Chapter 6
The bodyguards forced me back to the Sterling villa.
The needle hole on the back of my left hand was still seeping blood.
But no one cared.
I was locked in the master bedroom with no way out.
Outside the door, I could hear footsteps pacing back and forth.
The bedroom door swung open.
Richard strode in.
He loosened his tie, his eyes bloodshot.
Sophie's rejection symptoms were clearly spiraling out of control.
The bloody mess I made in public was enough to send Sterling Holdings' stock crashing.
He slammed a black garment bag down onto the bed.
"You're coming with me to the charity gala tomorrow night." He pinned me with his gaze, making it clear I had no choice.
I dropped my eyes to the garment bag.
My fingers reached out, running over the cold, smooth silk.
"Fine," I replied.
Richard froze for a second, surprise flickering in his eyes.
He probably hadn't expected me to say yes without a fight.
The bedroom door swung open again.
Two servants entered, their heads lowered.
A velvet tray was laid out, displaying a full set of designer jewelry.
Richard moved behind me.
He selected the pink diamond necklace from the tray. "Emily, don't act up. As long as you stay in line, nobody can take your place as Mrs. Sterling."
The cold diamonds rested against my collarbone.
His warm fingertips brushed along the side of my neck.
The clammy touch crept under my skin, sending chills down my spine.
I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek, swallowing back the nausea burning in my throat.
I endured every moment, barely making it to the eve of the gala.
Night had fallen completely outside the window.
Richard had gone back to Sophie's hospital room.
I walked over to the door and pressed the lock button from the inside.
I turned and pulled open the bottom drawer of the vanity.
It was packed with photos of Richard and me.
I gathered the stacks of photos up in my arms.
I stared at his warm, gentle gaze in those pictures and dug out an empty metal basin from the lower cabinet.
I hauled the basin to the middle of the carpet and threw all the photos in.
I flicked the lighter hard with my thumb.
A blue flame sprang to life.
I tossed the lighter right into the basin.
I grabbed my backup phone and shot Andrew a message. [Control secured. See you tomorrow night.]
The fire blazed up fast.
The photos twisted and blackened in the heat.
The edges slowly curled inward.
The image of Richard's face was devoured by the flames, burned to ashes.
I watched the fire dance and climb higher.
The heat blasted against my face.
All those stupid hopes I used to have and all the agony of being drained to the last drop, were incinerated in that fire, severed completely.
I refused to spare him a single ounce of emotion.
All that remained in my mind was a chilling clarity.
*****
On the top floor of the Grandview Hotel, I stood outside the heavy, ornately carved wooden doors.
Laughter and voices filtered through the door, barely audible.
"Ms. White, you look stunning tonight. Mr. Sterling really knows how to pick them."
"For sure. I heard Mrs. Sterling's health has been bad for a while. Guess you will be taking care of everything at Sterling's place from now on, Ms. White."
Everyone was falling over themselves to flatter her.
Sophie was soaking up all the attention, like she was the center of the universe.
She probably figured that if I pretended to be sick and skipped tonight, she could finally steal my spot for good.
I raised my hand, pressing my palm against the cold brass handle, and shoved the doors open with all my strength.
The laughter and chatter in the hall came to an abrupt halt.
Every eye in the room locked onto me.
I stepped into the hall alone, wearing a vivid red velvet gown.
I wasn't wearing the pink diamond necklace Richard had insisted I wear last night.
My slender neck was left bare.
The bold red of my dress snatched everyone's gaze the moment I walked in.
I locked eyes with Richard, standing right at the heart of the crowd.
He held a champagne glass, his practiced smile faltering as he saw me.
Our gazes collided.
He stared, caught off guard, surprise flickering in his eyes.
He was used to me always playing the good girl, keeping my head down.
But now, with this icy, unfamiliar arrogance in my eyes, his face darkened in an instant.
Sophie was right there at his side.
When she saw me, her smug smile faltered for a moment.
She instinctively grabbed onto Richard's arm, holding on tight.
It was her way of marking her territory.
But the moment our eyes met, her grip on Richard's arm jerked with a visible tremor.
She instinctively stepped back, suddenly on guard.
Because she saw the icy, merciless look in my eyes.
"Mrs. Sterling, you've arrived?" Someone awkwardly tried to smooth things over, their voice strained and uneasy.
I ignored all the small talk.
My heels clicked sharply against the marble floor.
I walked right past all those phony faces.
Andrew secretly jammed the security communications, cutting them off completely.
The Sterling Holdings security guards outside stood there like they were blind, not trying to stop anyone.
I kept moving, eyes locked on the main console ahead.
Richard finally sensed something was off.
He tore his hand from Sophie and stormed toward me.
"Emily, are you out of your mind?" He dropped his voice, but you could still hear the panic in his tone.
But it was already too late for him.
I was at the main console before he could react.
Without hesitation, I jammed the silver USB drive into the port.
My finger slammed down on the Enter key.
The massive LED screen behind me instantly went black.
Suddenly, the screen was split right down the middle.
Cold white light illuminated the faces of everyone below.
On the left, you could see my handwritten pregnancy journal.
It was packed with my hopes for a new life, and every day, Richard would personally bring me that bowl of pregnancy medicine.
Every word was proof of how stupid I used to be.
On the right, there was a top-secret donor stimulation record.
My name was clearly printed at the top.
The numbers lined up exactly with that so-called pregnancy medicine.
The remarks section bluntly stated: [Stimulate fetal growth, expedite umbilical cord blood extraction, for use in Sophie's anti-rejection therapy. Maternal survival rate: less than ten percent.]
The crowd let out a collective gasp, icy shock rippling through everyone.
"Using his kid as a medicine ingredient? Using his wife's blood to save someone else?"
"Is he out of his mind?"
The whole room exploded into an uproar with gasps and shocked whispers.
Phones shot up everywhere, camera flashes going wild.
Tonight's party was streaming live for everyone to see.
Richard's mask of fake warmth was torn to shreds in front of the city's high society and millions watching online.
Their so-called perfect marriage was exposed and destroyed right before everyone's eyes.
I turned around and shot Richard, standing at the bottom of the steps, with a cold, hard look.
The man who was always calculating and in command was now as pale as a sheet.
He stared at the dirty truth laid bare on the screen, his whole body shaking uncontrollably.
"Richard," I said coldly. "Are you satisfied with this grand gift?"
Richard stared daggers at the giant screen and roared furiously, "Cut the power now."