Chapter 28 28
Scarlett's POV
Sophie stopped recording. She put her phone away with a satisfied smile.
"Madison, that's enough. You're being cruel."
Zelda's voice was soft. Gentle. She'd been standing quietly the whole time, watching. Now she finally stepped forward.
She put her hand on Madison's arm. "I'm so sorry, Scarlett. Madison gets protective sometimes. She doesn't mean to be hurtful."
Zelda reached into her Hermès handbag. Pulled out a cream-colored card. Gold embossed lettering. Expensive paper. I could tell from across the hallway that it was custom printed.
She held it out to me. Her movements were elegant. Like she was offering me something precious.
"This is for my celebration party next Friday. It's at the Plaza Hotel. I'd really love for you to come, Scarlett."
Her eyes were sincere. Her voice was soft and warm. "We're sisters. I know things have been difficult between us, but I want to share this moment with you. Please come."
I stared at the invitation in her hand.
She wants me at that party. She wants me to show up so Madison can humiliate me in front of everyone when my scores come out. She wants to watch me apologize and call myself trailer trash in front of all the important families.
This is her endgame. Public humiliation.
I looked at Zelda's face. That sweet, concerned expression.
"You really want me there that badly?" I asked.
"Of course. You're family."
I took the invitation from her hand. Looked at it. The gold lettering was beautiful. The Plaza Hotel address was printed at the bottom. Next Friday at 7 PM.
Then I walked over to the decorative trash bin against the wall.
I held the invitation with both hands. Made sure all four of them could see what I was doing.
I tore it in half. Slowly. Deliberately.
Then I dropped both pieces into the trash.
The hallway went silent.
I turned back around. Walked over to Zelda. Put my hand on her shoulder. Smiled.
"Here's some free advice, Zelda. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes."
Madison's face turned red. Then purple.
"You BITCH!" she screamed. "How DARE you—"
She rushed toward me. Her hand was raised like she was going to slap me.
Zelda moved fast. She grabbed Madison's arm. Pulled her back.
"Madison, stop. Let me handle this."
Zelda's voice was still soft. Still gentle. But there was steel underneath now.
She looked at Sophie and Ashley. "Give us a minute. Please."
Sophie and Ashley exchanged glances. They looked confused but they nodded. Walked away down the hallway toward the private dining room.
Madison yanked her arm free from Zelda's grip. "I'm not leaving. This bitch just—"
"Madison." Zelda's voice was firm now. "Please. Trust me. I need to talk to my sister alone."
Madison glared at me. Finally she turned and stormed off after Sophie and Ashley.
Zelda pulled me to the side. To a small alcove away from the main hallway. Away from where anyone could see us.
The sweet expression on her face disappeared.
Her eyes went cold. This was the real Zelda. "You're making a mistake, Scarlett." Her voice was low.
She leaned closer. "Do you know what happens to girls like you? Girls who get pregnant with no family? No support?"
Oh, this is rich. Coming from her.
"They end up desperate. They end up doing things they never thought they'd do. They end up selling themselves just to survive."
"Is that what you want? To end up on the streets? To raise a baby in poverty?"
I looked down at her hand on my wrist. Then back at her face. "Are you done?"
"No. I'm not done." Her voice got even colder. "You need to understand something. The Romano family still has power. We still have connections. If I tell certain people about your situation, your life gets very difficult very fast."
The threat. Interesting.
"What people?" I asked.
"The Santoro family, for one. They're still expecting a Romano bride. When they find out you're pregnant with someone else's baby, they're going to be very angry. And angry mob families do very dangerous things."
She let that hang in the air.
"You think your sugar daddy can protect you? You think some old man with money can keep you safe from the Five Families?"
I almost laughed.
"Here's the deal." Zelda finally let go of my wrist. She smoothed down her dress. Put her elegant posture back on. "You come to my party. You play nice. You act like the grateful sister you're supposed to be."
She walked over to the trash bin. Bent down. Picked up the torn invitation pieces. She carefully fitted them back together. Walked back and shoved them into my hand.
"If you do that, I won't tell anyone you're pregnant. No one will know about your situation. The Santoros won't find out. Your sugar daddy won't have to deal with mob families coming after him."
I looked down at the torn invitation in my hands.
"So what? Are you threatening me?"
Zelda's sweet smile came back. "I'm not threatening you, sister. I'm giving you a choice. You can come to my party and keep your dignity. Or you can refuse and lose everything. Everyone will know you're a slut, including your sugar daddy."
I stared at her for a few seconds.
She's bluffing. If she really wanted to expose me, she would have done it already. She needs me to stay hidden. If the Santoro family finds out I'm pregnant, that means Zelda becomes the backup option. She'll be the one forced to marry Adrian Santoro.
She's desperate. She's scared. Good. Let her think she has the upper hand.
I smiled. "Fine. I'll think about it."
Zelda's face lit up. Triumph flashed in her eyes. "I knew you'd see reason."
She turned and rejoined Madison, Sophie, and Ashley near the elevator.
I watched them get in. Watched the doors close.
Then I looked down at the torn invitation in my hands.
I walked to the end of the hallway. Found another trash receptacle.
I tore it into tiny pieces. Shredded it. Made sure there was no way to put it back together.
I dropped the pieces in. Watched them fall.
I walked back to the dining area.
Damon was still sitting at our table. He looked up when I approached. His eyebrows pulled together immediately.
"You were gone for almost fifteen minutes. What happened?"
I sat down across from him. Picked up my napkin. "Nothing important. Just ran into some people from my old life."
His eyes narrowed. "People from the Romano family?"
"Zelda and her friends. They were just being themselves."
"Did they say something to you?" His jaw tightened. His voice got lower.
"Nothing I couldn't handle. Just some barking dogs. Not worth your time."
He was still watching me. Still concerned.
I looked up and smiled. "Really. I'm fine. "
He didn't look convinced. But he nodded slowly.
After dinner, we got in the car. Damon drove. I leaned against the window. Watched the city lights blur past.
"If they're bothering you, I can make it stop."
I turned to look at him. "I appreciate that. But this is something I need to handle myself."
"I don't like the idea of them threatening you."
"They're not a threat. They're just annoying. Like mosquitoes."
He didn't look satisfied with that answer. His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. But he didn't say anything else.
We drove through the gates of the estate. Up the long driveway. Past the flower columns and ridiculous decorations that were still there from our wedding day.
Arthur opened the front door for us.
"Good evening, Mr. Wolfe. Mrs. Wolfe."
"Thank you, Arthur," I said.
We walked into the living room.
Axel was standing there. Waiting. He was holding a folder. His expression was serious.
"Boss. Mrs. Wolfe." He nodded at both of us.
"Hi, Axel," I said.
Damon glanced at the folder in Axel's hands. Then at me.
"I need to discuss some business with Axel. It might take a while."
I smiled. "That's fine. I'll go for a walk. Clear my head."
"Are you sure? It's late."
"I'll stay on the grounds. I won't go far."
Damon hesitated. Then nodded. "Take your phone. Call if you need anything."
"I will."