I Owe Her Nothing More

To honor my late girlfriend's final wish, I tracked down her younger sister, Nancy Coleman, who had been missing for years, and brought her home from the slums. I enrolled her in the best school, spent hundreds of thousands on her birthday party, and even gave her my black card without a second thought. Before long, everyone in our social circle thought I spoiled Nancy rotten. At first, Nancy was cautious and reserved around me. But as time went on, she got more and more spoiled and demanding. She once made me fire an executive just because he didn't greet her properly. Another time, she made me abandon a project worth over a hundred million just so I could take her shopping. I did everything she asked. Then, a week ago, she started dating my sworn rival and demanded half of my company's shares as a congratulatory gift. For the first time, I refused. Nancy threw a fit and disappeared for two days. I wasn't concerned in the slightest. I just watched the three-day countdown on my phone. It was counting down to Nancy's graduation. It was also the final day of the promise I'd made to my late girlfriend to look after her sister. Chapter 1 I put my phone away and frowned at the steak in front of me. I had always preferred lighter food, a habit I had kept for nearly ten years. But Nancy Coleman liked rich, heavy meals. In the four years since she moved in, I had changed my entire diet to suit her. I turned to my housekeeper. "Danielle, three days from now, switch back to the old menu." Danielle Maxwell looked surprised but nodded. "What's happening in three days?" The sound of heels clicked across the floor as Nancy walked in with a limited-edition handbag on her arm. She had spent the past two days waiting for me to come after her and smooth things over, but I hadn't bothered. She still looked annoyed, though her expression softened when she saw the table filled with her favorite dishes. She let out a small huff. "Bradley, you've ignored me for two days, but you're still having all my favorite food made and waiting for me to come home every night." When I first brought Nancy home, she was always careful around me, like she was afraid of saying the wrong thing. That caution disappeared a long time ago. Now she spoke to me however she wanted. She pulled out a chair and sat down, then immediately reached for the steak. "Were you telling Danielle to plan my graduation dinner for three days from now? "Don't bother. Everyone's going out with their friends after graduation. Who comes straight home for dinner? "If you really wanna make it up to me for ignoring me these past two days, take me to that new upscale restaurant, Bellamy, tomorrow." Before I could respond, my assistant, Joshua Elliott, frowned. "Mr. Harris, you have a meeting with Apex Holdings at ten tomorrow morning. That deal has a major impact on the company's future…" "Move it to the next day," I said. Joshua frowned even harder, but after years of watching me give in to Nancy, he knew there was no point arguing. He opened his mouth as if to object, then reluctantly said, "Understood." Nancy couldn't hide her satisfaction. "Fine. Then I'll forgive you for ignoring me." She cut off a piece of steak and put it on my plate like she was doing me a favor. "Eat. It's getting cold." I looked down at the steak and lost what little appetite I had left. For the past four years, I had given Nancy almost anything she wanted. Before my late girlfriend Claudia Coleman died, she asked me to find the younger sister she had been separated from and take care of her. I kept my promise. Maybe I took care of Nancy a little too well. Somewhere along the way, she got so spoiled that she started thinking I would give her anything she asked for. Thankfully, in three days, that would all be over. When the time came, I would give Nancy enough money to live comfortably and a house of her own. After that, she was on her own. After dinner, I went to my study to get some work done. As I passed Nancy's room, I heard her talking on the phone. She sounded downright pleased with herself. Chapter 2 Nancy said smugly, "See, Austin? I told you he'd do whatever I asked. That big deal he was supposed to close? He pushed the meeting back the second I told him to." Austin Burns was my rival. His voice came through the phone, full of contempt. "Pushing it back one day isn't enough. You need to make sure he misses the deal completely." Then, as if he realized he had come on too strong, his tone softened. "Please, Nancy. I need your help. "If I can close the deal with Apex Holdings, Bradley won't be able to look down on me anymore. And he won't have an excuse to keep trying to break us up. "So just keep him busy for the next two days. Do it for us." I didn't bother listening to the rest. I turned around and walked away. The next day, I kept my word and took Nancy to Bellamy. I spent most of the meal answering emails, so I didn't pay much attention to what she ordered. It wasn't until the dishes started arriving that I realized she had ordered almost nothing but seafood. "Bradley, this place is known for its seafood. You have to try some." I looked at the girl I had spoiled for the past four years, and whatever patience I had left disappeared. Nancy knew I was allergic to seafood. A severe reaction could even send me into shock. But just to help Austin steal the Apex deal, she was willing to hurt me without a second thought. "You go ahead," I said coldly. "I'm not hungry." Disappointment flashed across Nancy's face, but she seemed to realize that pushing any harder would make her motives too obvious. She dropped it and ate on her own. The rest of the meal was dull and joyless. After we left the restaurant and started crossing the street, Nancy glanced at the traffic and suddenly perked up. She lightly tugged on my sleeve. "Bradley, you barely ate anything. Why don't we go to that Michelin-starred place across the street so you can get something else?" I was about to look up and see which restaurant she meant when a powerful shove hit me from behind. I lost my balance before I could react. The next second, my chest slammed into the hard hood of a car, and the impact sent me flying into the air. Through the blur, I saw Nancy's face go white. She ran over the second I hit the ground, already crying. "Bradley, I'm sorry! I only wanted you to get into a minor accident so you'd miss the meeting. I didn't think you'd actually get hurt! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." Nancy's voice faded farther and farther away. In the last moment before I blacked out, I wasn't thinking about her. I was thinking about Claudia. Years ago, one of my competitors set me up and had me shoved into traffic in almost exactly the same way. Claudia shoved me out of the way at the last second. That was the day I promised her I would take care of Nancy. Clearly, I had done a terrible job. - When I woke up, the sharp smell of antiseptic hit me first. I forced my eyes open. My vision was still blurry, but I could make out a familiar figure sitting beside the bed. The shape of her face, her eyes, everything about her looked so much like Claudia. Was it really her? "I miss you so much..." I murmured before I could stop myself. Nancy sat stiffly beside the bed, clearly nervous about how I would react when I woke up. But the second she heard me say that, she relaxed. She seemed convinced I loved her too much to ever hold her accountable. Her usual attitude came right back. She reached over and rested her hand on mine like she was doing me a favor. "I'm here." The sound of her voice snapped me out of it. The woman beside me wasn't Claudia. I pulled my hand away immediately. Nancy froze, then frowned when she realized I was fully awake. "What's your problem? "I only gave you a little push as a joke. You weren't even seriously hurt. Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it?" I ignored her and looked toward the window. I looked at the sky outside, suddenly anxious. "Where's my phone?" Chapter 3 Nancy handed me my phone with an annoyed look. The second I took it, Joshua called. "Mr. Harris, where are you? The people from Apex Holdings are already here. I can only stall them for another half hour. You need to get to the office as soon as possible." That was when I realized it was already the next day. My stomach dropped. I threw back the covers and tried to get out of bed. Nancy had clearly heard the call. She immediately moved to stop me. "You can't go to that meeting!" She seemed to realize how suspicious that sounded and quickly changed her tone. "I mean, you just got hurt. Your health matters more. Work can wait." I tried to move past her, but I was still weak from the accident. She easily forced me back down onto the bed. When I tried to get up again, Nancy finally snapped and slapped me across the face. "I told you to stay in bed!" The second she hit me, we both froze. Nancy seemed shocked by what she had done. She quickly turned and left, but before she went, she told the nurse to make sure I stayed in the room. The next half hour slipped by before I knew it. The more I thought about Nancy, the heavier the disappointment became. I brought her out of the slums, gave her access to the best resources, and almost never told her no. Everything I felt I owed Claudia, I tried to repay through Nancy. And somehow, I ended up raising someone utterly ungrateful. My phone suddenly buzzed with a message from Joshua. [Mr. Harris, you missed the meeting. Luckily, Mr. Henderson convinced the Apex Holdings team to give us one more chance. They've agreed to come back tomorrow to discuss the partnership. [But tomorrow is our last shot. This deal is crucial to the company's future, so please don't miss the meeting again.] I replied with a simple, [Okay.] Nancy didn't come back for the rest of the day, and I didn't care. Early the next morning, I went straight to the office. I had barely sat down with the representatives from Apex Holdings when the conference room doors flew open. Nancy stormed in with Austin, followed by a crowd of doctors and nurses in white coats. She hurried over to me, her face full of concern. "Bradley, how could you sneak out of the hospital and come to work? You haven't recovered yet. "The doctor said you need to rest and take it easy. I'm taking you back to the hospital right now." One of the Apex Holdings representatives frowned. "Miss, we're in the middle of a meeting. Please take everyone with you and leave." Nancy grabbed a glass of water from the table and splashed it straight at him. "Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?" Then she turned to me. "Bradley, I don't like them. Tell them to leave." I frowned but only gave her a mild warning. "Nancy, that's enough." The representative's expression hardened immediately. "Mr. Harris, is this really how you do business? "You've already postponed this meeting more than once, and now you're allowing this kind of behavior in the middle of negotiations?" Austin picked that moment to step in. "From the way Mr. Harris has handled this, it doesn't seem like Apex Holdings is much of a priority to him. "I'm Austin Burns with Burns Corporation. If you're open to it, I'd be happy to discuss what we can offer instead." The representative made up his mind on the spot. "Mr. Harris, if you're not serious about this partnership, we'll take our business elsewhere. Mr. Burns, shall we continue this conversation?" "I'd be glad to." Austin left with the Apex Holdings representatives, while several of my senior executives watched them go with grim faces. Chapter 4 Back in my office, the company's vice president, Peter Henderson, pointed angrily at Nancy. "Mr. Harris, we just lost a major deal because of her! You can't keep protecting her. This time, you have to punish her severely." Nancy slapped him across the face without hesitation. "Bradley hasn't even said anything yet. You're only the vice president. What makes you think you can talk to me like that?" Peter was furious and then turned to me. "Mr. Harris, are you seriously going to let this slide?" I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my temples. "Forget it. Nancy only brought the doctors and nurses because she was worried about me." "Mr. Harris!" Peter was shaking with anger. "How do you expect anyone here to respect you if you keep letting her get away with this? I quit!" He stormed out and slammed the door behind him. The other executives looked just as unhappy. One by one, they followed him out. Now that the deal was completely dead, Nancy could barely hide her smile. Austin was gone, so she didn't bother pretending anymore. "Well, you clearly don't want to go back to the hospital and lie around, so I won't make you." She turned and left with the doctors and nurses following behind her. I watched her go, and the last trace of affection I had for her disappeared completely. I turned to Joshua. "Cancel the house and money I planned to give Nancy. Tear up the transfer papers." Joshua looked openly pleased to hear it. He agreed immediately and left the office in a much better mood. I glanced at the two unsigned contracts from Apex Holdings on my desk, then fed them into the shredder without a second thought. That evening, not long after I got home, a video message from Austin popped up on my phone. In the video, he had one arm around Nancy as he stood proudly in front of the Apex Holdings logo. "Bradley, see this? The deal's mine. You couldn't keep the partnership, and now you can't keep the woman you want either. At this point, why even bother?" I watched the entire video without reacting, then deleted it. Austin thought he had won. What he didn't know was that everything had been part of my plan. - Nancy didn't come home that night, and I didn't care. The next afternoon, I drove to her school for the graduation ceremony. I brought a bouquet of white lisianthus, Claudia's favorite flowers. It felt like the right way to mark the end of the promise I had made to her. The moment I walked into the auditorium, I spotted Nancy. She had dressed to make sure everyone noticed her. She hadn't seen me yet. She held up her wrist and showed off a bracelet to a group of classmates. "See this? It's a pigeon's blood ruby bracelet. Austin gave it to me for graduation. He said he just bought it at auction." Her classmates immediately looked impressed. "Nancy, you're so lucky! Mr. Harris already spoils you, and now Austin does, too." Nancy looked completely pleased with herself. I doubted Austin would spend that kind of money on her, and one closer look confirmed it. The bracelet was just cheap glass, the kind you could pick up at a street market for a few bucks. I didn't bother exposing the lie. I just walked over and held out the flowers. "Nancy, congratulations on graduating." The second she saw that I had only brought flowers, she frowned. "I'm graduating, and this cheap bouquet is all you got me?" She swept the bouquet from my hand with a flick of her wrist. The flowers hit the ground and got crushed underfoot. Nancy scoffed and turned away without another look at me. After the ceremony, she called the whole class together to celebrate at the most expensive hotel in the city. Chapter 5 I followed the group and watched Nancy slip her arm through Austin's the moment he showed up. They stayed close, laughing together. She made no effort to hide how happy she was to see him. As soon as Austin sat down in the private dining room, he looked over at me with a smug expression. "Bradley, how does it feel knowing I took the Apex deal right out from under you? Not that getting upset will change anything. If you let a woman get in the way of business, sooner or later, you're going to run your company into the ground." I stirred the lemon water in front of me and didn't respond. "What, nothing to say?" My lack of reaction only made him angrier. He suddenly grabbed a wine bottle from the table and hurled it at me. I didn't get out of the way in time. The bottle hit me, and blood started running down the side of my face. The police arrived not long after someone reported the disturbance. By the time they walked in, Nancy was still checking Austin's hand for shards from the broken glass. Meanwhile, I stood off to the side with blood on my face, and no one paid any attention to me. I looked at the officers and pointed at Austin. "He attacked me." Nancy immediately stepped in front of him. "No, he didn't! Bradley started it. He's always had a problem with Austin!" Everyone else exchanged uncomfortable looks, but no one spoke up to contradict her. Everyone knew Nancy had a temper, and everyone knew I had spoiled Nancy to an extreme. Crossing me probably wouldn't cost them much. Crossing Nancy was another story. As the officers led me toward the police car, I glanced back at her. She was still holding Austin's hand and talking to him without even looking my way. She clearly wasn't worried about what would happen to me at the station. I looked away and said nothing. Once I was in the police car, Joshua called. "Mr. Harris, we just got word that Apex Holdings is under investigation for financial fraud. Their stock is crashing, and their business partners are already pulling out." I watched the city lights pass outside the window, a faint smile crossing my face. "Got it." Then I checked the time. It was 10 p.m. I said to Joshua, "At midnight, freeze every card Nancy has access to. Also, remove her facial recognition access from the house." "Understood." Back at the hotel, Austin was drinking heavily with the guys while Nancy sat nearby chatting with her classmates. One of them looked at her nervously. "Nancy, aren't you worried Mr. Harris is going to be mad after what happened tonight?" Nancy scoffed. "Please! He wouldn't dare. If he ever got mad at me, I'd just stop talking to him. He'd probably come crawling back and beg me to forgive him." Another classmate quickly jumped in. "Exactly! There's no way Mr. Harris could stay mad at you. He adores you too much to stay mad at you." Nancy ate up every word. She waved over a server and ordered a bottle of vintage red wine, along with the most expensive dishes on the menu. Her classmates immediately started praising her again, and Nancy soaked up the attention. She was having such a good time that she didn't even notice when midnight passed. At 2 a.m., a server walked over with the check and smiled politely. "Ma'am, here's your check. The total is 560 thousand." Nancy barely glanced at it. Like she always did, she casually handed over the black card. The server ran it, then paused. "I'm sorry, miss, but this card has been frozen." The entire private dining room went quiet. Nancy stared at him. "What did you say? Frozen?"