Chapter 3

Margaret Quinn gave Brandon a long, meaningful look. Then, she stepped up onto the stage and announced, her tone solemn:

"Starting today, Stephanie Stone will take over as General Manager of Quinn Tech. Please give her your full support."

Brandon stood frozen where he was. Hailey's face twisted into a scowl.

Before I could even register what was happening, Margaret grabbed my hand and pulled me away.

"Mrs. Quinn," I said, trying to pull my hand back, "Brandon and I are over. It's not appropriate for me to stay at the company—let alone as General Manager!"

Her son had dumped me in public. There was no way I could shamelessly keep calling her "Mom."

She shot me a disapproving glance. "Mrs. Quinn? Call me Mom!"

My cheeks burned with embarrassment. That felt too forward.

"Mom... Mom... Mommommommom..." I mumbled, my voice trailing off.

Brandon had truly disgusted me today. But Margaret? I still liked her—immensely.

She burst out laughing. "That stupid boy's blind. A daughter-in-law like you—he doesn't want you? Fine. I'm not like him. Whether or not my son wants you, my sweet girl, I do. You're staying."

Then her face darkened. "That little tramp thinks stealing my son means she'll get my money? In her dreams! I'd rather donate every cent I own than let that greedy, black-hearted little snake and her filthy family get a dime!"

On the way back to the Quinn estate, Margaret told me everything about Hailey Voss.

Turns out Brandon had dated her back in high school.

At first, Margaret didn't pay it any mind. But then Brandon's spending skyrocketed. He used to spend maybe a thousand a month. Then suddenly, he was blowing ten thousand a day.

Worried he was getting into trouble, Margaret looked into it—and discovered every dollar went straight into Hailey's hands.

Margaret was wealthy, sure. But no one's money falls from the sky.

And that girl? So young, yet such a massive appetite. Margaret figured if she was this greedy now, she'd be a monster later.

She hired someone to dig into Hailey's background. What she found was revolting.

Her father was a drunk and a gambler. Her mother was so lazy she might as well have been rotting from the inside. Her brother? Fat, dumb, barely out of his teens, already into smoking, drinking, and dating trashy girls.

And Hailey herself? Sure, she looked sweet and delicate on the outside. But inside—filthy. She had a knack for fake tears and Oscar-worthy performances, manipulating classmates left and right.

Only Margaret's idiot son had mistaken the dung for gold.

The moment Margaret realized something was off, she acted. She pulled Brandon out of public school and shoved him into an elite private academy—one with no phones, no contact with the outside world. She cut off the puppy love with a surgical strike.

I nodded as I listened. No wonder Margaret liked me so much—compared to that trash, I was a dream.

Still, Brandon was her son. And I... I was an outsider. It didn't feel right for me to stay.

Margaret seemed to read my thoughts. She gave my arm a reassuring pat and said with a sly smile, "Don't worry. I've already decided—you're the daughter-in-law of this family. No one else stands a chance."

I stiffened. "Mom... you're not planning to have me steal Brandon back from Hailey, are you?"

Because that was never going to happen.

There were plenty of good men in this world. I wasn't about to hang myself on the Brandon Quinn tree.

"Don't be ridiculous," she snorted. "That boy? Even if he cried and begged on his knees, I wouldn't let you take him back."

"I'm not talking about Brandon... I'm talking about my other son."

Wait a minute. I thought Brandon was her only child?

Turns out, Margaret Quinn was full of surprises.

We had barely stepped into the house when—like magic—she pulled out another son.