Chapter 2 Cut Ties

Jordan avoided Catherine's gaze guiltily. "I didn't mean to! I didn't know he was a trafficker. He said he thought you were cute and wanted to take you on the carousel, so I agreed."

Wyatt chimed in, "Jordan was young back then. People make mistakes. You don't have to keep bringing it up."

Catherine had truly underestimated how shameless this family could be.

Just then, Harper appeared at the top of the stairs in a white nightgown. She came down slowly, her eyes downcast, looking pitiful. "The one who should leave isn't you. It's me."

"Harper!" All the brothers rushed to her side.

Wyatt's eyes were full of concern. "You said you weren't feeling well. You should rest. We've got this."

Jordan asked, "Did you eat the food we sent up? Was it all right?"

Harper leaned on her brothers as she walked down, fragile as glass. "I'm fine." She went up to Catherine and dropped her head guiltily. "It's my fault. I told them I liked your song, so they tried to get it for me."

She sniffled, and her eyes reddened instantly. "I never meant to make you this angry. I don't want the song anymore. If someone has to leave this family, let it be me."

Her generous words and pitiful act worked perfectly. Everyone's anger toward Catherine flared up again.

"Look at Harper," Marsha said, her voice dripping with disappointment. "Then look at yourself. When will you ever be as thoughtful as her?"

"Thoughtful?" Catherine let out a short laugh. "Only you brainless people would call that thoughtful. What she's good at is playing the victim and using you to get what she wants. Every single one of you is being used, and you still trip over yourselves to please her. Absolutely pathetic."

The room went silent.

No one could believe those words had come from Catherine's mouth. She used to do whatever they asked.

What was wrong with her today?

Harper blinked, caught off guard by Catherine's boldness. But this only made her own kindness shine brighter. "Catherine, don't blame Mom, Dad, or your brothers. It's all my fault... Blame me. Hit me, yell at me—I'll take it."

At the words "hit" and "yell," the men around her straightened up, ready to shield Harper from any threat.

Catherine found it laughable. Was all that posturing really necessary?

Two years in this family, and even an ordinary pet would inspire some affection. But the Taylors—she'd given them everything, and she'd gotten nothing back.

She was tired. She didn't want to waste another ounce of emotion on them. She turned and walked toward the door.

Seeing Catherine about to leave, Marsha felt her control slipping. It made her deeply uneasy.

"Catherine! You'd better think this through. Once you walk out that door, you can never come back. The Taylor family won't have you as a daughter anymore."

Marsha saw Catherine stop and felt a surge of relief. Just as she thought—Catherine didn't have the nerve. This was just a tantrum, a ploy for attention, a way to compete with Harper.

That kind of behavior couldn't be encouraged. If Catherine didn't apologize properly, Marsha would never forgive her.

"Clap, clap, clap."

Catherine started applauding.

Marsha froze. Then she heard Catherine say, "Remember what you said today. From now on, I have nothing to do with the Taylor family."

Marsha nearly fell over from rage.

Seeing that Catherine wouldn't budge, Jordan strode over and gave her a cold reminder. "You can leave, but you're leaving your new songs behind."

Catherine turned her head and looked at Jordan's serious face. She bit back the curse that had risen to her lips.

"Are you insane? Why would I leave my songs for her?"

"You've lived with us for two years since we found you. Food, clothes, everything—and the resources the company gave you. That all cost money. If you want to cut ties, let's settle the accounts properly. Leave the new songs to pay off your debt."

Jordan didn't really want money. He wanted to force her to stay. Her songwriting talent was top-tier, and he knew exactly how much cash she had in her pocket. If they really tallied it up, she couldn't pay it back.

"Fine. Let's calculate." Catherine looked at him calmly. "Over the years, Harper has taken ten of my songs. No contracts. I can hire a lawyer and sue her for fifty percent of all revenue those songs earned."

She pulled out her phone and opened the music charts. "Three of them stayed at number one for a full year. Five were rated as mega-hits. Each one had millions of streams. Jordan, with numbers like that... you know exactly how much your precious sister owes me, don't you?"

Jordan went stiff. He hadn't expected her to bring this up.

Seeing him stay silent, Catherine answered for him. "In my years with the Taylors, aside from food and a roof over my head, I didn't take anything from you. The revenue from those songs could buy this villa. If we're really settling accounts, you're the ones who should be paying me."

She hadn't wanted to argue about this before. She just wanted to be done with them. It was a waste of time and energy. But since Jordan insisted on calculating, she would calculate.

Jordan's face turned dark. "Harper is your sister. What's wrong with writing her a few songs? You're going to nickel-and-dime that? Are you even human?"

"Are you?" Catherine looked at him like he was a clown. "You're the one who started counting money with me, remember? Or do you have amnesia? Is it that you're allowed to bully people, but no one's allowed to fight back?"

"Catherine!" Jordan looked ready to explode.

"I'm warning you. If you keep being disobedient, I'll announce that the Taylor family is blacklisting you. No resources, no career. You'll be out of the entertainment industry for good."

"Whatever." Catherine shrugged. "You haven't gotten me any good resources in the past two years anyway."

She walked away without looking back. No matter who called after her, she didn't stop.

"She's completely out of control!" Marsha sank onto the sofa, heaving with anger.

Wyatt patted her back gently. "Mom, don't worry. Without resources or connections, she won't last long out there. In a few days, she'll come crawling back, begging for forgiveness."

Jordan nodded. "And when she does, we'll make her learn her lesson."

After leaving, Catherine went back to her small apartment in the city center. She'd bought it with her savings before. It wasn't big, but it had seen her through a lot of warm moments.

Leaving the Taylors felt more freeing than she'd expected. No more reading other people's moods. No more constant worry about being disliked. No more massaging her brothers' shoulders with a fever while they came home late and drunk.

Now, everything she did only had to make herself happy. That was enough.

She was lying comfortably on the sofa when her phone buzzed. She glanced over. Stanley Rogers's name flashed on the screen.

A mocking smile curved her lips.

Stanley—the man she'd loved for more than ten years. Before Catherine was brought back to the Taylors, she'd already been with him. She'd always thought he was the one person who truly understood her. They went to school together, cooked together, watched the stars all night by the vast ocean.

Until her past life, in the moment before her death, she'd seen clearly: her fiancé running toward another woman.

Now that she had a second chance, she wasn't going to be that stupid again.

Catherine pressed answer. Her eyes showed nothing.

"Hello."