The Abandoned Luna's Journey to Power (by Emily Reed) novel Chapter 319

Chapter 319 Two Hundred Thousand Gold Coins

Cindy’s POV:

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Finished

When I saw Margaret forcing a smile, her jaw tight and her teeth almost grinding, I let out a quiet, cold laugh inside. She was trying so hard to keep her dignity But anyone with eyes could see the strain behind that smile.

“Well, Diana,” I said silently, “it looks like that snake finally showed her true nature.”

“Hmph. Only the weak would surrender,” Diana snorted in my mind. “But if she’s willing to bleed money, let’s make it hurt.”

The audit began.

Margaret clearly couldn’t stomach her rage. Since she didn’t dare confront us head-on, she switched tactics. Instead of fighting openly, she began playing the kind of small, underhanded games that wealthy society ladies are so fond of.

Soon, the fireplace in the room was put out. The servants claimed they had run out of firewood.

The room, which had been warm and cozy, grew colder by the minute. It was the middle of winter. Past midnight. The chill crept up from the marble floor and slipped straight into our bones.

She didn’t stop here. The hot drink and snacks that were supposed to arrive never showed up.

Margaret and Lily had come prepared. Each of them held a delicate hand warmer, and thick fox-fur coats were draped over their shoulders. They sat in the corner farthest from the cold, watching us with icy eyes.

Their plan was obvious. Freeze us. Starve us. Wear down our will.

If Isabella couldn’t take it and asked to leave, the audit would be delayed forever.

This kind of childish trouble meant nothing to me. I was an Alpha who had survived blizzards in Northmere. Compared to that, this was a light breeze.

But when I turned to look at Isabella beside me, I frowned.

Isabella was an Omega. She was naturally fragile.

She sat stiffly in her chair, arms wrapped around herself She was shaking. She tried to hide it, biting her lip and saying nothing.

Her eyes were locked on the treasurer, flipping through the ledgers.

She was holding on by sheer stubbornness. She was determined to get that money back.

I sighed.

My mother-in-law could be annoying most of the time. But right now, her stubborn pride suited her position.

I stood up and took off my heavy cloak lined with bear hr.

I walked over and draped it around Isabella. Then, I wrapped the cloak around her and the chair together. sealing her in warmth.

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15:50 Fri, Mar 6 A MO

Chapter 319 Two Hundred Thousand Gold Coins

“Cindy…” She looked up at me in surprise.

“Keep it on,” I said. I sat on the armrest beside her and palled her into my arms.

Finished

As an Alpha, my body temperature was already higher than most. I focused my wolf power, and heat flowed through me. I felt like a living furnace.

Isabella leaned against my shoulder. Wrapped in the cloak and my warmth, her trembling slowly stopped.

She looked up at me with a complicated look.

In the freezing, hostile Crystal Palace, before the very woman she had once tried so hard to please-only to be betrayed-the one now giving her warmth and protection was the daughter-in-law she had once treated harshly.

“Thank you,” she whispered. Her voice was so soft that only I could hear it.

Under the warmth of the cloak, after staying up most of the night, Isabella finally gave in to exhaustion. She fell asleep against my shoulder.

So there I sat. One arm around the queen of the nation. My other hand idly played with the handle of my short dagger. Like a she-wolf guarding her pup, I faced Margaret and Lily across the room. They huddled together for warmth, glaring back at me.

Time passed slowly. The clicking of the counting beads echoed sharply in the quiet night.

At three in the morning, the head treasury finally stopped. He wiped sweat from his forehead and stood up, shaking.

“Y-Your Highness…” he stammered, glancing nervously at Margaret, then at me. “The accounts have been settled.”

“How much?!” Margaret sat up straight. Her voice was sharp.

I gently tapped Isabella’s shoulder to wake her.

She rubbed her eyes, instantly alert, staring at the treasury.

“Y-Your Highness,” he swallowed, opening the final summary ledger. “After deducting normal ope costs over the years, the total net profit is 285,000 gold coins. Based on a seventy percent share, You Majesty’s principal and dividends total 202,500 gold coins.

Boom.

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