The banquet hall still buzzed from the chaos. Blood had been cleaned, music resumed, and the guests had all but forgotten the earlier scandal, but I couldn’t forget. Daniel Wright had paraded Rachel Parker as if she were his fiancée, flaunting my humiliation.
I watched from the sidelines, chest tight with anger, as Daniel held Rachel close. Her voice was sweet, practiced. “Brother Daniel, I’m so grateful for your guidance. I’ll obey you from now on.” The words twisted in my gut. She had never been anything more than a servant, yet here she was, basking in Daniel’s protection, and even worse—bearing his child.
Daniel’s expression shifted, frustration and caution flickering in his eyes. “Catherine, we’ve been through twenty years together. I don’t want conflict. But you injured one of my men. You need to apologize.”
Apologize? I laughed inwardly. The man he carefully trained, Arthur, had begged for mercy at my hands, revealing the coward beneath Daniel’s stern exterior. And Rachel—how long had she been scheming behind the scenes?
I moved quietly among the crowd, letting my presence remind Daniel and everyone else who truly held the Harbor docks’ power. “Daniel Wright may be the master of the docks,” I thought, “but the docks themselves belong to the Summers family. And I am the rightful heir.”
Rachel sent voice messages to my phone, bragging, pleading, and reminding me of Daniel’s promises. “Miss Summers, Brother Daniel said to apologize. He told me to focus on the baby. I’ll care for him until you’re ready after the wedding.”
I scowled, tossing the phone aside. Her words were poison, meant to unsettle me. But I refused to let her dictate the evening.
Daniel finally strode past me, lifting Rachel into his arms with the pride of a man convinced he had won. His bodyguards flanked him, but their loyalty would not matter when the wrong person made the right move.
I caught Charles, Daniel’s second-in-command, watching me nervously. “Miss Summers, are you really going to let him go like this? He threatened you in public.”
I smiled thinly. “Men can be replaced. But our family’s honor? That can never be lost.”
The guests whispered, trying to make sense of the strange dynamics between the Summers and Wright families. Many assumed Daniel’s actions were a temporary lapse in judgment, but I knew better. He had revealed his true colors.
Tonight was no ordinary banquet. It was the opening act of a war between ambition, loyalty, and love. Daniel thought he could humiliate me, flaunt a servant as his companion, and walk away unscathed. He underestimated the Summers family—and he underestimated me.
I raised my glass in quiet defiance, letting my eyes meet Daniel’s across the room. The silent challenge was clear: the Harbor docks might belong to him by name, but the Summers family’s influence ran deeper than he realized.
As the night progressed, I watched Rachel attempt subtle gestures to attract Daniel’s attention, all while maintaining her innocent facade. I knew better. Every tilt of her head, every soft word whispered, was a calculated step toward seizing power and status.
When Daniel finally left the stage with Rachel, I allowed myself a moment of quiet satisfaction. My move would come later, strategically and decisively. They thought the game was theirs to win, but they were merely pawns on my board.
The Harbor docks had never been just about power—it was about control, respect, and legacy. And I would see it restored, no matter the cost.
