Simms had done so many terrible things-Victoria was determined to make sure everyst one of them came back to haunt him. She would make him understand what it meant to reap what you sow.
"So, what''s your n?"
Stein paused, then cautioned her, "Whatever you do, don''t get yourself tangled up in this mess."
As a soldier, he hated to see dirty business happening right under his nose. But the world didn''t always y by the rules. If it did, men like Simms-corrupt and cunning-wouldn''t exist. Simms had bribed someone to run down his own wife, then seized control of his father-inw''s assets. A hundred deaths wouldn''t be punishment enough for a man like that.
Victoria''s voice was cold. "He deserves everythinging to him."
The only bit of sce was that her aunt had finally woken up.
For Victoria, that was the onefort she had left.
Her mother and grandfather had been gone for years now. The grief was still there, buried deep, but it no longer crushed her like it once did.
All these years, she''d fought to take back Golden Era Enterprises. Now, she wanted Simms''s life.
Starfall City
Yulia had spent months drowning herself in a haze of parties and nightlife. Every night, she trailed after Sid from one bar or club to the next.
Sid brought her to the casino, where she blew through millions. But Yulia didn''t feel sad about her losses-instead, gambling was a way to let out her frustration.
After all, this money was what Simms had sweated and ved for under the Turner family''s thumb-what he called his hard-earned cash, bought at the expense of his dignity.
So what? She''d wasted half her life on him, given him a child. And before her beauty had even begun to fade, he was already desperate to cast her aside.
She went wild for a couple of weeks, and every time she checked her phone, there wasn''t a single call from Simms.
Her heart finally went cold.
That night, after an all-nighter with Sid, the two of them copsed onto the bed.
"Yulia, you haven''t been betting as muchtely."
Of the millions she once had, only two hundred thousand remained.
She was running out of money for her little escapades, and gambling had just been a way to vent. Only now, when she could barely afford what she wanted, did she realize how dire things had be.
"Yeah. I''m broke."
Sid justughed. "Oh,e on. Who doesn''t know you''re about to be Mrs. Miller
of Golden Era Enterprises? How could you possibly be broke?"
Yulia lit a cigarette. "Mrs. Miller? I broke up with him."
The words sounded almost ridiculous at their age.
"No way. It''s just a fight, right? You''ll make up soon."
Sid didn''t buy it for a second.
Yulia didn''t want to talk about Simms; just hearing his name made her skin crawl. She melted into Sid''s embrace and pressed her cigarette to his lips, silencing him.
"Don''t mention him. He''s bad luck."
Sid took a drag, exhaling smoke inzy circles, a hint of indignation in his voice. "Yulia, you''ve stood by Miller for years. You''re really okay with him kicking you to the curb like this?"
That hit a nerve. Yulia shot him a murderous re.
"I said drop it."
Sid pulled her close. "Yulia, haven''t you ever thought about staying with me? Sure, life''s expensive, but I don''t mind taking care of you. Still, Miller wasted your best years-doesn''t he owe you something? You two have a daughter together-that''s as good as being married in the eyes of thew. Breaking up now is a raw deal. But if you could get half of Golden Era Enterprises in the split, you''d be a queen."
Sid''s words struck a chord. Of course Yulia had thought of it. After all these years, after being used up by Simms, now that she was no longer useful, he wanted to throw her away.
But life wasn''t that simple.
Still, Yulia wasn''t a na?ve girl anymore. No matter how hard Sid tried to egg her
on, she wasn''t about to share what she was really thinking.
She plucked the cigarette from his mouth. "That''s my business, not yours. Your
job is to keep me happy. That''s all you need to worry about."
Seeing that Yulia wouldn''t take the bait, Sid wisely kept his mouth shut.