Taking Back What's Mine

I sat in Gabriel's car. The only sound in the cabin was the hum of the AC. The courage I'd had on stage faded fast, replaced by an awkward silence.

"Um… Mr. York, thank you for stepping in back there." I muttered as I shrank father into the seat.

The system said we were a match, but this whole thing still felt unreal.

Gabriel glanced at me, his fingers tapping lightly against his knee.

"It's a mutual benefit, nothing more," he said evenly. "Ms. Rhodes, since the system brought you to me, we're going to play this out properly."

I looked up at him, stunned. "You… You know about the system?"

He raised a brow and tapped his temple.

The car pulled up in front of a villa. Before getting out, Gabriel commented, "You'll stay here for now. The Forrests will definitely come looking to harass you. As for your reward of 100 billion, the system has already transferred it under your name. You can check it anytime."

I stared at the banking notification on my phone. That long string of zeros made my breath catch.

With so much money in my bank account, why would I be afraid of them?

The moment I stepped inside, my phone started buzzing. It was Dylan in the "Happy Family" group chat.

I tapped on a voice message. Dylan's voice came through, sharp and furious.

"Summer, don't think landing a rich guy makes you untouchable! Mr. York's just playing around with you. You're a used woman carrying someone else's kid. Why would he take you seriously?

"I'm telling you, get your ass back here, apologize to my mom, and pay up the 500,000! Otherwise, I'll freeze the secondary card I gave you! Let's see how you survive out there!"

I rolled my eyes. That card had a monthly limit of 5,000. Big threat.

Gideon jumped in next.

"Summer, you're being ridiculous! You've driven Mom's blood pressure through the roof! Get back here and pay the down payment on the house, or I'll go to your company and make a scene! I'll make sure everyone knows you're a gold-digging slut!"

Then Alice sent a voice message.

"If you don't come back, I've got a hundred ways to make sure that thing in your belly never sees the light of day."

I stared at the messages. But this time, I didn't shake with anger. I felt calm.

I opened my banking app and froze the secondary card. Then I typed in the group chat.

'You don't need to come looking for me. I'll be back tomorrow to get my things. I won't leave a single thing of mine behind for you.'

After that, I exited the group and blocked them all.

…

Early the next morning, I returned to that home with two bodyguards.

That house was my premarital property.

The lock had already been changed. From inside came the sounds of things being moved and Gideon shouting.

"Mom! This TV is the latest model worth tens of thousands! Move it to my room!

"This couch is pretty good too. We can sell it secondhand and make a decent amount!"

I let out a cold laugh and gestured to the bodyguards. "Kick it in."

The security door burst open.

The Forrests who were inside the house froze in shock.

The living room was a complete mess. My belongings were scattered everywhere. Gideon was stuffing my speakers into a box.

Alice sat on the floor as she went through my jewelry box, my emerald necklace hanging around her neck.

The moment she saw me, she froze before scrambling to her feet. She pointed at me, cursing, "You jinx! You've got the nerve to come back? And you brought some random men to tear the place apart?"

She shrank back slightly when she noticed the bodyguards, but quickly puffed herself up again.

"Good. Since you're here, hand over the property deed! The wedding's off, so this house counts as compensation for our emotional damages! After all, you're carrying Dylan's child. This house will belong to my grandchild sooner or later!"

I slowly scanned the wrecked home as my hands clenched into fists.

The Truth Comes Out

"This house was paid in full with my money. It's in my name. What does it have to do with any of you?"

I walked over and yanked the necklace off Alice's neck.

"Ow! Robbery! This woman is assaulting her mother-in-law!"

Alice collapsed with a thud, wailing and rolling around like a child throwing a tantrum.

Dylan rushed out of the bedroom, still in his pajamas.

"Summer! What are you doing? Have you lost all sense of decency?"

He tried to shove me, but one of the bodyguards stepped in and pinned him against the wall.

Dylan struggled, unable to move, his face flushed with rage.

"Summer! Don't push your luck! You're pregnant right now. I won't argue with you. As long as you transfer the house to Gideon, we can still make this marriage work!"

I stared at him. "Transfer it to Gideon? On what grounds?"

Dylan's eyes flickered.

"Gideon's getting married. The bride's family wants a house. You're his sister-in-law. What's wrong with helping out? Besides, you've got money."

At that moment, the system chimed.

"Abhorrent statement detected. Truth Mode activated. Target: Gideon Forrest."

Gideon, who had been holding my speakers, suddenly froze. Then his mouth fell open as he blurted out.

"Help out, my ass! Summer's just a sucker! I don't just want this house—I've got a 300,000 gambling debt waiting for her to pay off! Mom said we'd trick her into handing over the house first.

"After she gives birth, we'll lock her in the house and keep her here, feeding her leftovers every day until she gets postpartum depression. And when she jumps off a building, won't all the family assets be ours? Hahaha!"

The air went dead still.

Dylan glared at his brother in horror. "Gideon, shut up!"

Alice stood there, mouth open, completely speechless.

Outside, neighbors who had gathered to watch the spectacle turned pale. One after another, they pulled out their phones and started recording.

"My God… That's vicious. They're trying to rob her and kill her?"

"They always seemed so decent. Who knew they were this cruel?"

"Are they even human? This is beyond heartless."

Gideon kept talking, completely out of control.

"Anyway, that kid is part of our plan too. We're using the baby to tie her down. She's a soft-hearted idiot. No way she'd let her child grow up without a father! When the time comes, we can do whatever we want with her!"

I looked at Dylan's pale face.

My heart felt like still water, cold and unmoving.

So it wasn't just greed. They wanted my life too.

"Did you all hear that?" I turned to the neighbors. "Everyone heard it, right? That's the Forrest family's grand plan."

I took out my phone and dialed 911.

"Officer, I'd like to report a crime. There's a home invasion and attempted murder."

Dylan struggled and shouted, "Summer, Gideon was talking nonsense! He was just angry! You can't call the police! We're family!"

"Family?" I let out a cold laugh and pointed at the wrecked house.

"The moment you started plotting against me, you became my enemies.

"Oh, and Dylan, I almost forgot to mention. I installed surveillance cameras in this house. Everything you just said, including your plan to harm me, has been recorded. Get ready to spend the rest of your lives behind bars."

The police arrived quickly.

With the stolen items, witness statements, and Gideon's own outburst, the Forrests had no way to deny anything.

Alice was taken away in a police car. Gideon was handcuffed on charges of robbery and illegal gambling.

Only Dylan, who had been in the bedroom and had no direct evidence tying him to the act, was taken in for questioning.

Before he left, he stared at me, his eyes filled with hatred.

"Summer, you've gone too far. You'd better not regret this. After all, you're still carrying my child. Do you really think you can get rid of me?"