A few days later, at Isabella and Theodore's engagement party.
The moment Lucille and I walked in arm-in-arm, Vivian was already pretending to be all warm and chummy with the Sterling relatives at the door. The second she saw me dressed to the nines, her face twisted with rage.
She stormed over, making sure no one was watching, and hissed through clenched teeth, "You little bitch, what are you doing here? Get out!"
I scoffed lightly. "What kind of tone is that, Mom? I'm Natalie, the eldest daughter of the Reynolds family. What's wrong with me showing up to my own sister's engagement party? You might want to watch it-if Grandpa hears about this, you'll have to deal with the fallout."
Vivian's eyes practically popped out of her head, clearly dying to rip me apart. But with so many people around, she could only glare while I sidestepped her and kept walking. Just as I passed, she muttered under her breath, grinding her teeth, "I'm warning you-try anything tonight, and I'll make sure you regret it first."
I curled my lips into a mocking smile. "Can't wait to see you try."
We hadn't been inside long when commotion rippled through the entrance. A sleek black limousine pulled up, and out stepped Theodore with his mother and grandfather, exuding elegance and superiority.
As he walked past me, his eyes flicked my way with icy indifference. Just that single glance made my heart race enough to stop me from lifting my head.
The room filled up fast, with plenty of high-profile guests from the business world and political circles. No doubt about it-this event had pulled out all the stops. Vivian and Hubert stood in the thick of it, laughing along with Mortimer Sterling and singing praises about each other's children like they were performing a duet. Couldn't even wipe the smiles off their faces.
I stared at their smug, greasy grins, disgust rising in my throat. I slammed my wine glass down on the table and pulled out my phone from the clutch. A few taps, and a message was sent to Theodore. Without missing a beat, I headed for a quiet corner of the room.
Footsteps echoed behind me, getting closer. I turned and saw the tall figure I had expected. Chin lifted, I smiled sweetly. Nailed it.
He stopped in front of me, towering over, eyes cold and warning. "Natalie, what game are you playing now?"
"I want you to call off this engagement with the Reynolds family."
"Not a chance," he shot back, sharp and quick, way more decisive than me. "Haven't I warned you enough times already?"
I met his gaze dead-on, unflinching. "You don't even love her. Marrying her is just setting yourself up for misery. I'm actually doing you a favor today. I've got something to show you, and I think you'd want to see it before turning me down."
"Natalie!"
He growled out my name, furious. I looked down, opened a video on my phone, turned the screen around, and held it up toward him. Frame after frame of crystal-clear, explicit footage played out in front of him.
Meanwhile, I started smiling like I'd just won the jackpot, arching my brow with a taunt. "What do you think? I've got even juicier stuff in my phone. I dare you to still take her home to meet the parents after this."
Theodore suddenly stepped forward. Before I knew what was happening, the world spun sideways-he had slung me over his shoulder in one swift move.
Eyes wide with disbelief, I started punching his back in rage, but I didn't scream-I didn't want the guests noticing. He stormed off without a word, carrying me up the staircase like I was weightless, and kicked open the rooftop door.
"You bastard, you-"
My furious shout was cut off when he shoved me against the railing. The cold metal pressed hard into my bare shoulders, sending a sharp chill through my spine.He had one arm braced on the railing, boxing me in, while his other hand clamped onto my chin, forcing me to look up at him. His anger was written all over his face. "Who the hell gave you the guts to film those videos? Don't tell me you actually went there yourself!"
The grip hurt, pulling a painful frown across my features. I snapped back, "Yeah, I did. So what? You better let go before someone sees us-you're not worried about your image?"
Theodore let out a cold chuckle, his knee suddenly jamming between my legs, pushing closer. "Your reputation's long gone, Natalie. Are you seriously still worried about it? Or are you just that desperate to stop me from marrying your sister?"
The sarcasm and chill in his eyes sliced straight through me. I turned my head, avoiding his gaze in panic. "Yes. That's right. So what?"
He yanked me right back, his eyes sharp as he spoke through gritted teeth. "Why? What's your reason?"
I shoved at him hard. "Back off!"
With no warning, his hand pressed roughly against my chest, grabbing tight. His voice was shaking with rage. "I asked you why! Why are you doing everything to mess this up for me?"
My whole body froze, my face losing all color.
Was the answer to that question still something I could explain-even to myself?
My fingers dug into his chest, the pressure tightening. Finally, I raised my head, meeting his stare with a chill in my voice. "Vivian wronged me. Neither she nor her daughter gets to play happy family in front of me."
Theodore's expression darkened visibly, his gaze locked on my stubborn face, suppressed emotions simmering in his eyes.
Then he broke into a cold, mocking laugh, let go, and without any warning, yanked up my skirt. His fingers shoved between my thighs, movements harsh and violating.
A sharp jolt shot through me with the aggression of it. I clenched my teeth so hard it hurt, but my strength gave out and I collapsed weakly against him, shivering.
He suddenly yanked his hand away and forcefully shoved me aside, his words dripping with disgust as he spat into my ear, "You're really disgusting, Natalie."
He walked away without even a glance back.
I leaned against the wall, eyes stinging, heart twisted with pain.
By the time I pulled myself together and made it back to the hall, Isabella was just coming down the spiral stairs in her gown. Theodore stood at the foot of the steps, face composed again, waiting for her to put her hand into his. Together, they turned to smile at the guests and bowed.
The applause roared around us, and voices praising how perfect they looked echoed in my ears like taunts. Just as the pain in my chest tightened, Theodore's eyes locked right on me. He gave a mocking smirk, then spoke in his low timbre that filled the whole place.
"Thank you everyone for joining us today. I've just received a special little gift-figured I should show it to all of you."
My heart dropped. Panicked, I lowered my head and frantically felt around my dress for my phone. Before I could do anything, Theodore had already raised my phone and tapped the screen connected to the projector meant to play Isabella's childhood montage.
The audio clicked on full blast.
"Ah... mmm... Kevin, give it to me..."
"D-don't stop... Kevin, you're amazing. I finally have you... oh god..."
The room froze. Every sound died. Mouths opened in shock but no one said a word, everyone just stared at the screen.
Isabella's face went paper white before she crumpled to the floor at Theodore's feet. I was still frozen when Vivian recognized the phone in his hand. Her eyes snapped toward me, filled with rage, and her shriek split the air.
"Natalie! You vile bitch!"
