The Wrong Girl and the Wronged Girl (Stella and Ethan) novel Chapter 893

“But what if a little pillow talk tonight makes you change your mind by morning?”

Derrick froze when he saw the stack of papers Marie pulled from her bag—it had to be at least two inches thick.

When had she even prepared all that? He hadn’t known a thing about it.

Mona clenched her teeth the moment she saw the documents. “You don’t have to be so defensive toward me.”

Derrick thought. Damn this girl, she even prepared a backup plan?

She was cutting off every possible escape route for them. Those papers couldn’t just be signed carelessly; once Holt signed them, any future changes would require Marie’s approval.

And judging from her attitude, would she ever agree? If Holt signed, what kind of life would we have left?

Mona glared at Holt, her jaw tight. “You’re not seriously going to sign that, are you?”

Her expression said it all—if he dared, she’d blow the place up.

Unbelievable.

All these years, he’d been so guarded, keeping nearly all the Tom family’s money tied up under the family’s name. Sure, she had management rights, but that only meant she could spend a little extra each month. And even then, she had to keep proper records and show them to Holt every month.

That was the downside of being the second wife—she had no real control over his finances. Her secret savings weren’t much either. Now Derrick’s wife was back, asking for everything and getting it all.

If Holt signed those papers, what was left of her place in this house?

“Once you sign that,” Mona said with wounded indignation, “what happens to us? Are we supposed to just stop living?”

Marie cut in before Holt could speak. “Hey, that’s not fair. You might not technically be part of the Tom family, but you’ve served Dad for so many years. As his daughter-in-law, I’m not going to let you starve.”

Then she added with a light smile, “I’m not cruel, Dad; I just think the Tom family’s money should be managed by Tom family members.”

That one line nearly sent Mona into cardiac arrest.

Because the truth was, while she was Holt’s “wife,” she and Holt had never made it legal. Gary was his son, and it was through Gary that she held her place in the family.

And after years of pushing Derrick out, she’d finally gotten to live like the lady of the house.

But now, with Marie and Derrick back, all of that was crumbling.

In the end, after Marie’s relentless persistence, Holt looked through the documents. They mostly concerned the management of the family’s credit cards and financial allocations under Marie’s authority.

So this is how it works now? Whoever throws a fit gets rewarded? Back then, he and his mother caused trouble and got results—now it was Marie and Derrick’s turn.

Marie stood and reached for the papers, but Holt held them down, refusing to let go.

His gaze deepened. “Marie.”

He wanted a clear answer on how she intended to handle Gary and Mona.

Marie smiled. “Oh, dad, it’s written there—I’ll take care of them, I promise. If I ever miss the deadline, then it’s my fault. I’m not the kind of person who goes back on her word. You can relax.”

With that, she tugged the file out of his grasp and tossed it to Derrick.

“How exactly do you plan to take care of us?” Mona demanded, seething. Damn it—she thinks running a family is that easy?

If even one thing went wrong, it would drive her mad.

Besides, she was new to the Tom family; the people working here had been around for years.

Would they really listen to her? Thinking that, Mona felt a little better. She’s just a naïve little girl. Let’s see how long she lasts.

Three days, maybe—then she’d come crawling back, handing over all that authority herself.