Filed To Story: The Broken-Hearted She and The Icy He Book PDF Free
Most of her cash had gone to Yulia earlier that day to pull off this plan.
So now what? No way she could afford to pay that bill.
Why should she have to pay?
Simon knew Elsa owned plenty of expensive jewelry. Most of it had come from him and John. But when it came to actual cash? She didn’t have much.
He thought back to the time they spent trapped together, when her trembling hand had gripped his, telling him over and over not to give up.
He couldn’t stand to see her like this.
“James,” he said quietly. “I’ll cover the cost. You don’t have to push Lizzy this hard.”
“You’re unbelievable.” Dennis didn’t wait for an answer. He marched straight over and kicked Simon hard in the side.
Dennis didn’t hesitate..
“You’re paying for this?” he snapped at Simon. “What, you think money grows on trees in this family? Elsa screwed up-she should be the one paying for it. And if you even think about using family money to help her, then get the hell out of Bale Group. Don’t bother coming home, either. Your parents are still young. If they want another kid, they’ll have one. And even if they don’t, I’ve got a grandson. We don’t need you to inherit anything.”
“Grandpa… Lizzy saved my life,” Simon said, his voice soft. “I can’t just-“
Dennis cut him off without blinking. “She saved your life, and you’ve already done more than enough to repay her. You’ve spent years helping her. That debt is settled.”
Mary didn’t miss a beat. She kicked him in the leg and snapped, “Your grandfather’s right. And if you try to play the hero again, don’t come crying to me-I’ll cut you off myself. Honestly, with how gullible you turned out, I might as well have raised a block of wood-or a damn brick wall. At least they wouldn’t let some scheming woman walk all over them.”
A block of wood?
Simon winced. His brows drew together. That line stung-especially coming from his own mother.
He glanced over at Jamie, who stood beside them, fists clenched and jaw tight, ready to punch him if he talked back. Simon swallowed his pride and stayed quiet.
He still couldn’t bear to see Elsa go through this alone.
But the truth was, the Bale family was close. He loved them deeply, and he couldn’t bring himself to turn his back on them-especially not over this. Not over Elsa.
So for the first time in years, he stepped back.
Besides, even if he didn’t pay, John probably would. One way or another, Elsa wouldn’t be left to suffer alone.
Still, Elsa was stunned by how stingy the Bale family was being.
They were filthy rich, and she’d saved Simon’s life. Now she was in trouble, and they couldn’t even spare seventy thousand dollars?
When Simon said nothing, she realized it-he wasn’t going to go against his family. He wouldn’t help her. Her eyes stung with frustration as she turned to John, hoping he might step up.
But all he said was, “I’ll call for an/ambulance.”
Was he calling her an ambulance?
So that was it-he wasn’t going to help her pay for anything, and he wasn’t even planning to take her to the hospital himself.
He knew she’d lost their child. And still, he was walking away? How could he be this cold? Hour could he not even stay by my side?
It was all Lily’s fault.
If that woman hadn’t gotten in her way, she would’ve already been Mrs. Jones by now. She wouldn’t be in this mess.
Elsa’s body trembled with rage. She hadn’t even pulled herself together when James’s voice cut through the tension, calm but razor-sharp.
“Elsa,” he said coldly, “my advice? Pay up. Fast. Because if you’re arrogant enough to stall and this goes to court, you’ll end up paying a hell of a lot more.”
Elsa bit down hard on her lip.
She knew exactly what the legal team at Luke Group was capable of.
Wendy had gone up against them in court once-and it hadn’t ended well. They got crushed. Elsa knew the same fate would be waiting for her if she let this go legal.
But Simon and John had both left her hanging.
If she wanted to pay, she’d have to start selling off her jewelry-the expensive pieces they’d given her over the years.
She loved every single one. Selling them would be humiliating. It would make her look desperate.
Tears spilled from her eyes, sharp with frustration and shame.
And James still wasn’t done.
His voice remained as cold as ever.
“You should also make a public apology to Lily. Post it online. Because if you don’t, we’ll be filing a lawsuit -for defamation and inciting assault.”
The people Elsa had paid to back her up-along with Yulia’s little crew-stood frozen. James’s cold, commanding tone had shaken them to the core.
They had a sinking feeling he wasn’t going to let them off the hook either.
Yulia, who was usually full of attitude/and bitterness, looked genuinely shaken now. Fear had completely taken over her face-she knew James might hold her accountable too..
James wouldn’t let this go-and she knew it.
She’d already received a warning/from the school for past behavior. If James really came after her, she might get expelled.
The thought had barely crossed her mind when James’s voice cut in again, this time with a mocking edge that made her blood run cold.
“Yulia,” he said flatly, “looks like detention didn’t teach you a damn thing.”
“I-I didn’t mean for this to happen,” she stammered.
Her knees nearly gave out. She grabbed the wall for balance, barely staying on her feet. “I thought Lily had done something terrible-that she caused Ms. Elsa to lose her baby. I thought I was standing up for whe was right. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone-I just got the wrong idea. If I’d known Lily was innocent. I never would’ve laid a hand on her…”
James didn’t flinch.
“You really think everyone’s as gullible as you?” He said, his voice like a blade. “I watched the second video The moment Elsa threw herself off the stage, your head popped out from behind the curtain. Which means you knew exactly what was going on. You knew the truth the whole time.”
James continued, “But you still chose to side with the bullies, You beat up Lily, tore at her clothes, dumped bucket after bucket of ice water on her, and even pushed her off the stage. You knew it was wrong and did it anyway. How could you possibly claim you’re innocent? As far as I’m concerned, ignorance is no excuse. With me, there’s no such thing as ‘just going along with the crowd. The surveillance footage caught everything crystal clear. Every single person who hurt my wife-I’m coming after all of you. Expect a court summons soon!”
Every single person who hurt my wife…he wasn’t going to let a single one of them off the hook. Lily’s thick lashes trembled softly.
She knew he wasn’t saying those things because he loved her-he just had a strong sense of right and wrong. He couldn’t stand what Elsa and the others did.
But hearing him call her his wife over and over again, feeling the warmth of his arms wrapped tight around her-it made her heart pound uncontrollably.
God, I really, really like him. I like him more with each passing day. Why does he have to be into men?
But even if that were true, she couldn’t let go of the comfort and strength in his arms. She pressed her cheek tighter against his chest, clinging to him instinctively.
Seeing that James was dead serious about pressing charges, Yulia and the others went pale with fear.
The people she hired started panicking, “We didn’t mean to hurt Lily! Yulia gave us 300 bucks to stir things up and target her.”
“Yeah, she told us we wouldn’t get in trouble if everyone did it together. That’s the only reason we agreed- for 300 bucks.”
Yulia’s so-called best friends didn’t hesitate to throw her under the bus.
All they wanted now was to stay out of trouble. They rushed to pin the blame elsewhere.
“Yulia tricked us! She said it was just a prank when she had us dump ice water on Lily.”
“It was all Yulia! Mr. Luke, we’re just students. Please don’t send us to jail!”
Yulia was stunned.
She never thought the girls who used to be so tight with her would turn so fast. iends high-end makeup and But the truth was, after pocketing 150 grand from Elsa, she had bought h paid a dozen people to go after Lily online and in person. There was no way she could deny it.
All she could do now was shift the blame to Elsa.
“It… it was Elsa! She made me do it! She said Mr. Simon and Mr. John would do anything for her, and if I didn’t help, she’d ruin my life. I’m a victim too! Mr. Luke, please-you and Lily can’t come after me Isl Elsa’s fault. She’s the one who’s been trying to destroy Lily. She’s manipulative, cruel, and disgusting She deserves to rot in prison!”
Elsa completely lost it.
She couldn’t believe Yulia, that idiot, actually turned on her!
And once Yulia spoke up, the crowd turned on Elsa. People were calling her sick, twisted, and evil. shouting that James should sue her and make sure she went away for good.
Elsa’s vision blacked out. Her head spun.
Is this it for me? Am I really done for this time?
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.