The Scorned Heiress: No More Mercy novel Chapter 162

"Oh," Tara murmurs, slipping naturally into the passenger seat.

Once she is buckled in, she turns to him. "So, what did you need to see me about?"

Danny lets out a low chuckle and shoots her an amused glance. "What, are you backing out now that I helped your employees break their contracts?"

The accusation nearly makes her choke. "Excuse me? What are you talking about?" His phrasing makes it sound like they shared a scandalous night and she is trying to slip away without a word.

"Don't worry, I fully acknowledge my debts. The contracts are all signed, anyway. You're officially a shareholder in our agency now. We're long-term partners," she explains with total sincerity. After all, this man is her heavyweight investor. Any future film or television projects will heavily rely on his backing.

"Rest assured, just let me know whenever you have a project that needs funding," Danny says generously. He loves the sound of 'long-term partners.' If he plays his cards right, he plans to turn that into a lifelong, romantic partnership.

"Perfect. That's great." Tara suddenly feels incredibly lucky to have secured such a reliable ally.

Meanwhile, at the Dennis family estate.

"Do you have any idea who poached those three from our company?" Nikolai bellows the second he walks through the door, entirely abandoning his usual composed demeanor.

"Why are you still hung up on that? They're three useless nobodies. Why do you even care?" Alec replies dismissively.

"Why would she do something like that? It's one thing to leave the family agency, but starting her own just to poach our staff?" Jade asks softly, sensing the perfect opportunity to stir the pot. She lowers her eyes, her voice dripping with innocent concern. "Is she still holding a grudge against us? Is she doing this just to oppose the family?"

"That ungrateful girl is completely out of control. She bites the hand that feeds her! It's not like we ever treated her poorly," Deanna snaps, her heart twisting with a mix of sorrow and bitter anger. Her biological daughter has become far too rebellious, lacking all the sweet obedience that Jade possesses.

Deanna begins to wonder if Tara fell in with a bad crowd during the years she was missing, picking up these nasty habits before finally crawling back to the family when she had nowhere else to go. She still vividly remembers how Tara was as a toddler—a bright, adorable child with big expressive eyes who charmed everyone she met.

When exactly did she become so utterly despicable?