you ready for that? They’ll come asking questions.” Izzy didn’t miss the concern in Maria’s eyes. Maria had been the Rossi Family lawyer for years and was already handling the financial aspect of the Rossi family before her grandfather passed. She knew everything that happened to Izzy.
“Let them. If they ask, I’ll tell them there’s an issue with the trust or that the bank is handling something. I don’t owe them an explanation.” Izzy said.
Maria’s expression shifted slightly. “You do remember that youraunt, Miss Amalia, has been managing your finances since… well since you asked me to hand them over when you became an adult. Years ago.”
Izzy stiffened. She did remember. It was a mistake. One she regretted deeply now. But at the time, it had made sense. Amalia handled everything in the household–groceries, bills, even paying for the more “important” stuff. Izzy had trusted her. “I need copies of all my accounts,” she said calmly, though the storm was brewing underneath. And properties. All that was
mentioned on the will”
“All of them?” Maria’s voice held a note of surprise.
“Yes.” Izzy nodded, her jaw tightening. “Including the one in Switzerland.”
Maria raised an eyebrow before smirking slightly. “Forgive me, Izzy, but… did you hit your head recently?”
Izzy frowned, not in the mood for jokes. “No.”
“Did you perhaps had a near death experience?” Maria asked.
“No,” Izzy shook her head.
Maria leaned forward. “So you just woke up one morning and realized they’ve been draining you dry for years?”
Izzy pressed her lips together, her hands gripping the arms of her chair. “What do you mean?*
Maria sighed, putting her pen down and folding her arms across her chest. “What I mean is–there’s a lot you’ve been blind. to. Your aunt and Monica have had access to everything for years I’ve noticed things and discrepancies, but I assumed you trusted them enough to overlook them. And now, all of a sudden you’re cutting them off. The older woman smirked. “You cannot blame ine for being curious, right?”
Izzy swallowed hard, her chest tightening. She’d known deep down for a while, but hearing it out loud made the truth even harder to swallow. “I’m seeing it now,” she muttered.
1/3
Chapter 8
Maria’s expression softened slightly. “I’ll get the account details, and I’ll start cutting the cards as soon as possible. But Izzy, you need to be prepared for what’s coming next. They’re not going to go quietly.”
“I know,” Izzy whispered, her voice barely audible. Wasn’t that exactly why she hadn’t completely cut them off? She needed time–time to gather all the documents she needed before slowly burning that bridge for good. “But I know the will and trust are foolproof” Her grandfather had ensured that much.
“Of course,” Maria replied with a knowing smile. “The late Mr. Rossi was a very smart man.”
“Right,” Izzy then handed a folder to Maria. “Please take care of this.”
“Hm” Maria accepted the folder and opened it. Almost immediately, her expression changed. “You- You got married!?”
After what felt like forever, Izzy finally walked out of the law office feeling like a truck hit her. Who would have thought that explaming to her lawyer is going to be this tiring? Luckily, she didn’t have work today as Calen asked her to take a leave after closing that deal.
However, just as she made her way toward her car, her phone began to ring. She glanced at the screen and saw Monica’s name flashing. Her stomach tightened.
“Hey.. Izzy answered as she got into her car.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” Monica asked.
“Pretty good.” Izzy answered.
Great. You didn’t forget about the dinner later, right?” Izzy asked. “It’s Arianna’s birthday, remember?”
“Arianna…” Izzy frowned. Arianna Timothy is actually Izzy’s friend from college. Izzy and her weren’t actually close but for some reason, Izzy always gets an invite during Arianna’s birthday. “Right, of course.” Izzy let out a fake chuckle
“Right. So, I told you, she liked that Cartier bangle, you didn’t forget to buy it right?” Monica asked.
“Cartier..” Izzy snorted inwardly. “I actually forgot to buy it.”
“Then would you mind picking up one now? I already sent the image of the one that she likes. Arianna had been very kind in the past few years. Don’t you think she deserves this little gift
Izzy sneered at Monica’s words. Kind? That was the last word Monica should use to describe her so–called friends. Over the years. Izzy had slowly considered them her own, but none of them ever reached out unless they needed a “favor” After that, they’d invite her to dinner or lunch–expensive meals she’d inevitably offer to pay for
She hadn’t minded it before. Money had never been an issue. She could buy whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. But now it was clear she’d been taken advantage of. How could I have been so stupid? She thought.
“Hey.. Arianna just gave birth. I think that bangle is perfect for her.” Monica said. “What do you think?”
“Right, of course,” Izzy said. “Send me the location of the dinner
“Ah… of course. Right, don’t forget about your other gift.”
“Gift for what?” Izzy asked.
“You didn’t go to her gender reveal party. Remember? You were in Hawaii for some project.”
“Right… but wasn’t that because I wasn’t actually invited?” Izzy’s voice tightened. She hadn’t even known there was a gender reveal, just like how they’d ‘conveniently forgotten‘ to tell her about Arianna’s bachelorette party last year–the same party she had paid for.
13:
Chapter 8
“She forgot to invite yon but you know how she is.”
69%
“Right.” Izzy chuckled, though there was no real humor in it. For some reason, those girls always invited her to go shopping. but never to things like private birthday parties–unless, of course, they knew she could get them into some fancy restaurant or use her perks. She wasn’t invited to events like their gender reveal parties or even their ‘intimate weddings. Monica used to tell her it was because they thought she was too busy. And like naive little child, Izzy believed her.
But was that really the reason?
“Of course,” Izzy muttered.
“Alright!” Monica’s voice brightened. “I’ll see you later?”
“Later,” Izzy said, ending the call before tossing her phone onto the front seat. She gripped the steering wheel of her old Sedan, resting her forehead against it.
“I’m such a fool,” she whispered bitterly.
A naïve fool.
How had she not seen it?
She’d always prided herself on graduating at the top of her class with an almost perfect GPA. Yet here she was–so damn stupid, so naive.
For years, they had used her like a disposable toy. The realization hit her like a punch to the gut. She gritted her teeth, her Inds clenched into fists as the memories flooded back–how they’d treated her, manipulated her. Something heavy
suddenly settled in her chest, so heavy it was hard to breathe.
All this time, she’d thought she was content. She had a good job, a kind boyfriend, a caring aunt, and a loving cousin who treated her like a sister and friends. A tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped it away.
Now she saw the truth; she’d been alone all along.
0
SEND GIFT
COMMENT
E
