They Wanted Her Gone, Now They Kneel by Evelyn Marlowe novel Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Scarlett, Don’t Argue With Idiots

He honestly thought the lack of sleep was finally getting to him. His ears must have been playing tricks.
“What did you just say?” Connor asked, his voice tight.
Scarlett didn’t bother hiding her revulsion. It was right there on her face, sharp and unmistakable.
“Was I unclear?” she said flatly. “Don’t confuse my patience with permission to be shameless.”
Connor’s pupils shrank.
In his memory, Scarlett had always been gentle around him—soft-spoken, accommodating, almost careful not to upset him. Even over the past year, when Rebecca had been the source of countless arguments, Scarlett had never once looked at him like this.
Never glared.
Never snapped back.
Let alone spoken to him this way.
Did she really mean it? Calling off the engagement last night? Cutting ties with the Joyner family—for good?
No. Impossible.
She had once humiliated herself, lowered her head, and played the obedient servant just to please her mother. A woman like that didn’t just walk away.
This had to be a tactic. A performance. She was trying to force him to bend first.
The thought only made his temper flare.
“Scully, you’ve crossed the line,” he snapped. “If you keep this up, I won’t help you anymore!”
Scarlett actually laughed.
A short, incredulous laugh—like she’d just heard the dumbest joke of her life.
That so-called “help” had always come with strings attached. With demands that she swallow her pride, endure insults, and suffer quietly.
She didn’t need it.
She shouldn’t have even spoken just now. It had been a complete waste of breath.
“Figures,” she said coolly. “There’s no point arguing with idiots.”
She turned away from him and looked at James.
“James, let’s go.”
James shot Connor and Rebecca a lazy, mocking glance, then turned and walked over to open the car door.
Scarlett didn’t spare Connor even a single look. She pivoted on her heel and left.
Connor stood there, frozen, again.
For a split second, he genuinely wondered if someone had put a spell on her.
His brain lagged, his body unresponsive. He just stood there like a puppet with its strings cut, watching her walk away.
Behind him, Rebecca frowned.
She had clearly heard Scarlett call that man James.
And if she remembered correctly, their professor had once mentioned that a genius named James would be joining the lab soon.
Could it be…
Bang!
The dull, heavy sound snapped her thoughts in half.
Rebecca looked up instinctively.
At some point, Stanley had arrived—and he had just swung a punch at James.
James reacted instantly, stepping aside with ease. The punch missed him entirely and slammed into the hood of the car with a loud metallic thud.
Stanley hissed as pain shot through his hand. His knuckles purpled and swelled almost immediately.
“You touch my sister,” he roared, “and I’ll kill you!”
Ignoring the pain, he lunged forward again.
“Stanley!” Rebecca rushed over and grabbed his arm. “Calm down!”
She spoke quickly, as if afraid things would spiral out of control.
“Scarlett’s just trying to build a better relationship with a senior from the lab. It’s not what you think.”
She said it lightly, almost casually—just enough to test the waters.
No one contradicted her.
Her heart sank, then steadied.
So it really was him.
James. The prodigy who had skipped grades, held multiple national patents, and—most importantly—came from serious money. The kind of man with limitless potential.
If someone like him truly started working with Scarlett…
That would be a problem. A huge one.
Rebecca lowered her gaze, thinking rapidly, then added in a softer voice, “Scarlett hasn’t won any major awards recently. Wanting to network and improve herself isn’t a bad thing. Stanley, please—don’t block her path.”
Stanley’s fury slowly cooled.
Seeing Scarlett about to get into a car with some strange man had instantly filled his mind with ugly assumptions. Disgust had overridden everything else.
But he was still her brother. He couldn’t just stand by.
Now, with Rebecca’s explanation, he realized he might have jumped the gun.
Not that he believed it was his fault.
Scarlett hadn’t come home all night. And now she was hanging around with some man first thing in the morning.
And this was supposed to be her senior?
Rebecca had mentioned him before—apparently he was also one of the evaluators reviewing their lab’s work.
A new thought struck Stanley, and his face darkened as he stared at Scarlett.
Just yesterday, he’d criticized her for accomplishing nothing lately.
And now she was cozying up to this senior for help?
Typical. Always looking for shortcuts.
Someone like her—no matter how many resources the Joyners poured into her—would always be useless.
“So this is her ‘serious research,’ huh?” he sneered. “What, flattering this guy so she can slap her name on papers you spent weeks writing?”
He turned sharply to Scarlett.
“Let me be clear. Plagiarize Rebecca’s work again, and I won’t go easy on you just because we used to be family.”
James blinked.
He looked at Scarlett, then at Stanley, genuine shock flashing across his face.
His expression clearly said: What kind of idiots are these people?
But Stanley misunderstood it completely. He thought James had finally seen Scarlett for who she really was.
“As her brother, I usually wouldn’t interfere,” Stanley continued coldly. “But since you’re here to evaluate their work, I suggest you take a good, hard look at who actually has real talent.”
James was momentarily speechless.
Did the Joyner family truly have no idea how much Scarlett had contributed to modern medicine?
After a beat, he spoke calmly. “Don’t worry. I know exactly what I’m doing.”
Rebecca let out a delicate sigh.
“James, please don’t be upset,” she said gently. “Scarlett’s been stuck with her research lately, which is why she’s been reaching out for help. Please… help her.”
She looked as though she wanted to say more, but didn’t dare. The hesitation, the half-spoken concern—it was perfectly calculated.
Most people would have asked what she meant.
And if James so much as probed, she’d be able to destroy Scarlett’s reputation in his eyes.
Even if Scarlett succeeded later, no one would believe in her again.
James, however, looked utterly confused.
Help Scarlett?
What do I have to offer?
Still, seeing how clearly fed up Scarlett was, he immediately spoke.
“Well,” he said lightly, “since you put it that way, of course I’ll help her.”
Rebecca froze.
What?
Scarlett had no interest in wasting another second on these people. She got into the car without a word.
James followed, shut the door, and told the driver to go.
By the time the others snapped out of it, the car had already sped away.
All that was left was the smell of exhaust in their faces.
Rebecca struggled to keep her expression steady.
If James really helped Scarlett, then everything I’d done before…
No. That couldn’t be allowed to happen.
She quickly pulled out her phone and sent several messages to the family group chat.
Only after everyone chimed in to support her did she finally relax.
She took a deep breath and put on her sweetest smile.
“Well, it’s a good thing James wasn’t upset,” she said softly. “And that he’s still willing to help Scarlett. What a relief.”
She turned to the two men beside her.
“Connor, Stanley, don’t look so grim. Scarlett just wants to make a name for herself. If she succeeds, you’ll both be proud of her too… right?”
Stanley stared in the direction the car had vanished, his eyes full of disdain.
“If she’s really that capable,” he said coldly, “I’ll have every last Joyner resource cut off today.”
Someone with no real ability—no matter what miracles they pulled—would eventually crash and burn.
And when that happened, even if Scarlett begged on her knees, he wouldn’t give her a single cent.
Connor said nothing.
He stared straight ahead, his expression growing darker by the second.
He didn’t know why, but even though he knew Scarlett hadn’t betrayed him—hadn’t slept around—he felt deeply unsettled.
As if something precious had slipped through his fingers.
And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get it back.