Chapter 172
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The day had dawned with gray clouds heavy in the sky, casting a shadow over the city, matching the turmoil brewing in my heart.
I''d called meeting with Ste, Scarlett, and Timothy. It was time to set things straight, to address it all and potentially put an end
to all of this.
We decided to meet in Scarlett’s office, a rtively warm and inviting room. It did little to calm my nerves, however. As | pushed
open the door to her office, | couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding.
Inside, Scarlett was already seated behind her desk, her usually peaceful face etched with concern. The room was dimly lit, the
heavy curtains drawn against the gloomy day outside. | nced around, taking in the familiar surroundings, the photographs of
her family on the wall, and the shelves lined with books. It all seemed so ordinary.
my surprise, her daughter was sitting on the floor in one corner of the room, surrounded by a multitude of colorful Gctic Hero
action figures. ooked up at me with wide, curious eyes, and a small smile yed on her lips.
“Evie!” she eximed, her voice filled with innocent joy. “Look what | brought!”
Scarlett let out a gentleugh, “She brings those everywhere.”
| smiled and crouched down beside Olive and examined the action figures with her. “Wow, these are cool,” | said. “Did you know
| used to y with. these too when | was little?”
Olive’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Really?”
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| nodded. “Absolutely. And guess what? | had a Gctic Hero action figure that no one else had. His name was Captain
Starze, and he could fly faster than anyone else.”
Olive giggled, and for a moment, the tension in the room seemed to dissipate. Scarlett shot me a grateful smile, her eyes
softening. “Man, if only | still had him,” | continued, turning to Olive. “But | gave him away to a friend. Otherwise, | would’ve given
him to you!” Olive’s eyes widened in amazement. “I wish you did. Those are really rare.”
As Olive and | bonded over Gctic Heroes, the door to Scarlett’s office burst open, and Timothy stormed in, his face flushed
with anger. Ste. followed, her expression equally enraged. They hadn''t even bothered with a greeting, so absorbed were they
in their feud.
“Ste, this is ridiculous!” Timothy eximed, his voice raised in frustration. “We’re doing the paternity test.”
Ste clenched her fists at her sides, her eyes shooting daggers at Timothy. “You don’t get to decide when and how we do this,
Timothy.”
Scarlett cleared her throat, trying to assert some semnce of order in the room. “Can we please sit down and talk like adults?”
Timothy and Ste reluctantly took their seats, still ring at each other across the room. Olive, oblivious to the tension,
continued to y with her newly acquired toy, asionally making spaceship noises that brought a smile to my face.
Scarlett turned to me, gratitude in her eyes. “I’m so d you were able to figure something out with Ste, Evie.”
Ste’s voice overrode Scarlett’s as the argument deepened with Timothy. “And I’ve told you a hundred times, Timothy, | will not
be pressured into
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anything. We''ll do the test when I’m ready.”
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Their argument escted, voices rising in anger and frustration. | had seen enough. Rising from my seat, | mmed my hand
down on Scarlett’s desk. causing everyone to jump.
“Enough!” | shouted, my voice cutting through the room like a de. “This has gone on for far too long, and I’m sick of it.”
Silence hung in the air, broken only by Olive, who stared at me with wide eyes, clutching Captain Kuiper tightly.
“| brought you all here because | thought we could find a way to resolve this peacefully,” | continued. “But it’s clear that neither of
you is willing topromise. So here’s what we''re going to do.”
As we all took our seats at the long, imposing conference table, | felt a knot of anxiety twisting in my stomach. | knew that |
couldn’t dance around the. issue any longer, and | couldn’t afford to mince words.
Taking a deep breath, | plunged into the heart of the matter. “Recent events have made me less diplomatic about the issue at
hand,” | began, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and frustration.
Ste, her face a mask of fury, cut me off before | could even finish my thought. “You''re talking about the affair with Andy, aren’t
you?”
IExclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.
| met her using gaze head-on, refusing to back down. “Yes, Ste. And let’s not pretend that it’s a secret anymore. The truth
about your affair
with Andy would havee out eventually. It’s only a matter of time before it makes its way to the public, and we all know how
messy that could get.”
Ste’s face turned a shade darker, her eyes zing with anger. “Did you tell Timothy?” she demanded, her voice sharp and
unforgiving.
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| leaned back in my chair, my own anger simmering beneath the surface. “No, | didn’t. But you can’t expect me to keep your
secret forever. It’s not fair to Timothy, and it’s not fair to that baby in your stomach, who deserves to grow up in a stable
environment.”
Ste kissed her teeth. “What would you know about stability? You''re only involved in this because f your own stakes, not out of
the ‘pureness’ of our
heart!”:
Timothy cut her off. “You don’t get to turn this around on Evie, Ste,” he said firmly. “You really thought | was going to be the
husband that just sat around while his wife slept with his brother?”
“Stop acting like you even care!” Ste shouted, her voice echoing throughout the room. “I have my own needs, just like you do,
and Andy was there for me.”
The atmosphere in the room had shifted from tense to explosive. Ste’s confession about her affair with Andy had shaken us all,
but she wasn’t about to back down. Feeling cornered and desperate to deflect attention from her own guilt, sheshed out.
“And Evie, you’re such a da mn stalker!” Ste’s words were sharp, her voice dripping with venom. “I bet you’re the one who took
those photos in the first ce.”
| felt a shock of anger and disbelief surge through me. While it was true, | wasn’t prepared to admit that truth in front of the group.
Before | could respond. Timothy spoke once more, his voice firm and unwavering.
“Ste, stop trying to shift the me on her, Timothy growled. “You''re the one who messed up here, no matter what. | refuse to
go through with the marriage knowing what you''ve done.”
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Ste’s eyes widened, her face contorting with anger. “This wasn’t part of the n!” She screamed, her voice quivering with
rage. Without another word, she stormed out of the room, the door mming shut behind her.
Without hesitation, Scarlett rushed after Ste, her voice filled with urgency. “Ste, stop! This meeting isn’t over.”
| felt a pang of guilt for the turmoil | had inadvertently caused, and | turned to Timothy, my heart heavy. “I’m sorry, Timothy. I''d
hoped that things would go a bit better.”
Timothy sighed, exhaustion etched into every line of his face. “It needed to be done, Evie. We can’t keep pretending that
everything is fine.”
As we stood there, the tension in the room seemed to smother us. The air was heavy with the weight of our shattered
rtionships, and | couldn’t help but wonder if there was any hope left for us.
Suddenly, two loud gunshots rang out from outside the window, the sound echoing through the room. My heart leaped into my
throat, and instinctively, | rushed towards the door.
“What''s going on?” cried Olive, and | looked back at her urgently.
“Nothing’s wrong, Timothy answered her before | could, attempting to block me in the room. “You two stay in here, okay? Lock
the door!” “What?” | cried out, attempting to shove him out of the way. “No, I’m going!”
He lowered his voice, still blocking my escape. “Did you not hear those gunshots? Evie, please, | need you to stay in here, and
keep herpany!”
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He pointed to Olive in the corner of the room, who appeared rightfully frightened by all of themotion. After a few deep
breaths, | backed away from Timothy. “Alright.”
“Okay.” With a relieved sigh, he shut the door behind us and | locked it promptly.
| turned to Olive and walked toward her, getting down on one knee. “Just stay put, okay? We''re going to stay in here for a while.”
She nodded, clutching the action figure to her chest | stood up and made my way to the window, trying to appear casual. | lifted
the blinds and peered down below.
Achaotic scene greeted me. A crowd had formed around something on the ground, and at the center of it all was Scarlett, lying
motionless in a pool of her own blood.
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