She Walked Away With His Twins While He Begged the Ground She Walked On novel Chapter 444

Cleo pulled open the car door and slid into the back seat, ready to hang up. Melanie hurriedly added:

"There's going to be a lot of people tomorrow. It's Vanessa's birthday. How will it look if her own sister doesn't show up?"

"People are already gossiping that you two don't get along. If you don't come, Vanessa is the one who will be judged. Do it as a favor to me and just show up."

Cleo gave the driver her address, then leaned heavily against the seat. "My appearance fee is very high."

Melanie groaned. "Money, money, money! Every time I ask you to do something, you turn it into a transaction. Are you really that obsessed with cash?"

Despite her anger, Melanie choked down her pride. "How much?"

Cleo deadpanned, "Didn't you just say I should do it as a favor to you? How much is your pride worth?"

...

Cleo went home, made some oatmeal, and immediately crashed. She slept until noon the next day, waking up to her phone ringing.

It was her best friend, Mindy Taylor.

"Honey, my flight is at 3 PM. I'll land at 5:30. Come pick me up."

Cleo stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to shake off the sleep. "Weren't you supposed to be on a business trip for a month? It hasn't even been two weeks. You're done?"

"No, I took a half-day off. I'm taking you to dinner, then flying right back."

Cleo paused, rubbing her temples as her mind cleared.

Right. Today was Vanessa Brooks's birthday. Every year on this exact day, Mindy would drag her out for drinks and takeout, keeping her distracted all night.

"Don't put yourself through that kind of travel schedule."

Cleo sat up, grabbed the cold mug of tea on her nightstand, and took a sip.

"I'm going to the family estate tonight."

Melanie had actually wired her the money. At first, it was a five-figure sum, which Cleo ignored. Melanie aggressively kept upping the amount until it hit seven figures, at which point Cleo simply replied with a 'Thanks, Sugar Mama' sticker.

Melanie had been furious and gave her a lecture, but Cleo was in a great mood. A million bucks just to show up, drink some wine, and make those people uncomfortable? That was a fantastic return on investment.

"A million dollars? Ha, Aunt Melanie sure is generous."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify