“Cole,” she said softly, “I have never felt this fulfilled in my entire life. I suddenly feel like I can stand up for myself. Like I can do anything I set my mind to.”Cole glanced at her — really looked at her. The glow in her eyes wasn’t just excitement. It was confidence. Growth. Freedom.And something inside him warmed.“Well…” she paused, gathering courage, then tried again. “You can talk to me sometimes, you know… if something’s bothering you. If you need help with your sister—the… the girl I saw the other day. She can talk to me.”Cole glanced at her again.“I just feel indebted to you,” she continued. “We’re both getting benefits from this, but I feel like I got the bigger one. I paid you and you acted your role well—actually!”She snapped so suddenly Cole nearly missed the turn. If this were only his second day driving, Amanda’s scream would have put both of them in the hospital.“Actually,” she repeated, “I didn’t tell you to do all that for me. You could have told me—” she

Amanda turned to the matriarch.The old woman looked at Cole, then back at her granddaughter.“Does it have to be this piece of trash?”Cole felt his jaw tighten, but he stayed calm — the kind of calm that made people nervous.“Granny,” Amanda said, voice sharp. “From today, since I’ve already achieved the requirement you asked for, my husband’s name is Cole. C.O.L.E.”She spelled it dramatically.“Any other name anyone calls him will make me angry. And we don’t need anger in a family… right?”The matriarch picked up her phone, adjusted her glasses, and read a new notification — the deal she’d been chasing for four months had finally responded, asking for a call.Her expression shifted.“Okay. Noted,” she said stiffly, glancing at Cole. “But I doubt he’ll last long in this house. Not with that attitude. Wealth is not for everyone. Time will tell.”Tyler jumped in quickly. “Grandma, I already called the dealer to prepare the car. In two days, we’ll get it and I’ll present—”The matriar

Cole listened. It was.He got up quickly, heading to the pavement where he’d left it earlier.A missed call.Bella.His entire chest tightened—like something cold and heavy had slammed into him.He called her back instantly.“Cole…” Bella’s voice cracked. “I don’t know what’s happening to Mom. She isn’t at home. She’s not answering her calls. No note. No message. Nothing…”Her voice trembled, a thin wire about to snap.“You’re at home right now?” Cole asked, already striding toward the car.“Yes. I am.”“Okay. Take a deep breath and count to a hundred. I’ll get to you before you hit seventy,” Cole said, voice low and fast.Amanda was beside him before he even reached the door. “What happened?”“I think Mom isn’t at home or something,” Cole said. “You can wait for me. I need to go see my sister first.”“With the way you’re trembling, do you think you’ll be able to assure her?” Amanda

Amanda looked around the sitting room and nodded to herself.“It’s just giving love from every side,” she murmured. “I like how there’s nothing out of the ordinary in here.”Her eyes drifted to the family photos on the wall. She walked closer, smiling.“How old was Cole here?” she giggled. “He looks like a confused toddler.”She glanced at Bella, expecting at least a small laugh. Nothing. The girl didn’t even blink.Amanda hissed under her breath. “What a rude teenager.”But because she wasn’t the type to ignore things, she walked over and sat beside her. Teenagers always had a soft spot — you just had to find the key.She leaned a little, trying to peek at Bella’s phone screen.That was the exact spark Bella had been suppressing. Every second of Amanda’s chirping had been grating her nerves like sandpaper.“Why are you checking my phone?” Bella snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut glass.Amanda blinked. “W