Chapter 3
Before I could speak, David stormed over, hissing under his breath.
"Samantha, stop embarrassing us! Go change out of those disgusting clothes. Now!"
He grabbed my arm and practically dragged me towards the maid's room, terrified I might say or do something else to tarnish the family name.
When we reached the door, he shoved me towards it.
"You will stay in here and keep quiet," he warned, his voice shaking with fury. "Don't you dare do anything else to make this family a laughingstock!
"I'm building a political career, and I can't afford a single stain on my record.
"If you do anything to mess that up for me, I won't be the only one you have to answer to. Dad and Mom will make you regret it."
Seeing him all flustered and panicked, I couldn't help but roast him in my head.
[This guy's been trying to pass the Foreign Service exam for seven years. At this point, a garden slug could have gotten a diplomatic post.]
[Are they too broke to even afford a prep course for him?]
David's face cycled through several shades of red and purple. After a moment of sputtering, he yelled, "You're impossible! You know what? Forget the party. You can stay in here and think about what you've done!"
He slammed the door, and, to my astonishment, I heard the key turn in the lock.
I stared at the door, completely baffled by his tantrum.
This just gave me more time to review today's test data.
But Emily wasn't done with her performance for the night.
A few minutes later, I heard the lock click softly.
The door opened, and she walked in with a fake smile.
"Samantha, you still haven't changed into your dress? The guests are all waiting for you."
With no one else around, the cunning in her eyes was on full display.
She sauntered closer, her gaze landing on the stack of data reports on my desk.
I instinctively tensed, sliding my hand over them.
They were classified. A single leak could have catastrophic consequences.
"What are these, Samantha?" she asked.
Her voice oozed curiosity as she reached for them.
I pressed them firmly to the desk. "Nothing."
She smirked, "Why so tense? Is it something you don't want people to see?"
She glanced over her shoulder toward the door, and whatever she saw there made her expression shift. The mask was off.
She lunged, her hands grabbing for the papers.
"Give them to me!" she snarled.
I reacted instantly, slamming both hands down on the stack.
She gripped the edges, staring at me with a sinister glitter in her eyes.
The papers began to crumple in her grasp, and my heart hammered in my chest.
I snapped, "Emily, are you out of your mind?"
She was about to yank them away. On pure instinct, I kicked out, aiming for her shin.
But instead of fighting back, she let go of the papers, allowing the force of the light kick to send her stumbling backward dramatically.
In that split second, I didn't miss the twisted smile that flashed across her lips.
Eleanor screamed, "Emily!"
Her shriek confirmed it. This was all part of the plan.
Right on cue, David burst in, followed by my parents and a cluster of horrified guests. They arrived just in time to see Emily flying backward and collapsing in a heap on the floor.
"Samantha!" David roared. "What the hell are you doing?"
I looked up. He was shouting, but there was a smug glint in his eyes. He had gotten exactly what he wanted.
Richard looked at me with pure disappointment.
Eleanor rushed to Emily's side, cradling her as if she were made of glass.
Emily buried her face in Eleanor's shoulder, looking up with tear-filled eyes.
She sobbed, "Mom, it's all my fault.
"I... I tried to look at her things without asking. That's why she got so angry. Please, don't blame her."
The guests stared at me, with their faces twisting in disgust.
"See? A violent factory girl from the slums. She hasn't been back a week, and she's already attacking people."
"What do you expect? Years of poverty will warp anyone's character."
"She's probably been plotting this since she got here. She wants Emily out so that she can have it all."
Emily, still sobbing, added more fuel to the fire.
"It's because I took her life. That's why she's so unhappy.
"If she doesn't want me in the Sterling family, I'll go... I'll leave..."
Eleanor looked up at me, her eyes burning with intense hatred as if I were her mortal enemy.
She spat, "Samantha! You have gone too far!
"Apologize to your sister. Now!"
I scoffed internally.
[So, David locks me in here, and two minutes later Emily shows up with a key to steal my work. What a performance.]
[These two should take their act on the road.]
[If Emily ever got into acting, Ryan's 'Best Actor' award would be in serious jeopardy.]
Across the room, Ryan, who had been standing with the crowd, suddenly choked and broke into a fit of coughing.
Eleanor's furious expression wavered, and her grip on Emily loosened slightly.
Richard shifted his stare to David, who nervously wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.
Emily, lost in her own drama, was oblivious, keeping sobbing.
"I was just worried she was doing something to hurt the family!
"All I saw were these documents on her desk covered in technical jargon about alloys. I got curious, but suddenly she got so defensive.
"I mean, she never even finished high school. It's not like she could actually understand what any of it means.
"Our company works with advanced materials, and I was just worried..."
She didn't have to say it. The implication was clear: I was a corporate spy.
With every slanderous word, Richard's expression grew more grim.
He strode toward me, with his hand outstretched.
"Give me those documents," he commanded.
I clutched them tighter, my body tensing for a fight.
He lost his patience and lunged just as I had expected.
I dodged, keeping the papers out of his reach.
[Like father, like daughter. A family of thieves.]
[You must have a death wish, trying to snatch classified government documents.]
[Does David even want that political career anymore?]
David's face went white. He quickly stepped between us, blocking Richard.
He demanded, pointing at the files in my arms, "What is this stuff?
"You give us an explanation right now, or I swear you will never set foot outside this house again!"