Shattered Party, Fierce Comeback

between me, holding an ice pack to my reddening cheek, and Melody, who was being comforted by a circle of sympathetic onlooke

so terribly?" a woman in pearls murm

putting up with her,

g her shoulder. He avoided my eyes, his face a mask of wea

I walked directly toward my

se," I said, my voice low bu

culous, Chloe. You are the one who cause

And my mother would never allow this to happen. I wonder what she'

name was a weapon, a reminder of the true source of the wealth and power David now wielded so comfortably. He was the CEO of

elody' s mother. She was older than my mother, but she carried herself with an air of practiced fragility.

full of understanding. "She's just a young girl who's not used

fted to sound kind while pai

t old, rekindled flame was obvious to anyone who bother

resence, took another step toward me. "You heard him.

ain, as if to grab my

uch me," I warned,

hat while David might be his biological father, Evelyn had never formally adopted him. He was a gu

thly intervened, her voice rising

mpathy. "My Melody is such a sweet girl. She would never cause trouble. She looks up to

ruel. The guests nodded, their faces full of pity for the manipulati

fting back to a time before my mother, before the Sterling empire. He was lost in a past fantasy, completely oblivious to the venomous dram