The Scorned Heiress: No More Mercy novel Chapter 689

Watching the door click shut behind them, Tara lets out a cold scoff. She settles back into her chair and recalibrates her focus. She knows for a fact that Jovani and Jade will not go down without a fight. Even with Jade banished to a suburban villa, those two will undoubtedly scheme up new ways to target her and the Dennis Group. Since taking her executive position, Tara has already purged half of Jovani's embedded spies from the corporate ladder, a swift cleanse made possible by Charles silently feeding her intel from the shadows. Still, until the highest-ranking mole is exposed, the company is vulnerable. It is time to go on the offensive.

Just then, her phone buzzes with a text from G.J.G.

[Baby, what are you doing? Do you miss me?]

Tara rolls her eyes, typing back instantly: [How old are you? Stop calling me baby.]

Despite the snarky reply, a warm, sweet thrill blooms in her chest. Being in love really does turn people into massive hypocrites. She always thought Danny was a man of action who despised cheesy romance, yet lately, his sweet talk is thick enough to drown in.

[To me, you'll always be my baby. Should I pick you up for dinner?]

"She doesn't want to see me. I can't force her," Tara states flatly, her voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation. She treats the rejection like a mundane weather report, turns on her heel, and walks away.

In the past, her mother's complete devotion to Jade drove Tara to desperately seek her validation. She used to try so hard to earn a single scrap of maternal affection. But every time they made a millimeter of progress, Jade would orchestrate a tiny crisis, and Deanna's attention would instantly snap back to the adopted daughter. After having her hopes built up and violently crushed countless times, Tara's heart eventually turned to stone. She has completely given up. Trying to wake someone who is pretending to be asleep only tortures everyone involved.

As Tara's footsteps fade down the hallway, Deanna collapses against the inside of her bedroom door, sobbing uncontrollably. She didn't lock the door because she hates Tara; she locked it because she is completely paralyzed by shame. Over the past few days of agonizing isolation, Deanna has done nothing but relentlessly dissect her past behavior. The more she analyzes her actions, the more she realizes how monumentally blind and cruel she was.