Chapter 6 - The Uninvited Guest
Three weeks had passed since the incident at the Grand Galleria. The city had moved on, unaware of the quiet restructuring that had liquidated one of its premier legal firms overnight.
Sadi’s bruise had completely healed, leaving no physical trace of Trevor’s kick. Under Roman’s insistence, she had begun taking private art history classes and working with a high-end landscape architect to redesign the manor’s extensive glass conservatories—a project that finally gave her a sense of purpose and creative freedom.
She was standing in the estate’s sunlit greenhouse, her hands covered in rich dark soil as she repotted a rare orchid, when Arthur stepped into the entrance of the glasshouse.
“Mrs. Vance,” Arthur said respectfully, his voice low.
Sadi wiped her brow with the back of her wrist, turning to look at him. “Yes, Arthur?”
“There is a visitor at the main gate,” Arthur reported, his expression unreadable. “A woman named Chloe Montgomery. She claims she needs to speak with you urgently. She refuses to leave until she sees you.”
Sadi paused, setting her gardening trowel down on the wooden workbench. Chloe. Trevor’s former fiancée.
“Does Roman know she’s here?” Sadi asked.
“Mr. Vance is currently in a meeting with the port authorities downtown,” Arthur replied. “I can have security remove her from the property immediately if her presence disturbs you.”
Sadi looked down at her hands, then took a clean towel to wipe away the dirt. “No. Let her in, Arthur. Bring her to the tea room.”
Five minutes later, Sadi walked into the estate’s grand tea room—a stunning space wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the manicured rose gardens.
Chloe sat nervously on the edge of a silk-upholstered armchair. She looked nothing like the polished, pristine woman Sadi had seen at the Galleria three weeks ago. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a messy bun, her designer dress was rumpled, and heavy dark circles shadowed her eyes. She clutched a leather designer purse in her lap, her fingers trembling violently.
As Sadi stepped into the room, Chloe instantly stood up, her eyes wide with a combination of fear and desperate hope.
“Sadi...” Chloe choked out, taking a small step forward before stopping herself, glancing nervously at Arthur, who stood like a silent shadow by the doorway.
“Sit down, Chloe,” Sadi said calmly, taking a seat across from her. “Would you like some tea?”
“No... no, thank you,” Chloe gasped, sinking back into the armchair. She swallowed hard, tears welling in her eyes. “I... I didn't know where else to go. Nobody in the city will talk to me. My father’s business partners canceled all their contracts... my family’s accounts are being audited... everything is falling apart.”
Sadi leaned back in her chair, listening quietly. “Why are you here, Chloe?”
“I came to apologize,” Chloe sobbed, burying her face in her trembling hands. “I’m so sorry, Sadi. I didn't know who you were that day. I didn't know Trevor was lying to me! He told me you were a stalker... he told me you were crazy! If I had known what he did to you in the past—”
“If you had known,” Sadi interrupted gently, her voice perfectly even, “would you have stopped him from kicking me?”
Chloe froze, her tears stopping as she looked up at Sadi. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. The harsh truth hung heavy in the air. On that day at the boutique, Chloe had looked at Sadi with absolute disgust simply because Sadi was wearing unbranded clothes.
“You didn't care about the truth,” Sadi said softly. “You cared about status. You liked feeling superior to someone you thought was beneath you.”
“I was wrong!” Chloe pleaded, sliding out of her chair onto her knees on the Persian rug, clutching her hands together in front of Sadi. “Please, Sadi! Talk to your husband! Tell him to stop! He’s destroying my family! My father had nothing to do with Trevor’s actions!”
Sadi looked down at the kneeling woman. A memory flashed through her mind—of herself three years ago, begging her landlord for three more days to pay rent, crying on cold linoleum floors while the world stepped over her.
She felt no satisfaction seeing Chloe on her knees. She only felt a quiet, profound sadness for how cruel people became when they thought they held power over others.
“Get up, Chloe,” Sadi said firmly.
Chloe hesitated, then slowly pushed herself back up into the armchair, wiping her wet cheeks with the back of her hand.
“Roman is not a cruel man,” Sadi said quietly. “But he is protective. He didn't target your family out of malice; he targeted them because your father’s firm was financing Trevor’s defense team after his disbarment.”
Chloe blinked in shock. “What?”
“Trevor tried to file a fraudulent lawsuit against Roman last week,” Sadi revealed, leaning forward. “Your father supplied him with the capital to do it. That is why Roman intervened.”
Chloe’s face turned completely pale. “I... I didn't know. My father told me he was just helping Trevor settle his affairs...”
Sadi stood up, walking over to the window and looking out at the rose garden. “Tell your father to cut all ties with Trevor Hayes. Tell him to drop the funding today. If he does that, Roman will lift the audits by tomorrow morning.”
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Chloe gasped, hope flashing across her face. “Really? You... you would do that for us?”
Sadi turned back to look at her. “I’m not doing it for you, Chloe. I’m doing it because I refuse to let Trevor use anyone else to drag me back into his mess. Go home.”
