Chapter 5

I woke up the next morning.

The sky was bright.

But the Sterling mansion was quieter than deep night.

When I went downstairs, I saw the butler directing the maids.

Carefully wiping the furniture.

Even walking on tiptoes, afraid to make a sound.

The air was thick with tension.

In the dining room, at the long dining table.

Ethan was already sitting there.

His breakfast untouched.

He had heavy dark circles under his eyes, clearly having not slept all night.

Seeing me, he managed a smile that was worse than a grimace.

“Morning.”

“Morning.”

I pulled out a chair and sat down.

I poured myself a glass of milk and picked up a slice of toast.

Eating quietly.

Ethan looked at me, wanting to speak but hesitating.

He finally couldn't hold it in.

Leaning forward, he whispered in a voice only we two could hear.

“Scarlett, how much… how much certainty do you have?”

I bit into the toast, chewing slowly.

Then swallowed.

Only then did I look up at him.

“One hundred percent.”

My tone was calm.

So calm it seemed I wasn't talking about a major event that could overturn an entire family.

Ethan froze.

He was shaken by my confidence.

“How… how could you…”

I didn't answer him.

I just continued eating my breakfast.

Some things, it wasn't time to tell him yet.

A sharp shouting sound came from upstairs.

It was Brittany.

She was locked in her room, but her energy was surprisingly high.

“Let me out!”

“You bunch of dog servants! Who gave you the guts to lock me up!”

“Scarlett! You bitch! You just wait!”

The maids trembled in fear.

A flicker of unbearable pity crossed Ethan’s face.

After all, that was the “sister” he had called for over twenty years.

I put down my toast.

Wiped my mouth with a napkin.

“I’m done eating.”

“I’m going to the company.”

I stood up.

Ethan also stood up.

“Still going to the company today?”

He was surprised.

“The family’s such a mess…”

I turned to look at him.

“Even if the sky falls, the company must operate normally.”

“Sterling Enterprises isn’t our family’s playground.”

“I’m the VP, drawing a salary, and I’m responsible for thousands of employees.”

“I hope you, the future heir, understand that.”

With that, I turned and left.

Leaving Ethan alone, frozen in place.

I drove to the company.

Along the way, my mood was calm.

Even joyous, one might say.

Ten years ago, I married Ethan.

Everyone said it was a Cinderella story, a commoner marrying into a top-tier wealthy family.

No one knew.

The very first day I moved into the Sterling mansion.

Brittany gave me a show of force.

She called me into her walk-in closet.

Pointing at a pile of designer shoes on the floor.

“Scarlett, from now on, my shoes are yours to clean.”

“Remember, use your hands, kneel on the floor to clean them.”

“This is your first lesson as a Sterling daughter-in-law.”

Back then, I chose to endure.

Because I loved Ethan.

And because I needed the Sterling family’s resources to complete my plan.

This endurance lasted ten years.

For ten years, Brittany’s provocations and humiliations never stopped.

I went from a fiercely independent woman with an edge.

To a docile and proper socialite wife in the eyes of outsiders.

Everyone thought I had been tamed.

Including Brittany, including my father-in-law, Arthur.

They didn’t know.

A wolf will never be tamed into a dog.

It will only sharpen its claws in the shadows.

Waiting for a fatal strike.

Now, the opportunity had arrived.

At the company.

Sure enough, rumors were flying.

What happened at the gala last night had spread everywhere.

Everyone looked at me with complex emotions.

I ignored them.

Walked directly into my office.

Called a meeting with all department directors.

Assigned new projects for the quarter.

I handled company affairs with the utmost efficiency and professionalism.

As if everything from last night was just a dream.

My composure, instead, made those who wanted to watch the drama feel uneasy.

They began to suspect that things might not be as simple as they imagined.

In the afternoon.

I was reviewing financial reports.

Ethan’s phone call came in.

His voice was very tired.

“Scarlett, where are you?”

“Company.”

“Can you… can you come back?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Brittany… she’s on a hunger strike.”

“She’s locked herself in her room, not eating or drinking, saying she’ll die to spite us.”

I listened, silent for a few seconds.

Then, I smiled.

“Ethan, she’s not a three-year-old anymore.”

“Do you think her usual dramatic antics of crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide will work on Dad?”

“But…”

“No buts.” I cut him off.

“If she wants to die, let her.”

“Anyway, the test results will be out tomorrow.”

“If she’s biological, Dad will naturally find a way to save her.”

“If she’s not…”

I paused, my voice chilling.

“Then what does her life or death have to do with our Sterling family?”

On the other end of the phone, Ethan gasped.

He was probably scared by the coldness in my words.

“Scarlett… how did you become like this…”

“I haven’t changed.”

I said.

“I’m just not pretending anymore.”

I hung up the phone.

I looked out at the city through the window.

The sun was slowly setting.

Coating the city in a golden glow.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow, everything would be settled.