Chapter 9: A Warning–2
The rain at Mount Auburn Cemetery soaked through my clothes, plastering my hair to my face. I stood between Mom and an empty space where Katherine should have been, watching the mahogany casket being lowered into soil. Financial reporters circled like vultures, their cameras clicking frantically.
“I thought I’d made peace with hating him,” I whispered to Mom later, as we shared cold coffee in the kitchen. “For the affairs, for starting a new family with Katherine’s mother, for everything. But now…” My hands shook so badly I had to set down my mug. “Now I keep remembering him teaching me to ride a bike, or quizzing me on anatomy terms,
or…” I dissolved into fresh tears.
The days after the funeral, I could barely look at myself in the mirror – my usually bright eyes were constantly red–rimmed, dark circles like bruises beneath them.
By the time Pierce Technologies‘ quarterly dinner arrived, I looked like a ghost of myself. The black cocktail dress that had fit perfectly three weeks ago now draped oddly over my changing body. But I forced myself to go, if only to prove I wasn’t completely broken.
I hadn’t counted on Victoria Cross’s voice carrying across the elegant reception hall like precisely aimed poison, cutting through my fragile composure with surgical precision.
“Theodore, you must find it challenging.” Her perfectly manicured hand rested possessively on his wheelchair. “Such a young wife, barely more than a student really. Especially in your… condition.”
I felt rather than saw Theodore’s attention shift to me, assessing my reaction. The old Sarah might have retreated, might have let Victoria’s casual cruelty land. But grief had burned away my fear, leaving something harder in its place.
“Actually, Victoria,” I kept my voice pitched for the nearby executives to hear, though it was still rough from days of crying, “I’m quite capable of managing both Theodore’s needs and the Pierce family interests. Unlike some who’ve tried so… desperately to prove their
worth.”
Color flooded her careful makeup. “You little gold–digging whore-” She moved toward me, manicured nails aimed at my face.
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Chapter 9: A Warning–2
Something inside me snapped. Three days of grief, rage, and hormones exploded in an instant. I grabbed the nearest champagne flute and hurled it at her feet, crystal exploding across the marble floor like deadly confetti. The sound echoed through the suddenly silent ballroom. Gasps rippled through the crowd of executives and socialites. Someone’s
phone started recording.
“I buried my father three days ago,” I snarled, my voice shaking with fury. Tears burned in my eyes but I refused to let them fall. “You really want to test me right now? Touch me- I stepped forward, crunching broken crystal under my heels, “-and I’ll show you exactly what a Sullivan is capable of.”
Victoria recoiled, her designer heel catching on her dress. She stumbled backward into a
waiter, sending a bunch of dishes crashing to the floor.
“What’s wrong, Victoria?” My voice carried in the dead silence. “Isn’t this what you
wanted? Everyone’s attention?” I gestured at the crowd of shocked faces.
“ENOUGH.” Theodore’s voice cracked like a whip. The entire room flinched. He wheeled
between us, his expression thunderous. “Victoria, you’re suspended from your PR duties
effective immediately. Leave. Now.”
Two security guards materialized to escort her out. As she passed me, I caught a glimpse of naked hatred in her eyes. I turned to find Theodore studying me with unnerving
intensity, probably noting my red–rimmed eyes and the grief I couldn’t quite hide.
Whispers erupted around us like wildfire. Phones disappeared into pockets as the elite of New York’s tech world tried to pretend they hadn’t just witnessed Pierce Technologies‘ PR director get publicly humiliated by the CEO’s wife.
“Quite a performance,” he said finally.
“Not a performance.” I met his gaze steadily, letting him see the raw pain beneath my defiance. “A warning.”
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