Chapter 27 – Stepmother’s Fury, Hazel’s Strategic Stand
A smile spread across my face as I reread Damien Sterling’s confirmation text. He’d accepted my dinner invitation. I should’ve been worrying about the mountain of debt I owed him, but all I felt was a flutter of anticipation.
“Someone looks happy,” Cherry remarked, poking her head into my office.
I quickly set my phone down. “Just finalizing dinner plans with Mr. Sterling to discuss repayment
terms.”
“Right. ‘Repayment terms. Is that what they’re calling it these days?” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“Very professional, Cherry,” I said, fighting a smile. “Don’t you have work to do?”
She laughed, backing out of my office. “I’ll leave you to your daydreaming about tall, dark, and impossibly wealthy.”
After she left, I texted Victoria about securing a table at The Imperial Garden, her family’s high–end restaurant. Within minutes, she confirmed the reservation and added: “Private room set aside. Perfect for wooing billionaires. ;)”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t suppress my smile. I’d chosen The Imperial Garden not just for its reputation, but because it offered the privacy we needed. The last thing I wanted was another round of gossip about Damien and me.
i sent him a brief message with the details, keeping it professional:
“Dinner confirmed for tomorrow at 7 PM at The Imperial Garden. I’ve arranged a private room. Looking forward to our discussion.”
His reply came almost instantly: “Looking forward to it as well. -DS”
That signature. So formal, yet somehow intimate. I was still staring at my phone when the door to my office crashed open.
“You disgraceful little bitch!”
Eleanor Thorne–my stepmother–stormed in, face contorted with rage. I hadn’t seen her in weeks, not since Julian and Ivy’s wedding. She looked haggard, her usually perfect makeup applied with a heavier hand than normal, her designer outfit slightly rumpled.
“Hello, Eleanor,” I said coolly, sliding my phone into my desk drawer. “I don’t recall scheduling a meeting with you today.”
“Don’t play smart with me,” she hissed, slamming both hands on my desk. “What have you done
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to my daughter?”
I kept my expression neutral. “You’ll need to be more specific.”
“Ivy is back in the hospital! Her condition has worsened since that auction where you paraded around with that–that man!” She spat the last word like it was poison. “Making a spectacle of yourself, flaunting your new rich boyfriend! Do you have any idea what that stress did to her?”
My patience, which had been thinning with every word, finally snapped.
“First, Damien Sterling is not my boyfriend. Second, I didn’t parade around with anyone. I was simply attending an auction for a family heirloom that your husband stole from my mother.” I met her glare with my own. “And third, if Ivy is unwell, perhaps she should focus on her recovery rather than obsessing over my life.”
Eleanor’s face flushed dark red. “How dare you! After everything you’ve done—”
“What exactly have I done, Eleanor?” I stood up, matching her posture. “Been cheated on? Had my wedding stolen? Been disowned and kicked out? Please, tell me what terrible things I’ve inflicted on your precious daughter.”
“You’ve always been jealous of her. Always trying to overshadow her. And now you’re flaunting this new relationship to hurt her!”
I laughed without humor. “That’s rich coming from the woman whose daughter stole my fiancé and my wedding.”
*Julian was never meant for you!” Eleanor shouted, grabbing a stack of folders from my desk and hurling them at me. “Ivy deserves him! She deserves everything!”
I ducked as the folders flew past my head, scattering papers everywhere. Cherry appeared in the doorway, eyes wide with alarm.
“Call security,” I told her calmly, never taking my eyes off Eleanor.
“You think you’re so clever, Eleanor snarled, grabbing more items from my desk and throwing them. A heavy stapler grazed my shoulder. “You think you can just replace Julian with someone richer? Someone more powerful? You’re pathetic!”
I reached for my phone. “I’m calling the police.”
“Go ahead!” She was nearly foaming at the mouth now. “Everyone knows what you are–a gold–digging slut who couldn’t keep her man!”
As I dialed, Eleanor lunged across the desk, knocking over my laptop and grabbing a crystal paperweight my mother had given me. Before I could react, she hurled it at my head. I tried to dodge, but it caught me at the temple. Pain exploded behind my eyes as warm blood trickled down my face.
“Ms. Ashworth!” Two of my staff members rushed in, restraining Eleanor as she continued to
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scream obscenities.
I pressed a tissue to my bleeding temple, my voice surprisingly steady as I spoke into the phone. “Yes, I need to report an assault at Ashworth Bespoke headquarters. My stepmother has physically attacked me and I’m currently bleeding from a head wound.”
Eleanor struggled against the staff members holding her. “You deserve worse! My Ivy is dying, and you’re out there living your best life with your new rich man!”
I ignored her, focusing on the emergency operator. “Yes, please send officers immediately. The assailant is still on the premises and being restrained by my staff.”
“You’ll regret this,” Eleanor hissed. “Harrison will destroy you when he finds out. You think your precious Damien Sterling can protect you? You have no idea who you’re dealing with!”
I
I studied her carefully as blood dripped down my cheek. In that moment, I realized something crucial: Eleanor wasn’t just angry–she was terrified. Not just of me, but of what Damien Sterling represented. Power beyond her husband’s reach.
The police arrived within minutes, entering my office as Cherry was helping me press a clean cloth to my wound.
“Ms. Ashworth?” The lead officer approached me while his partner went to where Eleanor was still being restrained. “I’m Officer Lin. Can you tell me what happened here?”
I gestured weakly around the destroyed office. “My stepmother came in unprovoked and began verbally assaulting me before escalating to physical violence. As you can see, she destroyed my office and struck me with a paperweight.”
“She’s lying!” Eleanor shrieked. “She provoked me! She’s been tormenting my sick daughter!”
Officer Lin looked between us, his expression professional but skeptical of Eleanor’s wild claims. “Ma’am, please calm down.”
I touched my temple gingerly. “Officer, there are security cameras in this office. The entire incident has been recorded.”
Eleanor’s face went slack. She clearly hadn’t considered the presence of cameras.
“We’ll need that footage,” Officer Lin said, nodding to his partner. “And you should get that wound looked at, Ms. Ashworth.”
“I intend to,” I said, standing up carefully. “And I want to press charges after I’ve been to the hospital.”
“You can’t be serious!” Eleanor’s voice had shifted from rage to panic. “It was just a family disagreement!”
I looked directly at her, allowing a small, knowing smile to touch my lips. “Family doesn’t make you bleed, Eleanor.”
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As the officers began to restrain Eleanor, who had started struggling again, I suddenly understood something that had eluded me for years. This was what Ivy had been doing all along -playing the victim, manipulating emotions, using others‘ sympathy as a weapon.
And it worked.
The realization settled over me like a cold blanket. Perhaps I had been fighting this battle all wrong. Maybe there was something to be learned from my stepsister’s tactics after all.
Eleanor’s eyes widened as she caught my expression. For the first time, I saw fear replace the
contempt in her gaze.
“What are you smiling at?” she demanded as the officers led her toward the door.
I didn’t answer. I simply maintained that small, knowing smile, blood still dripping down my face
-the perfect picture of wounded innocence with newfound resolve.
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