The CEO's Midnight Remedy novel Chapter 116

Chapter 116

Ms. Harper, your stepsister Starlett insists on seeing you, my receptionist announced.

I leaned forward, pressing the intercom button, a calculated coldness entering my voice. “Have security escort her out. I don’t see visitors without appointments, especially ones who stab me in the back.”

I met sophia’s eyes, anticipating Scarlett’s next move. “She won’t leave quietly.”

As it on cue, the door flew open with such force it slammed against the wall. Scarlett stormed in wearing a pristine white MaxMara suit, her face a perfect mask of victimhood despite the tear tracks in her makeup.

Her hands trembled as she clutched her designer purse. Are you satisfied now? Destroying me and Ethan, making everyone in Manhattan laugh at me? Did your revenge taste as sweet as you hoped?”

I set my pen down with precision and stood, walking slowly around my desk. Each movement was measured, unhurried. “Revenge? That’s rich coming from the woman who orchestrated today’s media attack. I stopped a few feet from her, my voice lowering. “I recognized the photographer’s style. Same one who followed me to Hamptons last summer. The one Victoria hired.”

Scarlett’s eyes widened momentarily before she recovered. “You’re delusional. I came here to-

“You came here to see if your little scheme worked,” I interrupted, watching her face carefully. “But instead, you found that I’m still standing, and now Ethan’s the one with his reputation in tatters.”

Scarlett’s voice rose to a shrill pitch. “Ethan didn’t come home all last night. Was he with you?” Her voice caught slightly. “After everything, are you still sleeping with him behind my back?”

I laughed, the sound hollow and cold. “Any man you’ve touched disgusts me. I have no interest in picking up your trash.”

She yanked out her phone and jabbed at the screen, thrusting it toward me. “You orchestrated this, didn’t

you?” The video showed Ethan trying to force himself on me in the elevator. “First the wedding video, now

this! You won’t stop until you’ve ruined everything!”

I didn’t flinch from the screen. “That footage is unedited security video from my building. If Ethan looks

like a predator, it’s because he acted like one.”

Her breathing quickened, chest rising and falling rapidly as her plan unraveled. “You’ve always been jealous

of me. From the moment I moved into your father’s house, you’ve resented every bit of attention I

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received.”

I smiled, the expression never reaching my eyes. “I disliked you long before i had any fam Some people just have an instinct for recognizing snakes.”

I discreetly pressed the panic button under my desk edge. “You need to leave. You’re not welcome here moved toward the door, making it clear the conversation was over.

As two security guards appeared in the doorway, Scarlet’s demeanor changed instantly. She placed both hands protectively over her stomach, her voice shifting to a tremulous whisper. “Be careful! I’m pregnant!! can’t be jostled!”

The guards hesitated, looking to me for direction. I studied Scarlett for a moment, noting the calculated placement of her hands, the practiced quiver in her voice. Her eyes, though–her eyes darted nervously, seeking my reaction.

I let out a cold laugh, fixing the guards with a sharp look. “What are you afraid of? Get her out of here,

now!”

The color drained from her face, fear flashing raw and real in her eyes before she recovered, pulling her mask of indignation back into place. “You’ll regret this, promise you. Just wait until I tell your father how you treated me.”

“I’ll be waiting,” I replied, watching as the guards flanked her. “And Scarlett? Next time you want to spread rumors about me, remember who has more secrets to lose.”

She opened her mouth to retort, but no words came. Her shoulders slumped minutely, the first genuine reaction I’d seen from her. The guards guided her toward the elevator, her white suit suddenly looking less crisp, her posture less confident with each step.

When the door finally closed, I allowed my shoulders to sag slightly, the weight of everything–the media storm, Devon’s manipulation, and now Scarlett’s pregnancy–momentarily overwhelming me.

“Was she serious about being pregnant?” Sophia asked quietly.

“Yes,” I replied, rubbing my temples. “And I’m certain Ethan’s the father. This is going to complicate

everything.”

III

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