Chapter 35 The Mask Fell Off
Chapter 35 The Mask Fell Off
Alina's POV
Kyle walked in, my bodyguard’s face grim, jaw clenched so tight the muscle ticked.
He looked like he was barely holding back an outburst, eyes dark with everything he wanted to say but swallowed.
What the hell is he doing butting in?
“Mr. Fredrick,” he greeted, voice flat but respectful. “Couldn’t help but overhear the chaos. And from the little time I’ve spent with Miss Alina, I believe she is not capable of such. So I pulled up the surveillance footage from the dining area.”
Dorothy’s face went wide with panic. “It’s okay now, uncle. I’m fine. She doesn’t have to apologize to me again,” she said defensively.
“Why? Are you hiding something?” Regina asked her with so much irritation in her eyes.
Dorothy’s mouth opened, trying to say something…probably another lie…but Kyle was already stepping forward, holding his phone out toward my father.
She moved fast, pretending to sway like she was dizzy. I saw her plan clear as day…like she wanted to knock the phone out of his hand, claim it was an accident, start another fake episode. But Kyle was quicker.
He shot his leg out subtly, just enough to catch her ankle.
Dorothy tripped hard and fell face-flat onto the floor with a loud thud, like a sack of potatoes hitting concrete.
The sound was almost so satisfying that I stifled a laugh.
She changed tactics immediately, gasping dramatically, clutching her chest like she was having another one of her “episodes,” wheezing for breath.
Too late. No one paid attention.
I watched my father’s eyes widen as he stared at the phone screen. The color drained from his face as regret flooded in, heavy and unmistakable.
He saw it all…Dorothy deliberately smashing the glass, slicing her own arm, the smirk, the setup.
But I wasn’t buying the regret. Not anymore. It wouldn’t be the first time proof stared him in the face and he still chose her the next time something happened.
“I’m sorry,” he stuttered, looking at me. “With your recent behavior… it’s like you’ve changed and all… I just believed—”
“The worst about me?” I finished for him. A dry, bitter laugh escaped my throat. “This means nothing, Dad. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last. The next time Dorothy cries, you’ll blame me again. I hate you.”
The moment I saw another wave of hurt in his expression, I turned and stormed off toward my room, footsteps echoing down the hallway.
Emotions piled up inside me…anger, hurt, exhaustion, betrayal…like bricks stacking on my chest. But I didn’t cry. I wouldn’t cry again for either of them. Not today. Not ever if I could help it.
I slammed my bedroom door shut behind me, the sound vibrating through the walls. My cheek still burned. My arm ached where he’d grabbed me. I leaned against the door for a second, breathing hard, trying to steady the shaking in my hands.
That’s when I heard it…my phone ringing on the bedside table.
I walked over slowly, legs feeling like lead. The second my eyes landed on the caller ID, everything inside me cracked wide open.
Kai.
I just stood there, staring at his name lighting up the screen, and for the first time this whole awful evening, I felt like I might actually bawl my eyes out.
The phone kept ringing, and I finally picked it up, my thumb sliding across the screen like it was the only real thing left in my world.
“Kai,” I whispered, sinking onto the edge of my bed. My voice came out smaller than I wanted.
For over an hour, we talked.
I ignored the persistent knocking on my door…first sharp and demanding, then softer, then gone.
I heard my father’s voice through the wood, clipped and formal, like he was discussing a failed merger instead of the fact that he’d slapped his only daughter and heard her say she hated him. “Alina, I’m sorry. Please come out so we can discuss this properly.”
Discuss. Like my bleeding heart was just another item on his agenda.
I stayed curled up, phone pressed to my ear, and somehow Kai made the storm inside me quiet down.
He listened. Really listened. When I told him everything…Dorothy’s glass stunt, the slap, the words I’d thrown at my father like knives…he didn’t offer empty comfort. He called me a badass for standing up for myself.
“You finally spoke up instead of swallowing it all and crying in a corner, Alina. That takes guts. I’m proud of you.”
His voice was warm, steady, like an anchor. For the first time in forever, I felt seen. Not as the Sterling heiress. Not as the perfect daughter. Just… me.
Appreciated for who I was becoming, not what I could bring to the family empire.
Come to think of it…ever since I met Kai, he always makes me feel normal and seen. Like he deeply cares for me.
During our conversation, he promised to surprise me. He said it’s one that I would really love.
“What is it?” I’d asked, smiling despite everything.
“Nope. No hints. You’ll just have to wait and see. Trust me. When you see it, you will know it's from me.”
What the hell is Kai up to this time?
What surprise could he possibly have for me?