Mom, Don't Cry! Here comes a new Daddy! novel Chapter 154

< Chapter 137

Chapter 137

(Rosalie’s POV)

I have three days before the wedding.

Three days before Ethan marries Sabrina and I lose him forever.

Three days to fix everything.

Or leave the country forever like Kate demanded.

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I’m in my hotel room-the same one I’ve been in since Kate kicked me out of the Hale Estate. Staring at plane tickets to Paris. First class. One way. Leaving tomorrow morning.

Kate bought them herself. Had them delivered with a note.

This is not exile. This is a new beginning. Take the promotion. Build something of your own. Let Ethan go.

Let Ethan go.

Like it’s that simple. Seventeen years of love can’t just evaporate because Kate says so.

My phone buzzes. A text from Kate.

Your flight leaves at 9 AM. I expect you to be on it.

I stare at the message for a long time.

Then I delete it.

I’m not getting on that plane. Not without one last try.

Kate thinks she’s backed me into a corner. That I’ll do whatever she says just because she has the nominally title of my grandmother. She thinks I’ll quietly disappear to Europe and

leave Ethan to his new family.

She’s wrong.

Because I know something Kate doesn’t. Something I’ve learned from watching Sabrina these past weeks.

Sabrina loves Ethan. But she’s also terrified of hurting him.

That’s her weakness. Her vulnerability. The crack in her armor.

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Claim

And if I can make her believe she’s a liability-that loving Ethan will damage everything he’s built-she’ll leave on her own.

Not because I forced her. Because she chose to.

And that’s the only way this works. The only way Ethan doesn’t hate me forever.

I pick up my phone. Start making calls.

First, to Max-a man I met at a PR conference last year who specializes in corporate image

management.

“Rosalie. It’s been a while.”

“I need help.”

“You’re the affluent young lady of the Hale family. What kind of help can a man like me offer

you?”

“I want information on corporate perception. Specifically, cases where a CEO’s personal life affected company performance

“That’s pretty broad. Any particular angle?”

“Controversial marriages. Ones that created shareholder concern. Stock volatility. Board pushback.”

He’s quiet for a moment. “This is about Ethan and his fiancée.”

“It’s research. For a potential article.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.” But he doesn’t push. “I’ll send you what I have. Give me an hour.”

Second call. To an old friend from college. Rachel. Now a financial journalist.

“I need you to write something for me. Just a blog post. About corporate governance and CEO marriages.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because I’ll pay you. Five thousand for three hundred words.”

“That’s insane. What’s the angle?”

“Just factual analysis. How a CEO’s personal choices can affect shareholder confidence. Examples from the past decade. Nothing defamatory, but something scandalous enough and factual to move the public.”

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“And you want this why?”

“Because someone who needs to understand the stakes needs to read it.”

Rachel is quiet. Then: “You’re trying to scare off Ethan’s fiancée.”

“I’m trying to give her information she should have.”

“That’s the same thing, Rosalie.”

“Are you going to write it or not?”

She sighs. “Send me the parameters. I’ll have it done by tonight.”

Third call. To myself. Practice.

I pace my hotel room, rehearsing the conversation I need to have tomorrow.

The one Sabrina will overhear. The one that will plant the seed.

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I need to sound genuine. Concerned. Not malicious. Just a granddaughter worried about her brother’s future.

And I need Kate to respond the right way. Which means predicting her responses. Guiding the

conversation.

I’ve been watching Kate for twenty-three years. I know how she thinks. How she talks. What buttons to push.

Tomorrow, I’ll make the full use of it.

The next morning, I don’t get on the plane.

Instead, I go to the Hale Estate, because I know Sabrina and Ethan will be arriving with Jake

to meet Kate.

Kate’s assistant tries to stop me at the door. “Miss Hale, Mrs. Hale said you weren’t to be admitted-”

“Tell her I’m here to apologize. To say goodbye properly before I leave.”

The assistant hesitates. Then makes a call.

Thirty seconds later: “She’ll see you. Briefly.”

I’m shown to the conservatory. Kate’s favorite room in the morning. Lots of light. Lots of plants. Peaceful.

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Chapter 137

She’s waiting with tea. Looking composed. In control.

“You should be at the airport.”

“I wanted to apologize in person for letting my feelings cloud my judgment.”

Kate’s eyebrow raises. “Apologies are meaningless without change.”

“I know. Which is why I’m taking the Paris position like you wanted.”

“Good.”

“But before I go, I need to know. Are you sure about Sabrina?”

“I am.”

“Even though the board has concerns?”

Kate sets down her teacup. “What concerns?”

Perfect. She’s engaged.

Clair

“Douglas called me yesterday. He’s worried about shareholder reaction. About how Sabrina’s background might be perceived.”

This is a lie. Douglas called no one. But Kate doesn’t know that.

“The board will follow my lead,” Kate says firmly.

“But the shareholders might not. Remember what happened when Uncle James married that actress? The scandal nearly tanked the stock.”

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