“How dare you speak to me like that? I’ve been living in the Montgomery household, enjoying the life of a young lady, and it’s not too much to ask of you to make a sacrifice for the family’s business,” Darcy Stone continued, her voice filled with scorn.
“You’re a Montgomery too, living the life of a young lady here, and your father’s business is in trouble. Why don’t you make the sacrifice? Why don’t you sleep with men!” Anastasia retorted, her anger reaching a boiling point.
“Enough!” both Noah Calhoun and Claire Randall shouted in unison, their voices filled with warning.
“Anastasia, she is your sister, the only daughter of the Montgomery family. How could you say such things to her!” Claire tried to hold Anastasia back, gripping her arm to prevent her from continuing the argument.
Noah, on the other hand, extinguished his cigarette angrily and glared at Anastasia from a distance. Anastasia didn’t care about the Montgomerys’ words; she had known from a young age that she was not welcome in this family. Over the years, she had never cared about the得失 of her clothing, food, housing, and transportation.
But her mother—how could she agree to such a thing?
Anastasia couldn’t help but clutch Claire’s hand, her voice trembling as she asked, “Why? Why did you stand by and let them push me into this predicament, knowing it was a deal with the Greys? Why! Mom, I’m your own flesh and blood! Where in the world is there a mother like you, who…”
“Enough! Anastasia, stop talking!” Claire jerked her hand away from Anastasia’s grip, lowering her head and shouting, “There is no why! If you insist on finding a reason, then blame your unworthy father.”
“Dad? What about Dad? He’s been gone for so many years. What does this have to do with him?”
“Because your father was the other man! He was the despicable interloper between your mother and me. Do you understand now, Anastasia? From the very beginning, you have been an unwelcome, superfluous outsider!”
“Darcy, don’t speak nonsense!”
“No, she’s right,” Claire said, her voice firm as she decided it was time for Anastasia to know the truth.
For over twenty years, Noah Calhoun had been Claire’s first love. They had been together since college, planning to stay at the school where they taught, get married, and have children. Claire’s family owned a local brewery with some fame, but later, the company went bankrupt, and Claire’s father accumulated a significant gambling debt.
Chester Steele, Anastasia’s father, was the biggest creditor of the Randall family. One day, when the creditors came to the Randall home to collect the debt, they happened to find Claire at home as well.