Chương 7 - The Confrontation
At 6:00 PM on Thursday evening, I left my estate to attend a scheduled board meeting in town.
As my car pulled out of the main gates, a taxi was parked on the shoulder of the road. The door flew open, and Marissa scrambled out, running toward my vehicle.
She looked entirely unhinged. Her makeup was smeared, her hair was a tangled mess, and she was wearing sweatpants and a stained t-shirt. She threw herself against the hood of my car, screaming hysterically.
"Claire! Stop! Stop the car!"
My driver stopped the vehicle immediately. Two of my security guards, following in an SUV behind us, instantly stepped out and positioned themselves between Marissa and my door.
"Ms. Sterling," my lead guard said through my window. "Do you want us to remove her?"
"No," I said, stepping out of the car into the cool evening air. "Let her speak."
Marissa rushed toward me, but the security guards held her back at a firm distance.
"Claire! You ruined my life!" she shrieked, her voice cracking into high-pitched wails. "You posted that video! Everyone is laughing at me! Blake’s parents cancelled the entire wedding! They forced Blake to break up with me this afternoon!"
I stood there, wearing a tailored navy trench coat, looking at her with complete stillness.
"Blake didn't break up with you because of the video, Marissa," I said softly. "He broke up with you because he is a coward who used you to get access to my money, and when the money vanished, he vanished too."
"You destroyed my marriage!" she sobbed, dropping to her knees on the asphalt. "You destroyed my reputation! The police came to Blake's house today! They served him with a warrant for forgery! My friends blocked me on Instagram! Mom won't stop crying!"
"You threw a bowl of sauce in my face, Marissa," I said quietly.
"It was just sauce!" she screamed, looking up at me with raw, unbelievable entitlement. "It was just a bowl of food! I was mad! You're my sister! You're supposed to forgive me! You have everything! You have eight million dollars! You have a company! You have this house! Why couldn't you just give me one day?!"
I took a slow step forward, looking down into her tear-streaked face.
"Because it was never about one day, Marissa," I said, my voice steady and cold as steel. "It was about twelve years of you taking my clothes, my car, my money, my self-respect, and my dignity, while Mom and Dad clapped and told me I could afford it."
"Claire..." she whimpered, her hands trembling.
"You told me at that table that if I wouldn't treat you like family, not to expect you to treat me like family," I reminded her. "I finally took your advice. You are no longer my sister. You are simply a stranger who assaulted me in public and tried to steal my real estate."
"Please..." she sobbed, covering her face with her hands. "What am I supposed to do now? The caterers are suing me for cancellation fees! I owe fifty thousand dollars!"
"I suggest you get a job," I said softly.
I turned around, stepped back into the rear seat of my car, and closed the heavy door.
May you like
"Drive," I told the chauffeur.
As the car pulled away, I looked through the rear window. Marissa was still sitting on the cold asphalt of the empty road, crying alone in the dark, surrounded only by the falling autumn leaves.
