Chapter 301
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Chapter 301:
Carmen stood paralyzed in the doorway. The full force of the betrayal hit her stomach like a fist. She felt instantly sick.
“You lied,” she whispered. Her voice trembled with rage. “You faked a heart attack? I almost crashed my car on the highway p>
Mrs. Golden waved her hand. “Oh, stop being so dramatic. If I had simply invited you to lunch, you would have made up an excuse about the hotel. You needed to be here today p>
She turned to the stranger with a bright smile. “Carmen, this is Dr. Harrison. He just finished his post-doctoral fellowship at an Ivy League university p>
Dr. Harrison stood. He did not smile. His eyes traveled slowly over Carmen in a cold, calculating sweep — the look of someone appraising inventory.
𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗻
“You are prettier than your photograph,” he said, his voice thick with arrogance. “You will do p>
He extended his hand.
Carmen felt a wave of pure disgust. She did not take it. She turned on her heel to walk straight back out.
“Sit down, Carmen p>
The sharp, commanding voice came from the hallway. Mr. Golden stepped into the room, his face hard and unyielding.
“We raised you,” he said, his voice heavy with quiet menace. “We gave you this life. You will sit down and have a polite conversation with this man. If you walk out that door, do not bother coming back. You will no longer be part of this family p>
Carmen stopped. Her fingers curled into fists, nails pressing into her palms.
The threat found its mark — the deepest, most primal fear she carried. The fear of being an orphan again. Of being abandoned.
She looked at her mother’s smug expression. She looked at her father’s cold eyes. The air in the room felt thick and suffocating.
Slowly, fighting every instinct in her body, Carmen walked forward and lowered herself onto the edge of an armchair.
Dr. Harrison smiled with satisfaction, sat back, crossed his legs, and immediately began talking — loudly, at length — about his own academic brilliance.
Carmen stared out the window. Her chest felt as though it were being crushed. She was trapped in a gilded cage, and she could not see a way out.
The ordeal continued at the exclusive Long Island Country Club.
To showcase Dr. Harrison’s financial standing, Mr. Golden had insisted the “couple” move to the club’s private dining room for lunch.
Carmen sat at the table with her spine rigid, her water glass untouched, her eyes fixed on the man across from her with cold, flat disinterest.
Dr. Harrison was aggressively cutting into a rare steak. Blood pooled on the white porcelain plate.
“Hotel management,” he scoffed, chewing loudly. “It is glorified waitressing. Once we are married, you will obviously resign. I need a wife who can host faculty dinners, not someone who checks people into rooms p>
Carmen let out a short, humorless laugh.
“My annual bonus alone could buy your entire university laboratory, Dr. Harrison,” she said, her voice perfectly cold.