Chapter 79: Lucky Poodle’s Foot

Jordan regarded Diana with indifference. Once, she had been a figure of immense authority in the Camden family, a woman who commanded respect with every word she uttered. Now, she stood before him, humbled by the weight of her own misjudgments.

But he wasn’t here for Diana.

He wasn’t here for the Camdens.

He was here for Lucky.

“Where is Lucky?” Jordan asked, his voice sharp, his patience thin.

Drew, the only Camden Jordan still acknowledged, stepped forward. “Inside with Hailey.”

Sylvie took the opportunity to step in, eager to paint Hailey as the victim. “Jordan, please don’t blame Hailey for not coming out to greet you. She knelt for so long yesterday that it took hours of emergency care at the hospital just to stabilize her. She’s still too weak to walk.”

Jordan knew Hailey’s body well—too well.

He knew she was fragile, but requiring hours of emergency care? That was an exaggeration. For three years, he had been the one looking after her. He knew exactly how resilient she truly was.

He didn’t respond. Without another word, he stepped inside.

The house was exactly as he remembered it—familiar, yet tainted with the memories of how the Camdens had once treated him.

And there she was.

Hailey sat at the dining table, Lucky cradled in her arms, her complexion pale. The table before her was adorned with an extravagant feast, the kind of spread Jordan had never once seen in the three years he had lived there.

His focus, however, remained on Lucky.

His heart clenched as he noticed the bandage wrapped around the dog’s small paw.

As Jordan approached, his sharp eyes caught something else.

A wound on Hailey’s leg.

She was wearing a short skirt, deliberately exposing the injury. A calculated move—Rachel’s doing, no doubt.

But Jordan felt nothing.

No sympathy. No guilt.

She hadn’t spared a single thought for his feelings when she had checked into that hotel with Tyler.

“Jordan,” Hailey called out weakly, her voice soft, fragile—deliberate.

He ignored her.

His hand reached for Lucky, and the moment the dog saw him, it wriggled out of Hailey’s arms, leaping toward him despite its injury.

Jordan caught Lucky gently, frowning at the sight of its limp.

He turned toward Diana, his tone firm. “Mrs. Camden, I want to buy Lucky from you. I’ll pay $150,000.”

Diana, leaning on her cane, smiled at him. “Jordan, there’s no need for that. Lucky belongs to you as much as it does to me. You’re still family.”

Jordan scoffed. Family?

“Hailey and I are divorced. We are not family.”

He glanced at the untouched meal on the table. “I won’t be staying for dinner. Name your price for Lucky, and I’ll be on my way.”

An awkward silence fell over the room.

Diana sighed. “Very well, if that’s how you feel, at least tell me something before you leave. Why, Jordan? Why did you, a man of immense wealth, choose to be a live-in husband? Why did my late husband know your secret when the rest of us were kept in the dark?”

Jordan had expected this.

For three years, they had been blind to the truth. Now, he would give them what they sought.

“Fine,” he said. “I’ll tell you.”

He took a seat, Lucky still in his arms.

“There’s a rule in the Steele family—every male heir must undergo trials before they can inherit the family business. Three years ago, my grandfather arranged for me to marry Hailey as a live-in husband.

“Your family may only be second-tier, but you still held a certain level of prestige. My grandfather believed that if I could endure this life, I would be worthy of my inheritance.

“So, he struck a deal with Hailey’s grandfather.”

Diana inhaled sharply. “That’s why he never told us…”

Jordan nodded. “He was sworn to secrecy. If any of you found out, if your treatment of me changed, my trial would have been meaningless. That’s why he remained silent.”

Understanding dawned upon them.

Benedict sighed heavily. “For the past two years, I wondered what Dad wanted to tell me before he passed. I should have known… he was protecting your test.”

Diana turned to Hailey, anger flashing in her aged eyes. “Hailey Camden! You fool! You will never find another man like Jordan! He is a rare gem, and you threw him away!”

Elle, ever the opportunist, took a step forward. “Yeah, Hailey, you really messed up. If I had married Jordan, I would have treated him like royalty.”

She fluttered her lashes at Jordan. “Jordan, how about this? You can be my live-in husband for a year. Let me train you this time.”

Jordan stared at her, utterly unimpressed. “No, thank you.”

Diana shot Elle a glare. “Stop speaking nonsense!”

She turned back to Jordan, her voice softer now. “Jordan, we treated you poorly. We owe you an apology.”

She raised a glass of wine, motioning for the others to do the same. “Herman, Benedict—pour some wine. We shall toast to Jordan.”

Jordan watched them impassively.

They drank, one by one.

When they finished, he spoke. “Your apology is meaningless to me.”

They flinched.

“I have no interest in revenge. My company will still partner with you on Hailey Residences, but this will be our first and last business deal.”

Diana nodded stiffly. She knew she could not ask for more.

She sighed, looking at Lucky. “Jordan, I know you love Lucky, but you must know how much I adore him too. How about this? He stays with you for five days a week, and with me for two.”

Jordan thought about it.

For all her faults, Diana had taken care of Lucky for years.

He nodded. “Fine. Name your price.”

“You don’t need to pay,” Sylvie interjected with a smile. “We’re all family, after all! Besides, you already gave Mom that expensive bracelet worth millions.”

Diana looked down at the bracelet on her wrist.

After a moment, she took it off.

She held it out to Jordan.

“Take it back,” she said. “I do not deserve it.”

Jordan stared at the bracelet—the one gift he had given her as a grandson-in-law.

Slowly, he reached forward and took it.

The past three years had been a lie.

And now, he was ready to leave them behind.