Skylar wasn’t sure if Sadie was truly ill or just pretending, but she wanted to find out for herself. She wondered if her rebirth had somehow altered Sadie’s fate—or if this was simply another scheme.
After work, she stopped by the hospital to check on Caleb, who had just undergone surgery. Once she confirmed he was doing well, she made her way to the Williams residence.
The family was already bracing for her arrival.
Sadie had removed her makeup and was lying in bed, feigning weakness. Her pale face and hollow voice were all part of an act. The house was filled with people—everyone in the family was present.
Sadie shifted nervously, guilt creeping in. “We don’t even know if she’s really coming. What are we supposed to do when she gets here?”
“If she shows up, we’ll have her explain herself,” Jeffrey replied. “Then we’ll ask her to speak with Paul. It’s not too late to clean up the mess.”
Kenny frowned. “Dad, I still don’t believe she’s involved with Paul. Skylar doesn’t seem like that kind of person.”
“Kenny, have you forgotten what happened at the nightclub?” Peter snapped. “Or how Paul defended her in front of everyone? You still think she’s innocent?”
“She’s a country girl. She hasn’t seen much of the world,” Samuel added with contempt. “She didn’t get what she wanted from her biological parents, so she turned to being someone’s sugar baby. It’s more common than you think.”
He spoke with scorn, masking his own discomfort. Plenty of women had tried to use him for social gain—but this was his sister. And the thought of her being played with made his skin crawl.
Peter glared around the room, his expression cold and unreadable. “Whether she’s involved with Paul or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that Paul knows who she is. If we can use that to our advantage, we should.”
“You’d really push her into something like that? She’s still your sister,” Sadie protested, unable to stay silent any longer.
Peter didn’t flinch. “Maybe she’s the reason the company is struggling. She hasn’t been donating blood either. If she doesn’t see us as her family, why should we treat her like one?”
To him, only the company and Maisy mattered. Skylar, the sister who had appeared out of nowhere, didn’t count. If sacrificing her meant saving the business, so be it.
Sadie had no words.
“Just let us handle it,” Jeffrey said firmly. “You don’t need to say anything once she’s here.”
Maisy sat quietly in a corner, her eyes glued to her phone. Christopher kept messaging her—he needed money and was getting more desperate by the hour.
But she didn’t have much herself. Not enough for luxury bags, anyway. So, she ignored his messages.
She used to think Christopher was amazing just because he had been Skylar’s boyfriend. Taking him from Skylar had once felt like a win. But now? Now that Skylar no longer wanted him, Christopher didn’t seem so special. All he was good for was pleasing her in bed.
And honestly, there were plenty of men who could do that. Christopher wasn’t worth much to her anymore.
“Don’t worry, Maisy,” Samuel said, misreading her silence. “Even when Skylar comes back, you’re the only younger sister I care about. She doesn’t deserve that title.”
Maisy forced a smile. “Skylar’s still Mom and Dad’s biological daughter. We’ll talk to her, convince her we’re doing this for her own good. Maybe she’ll come around.”
Samuel nodded, then asked, “By the way, what exactly happened between you and Mr. Martin? I thought Joe liked you. Why would he suddenly take Paul’s side and cut ties with us?”
Maisy avoided his eyes. “I… I don’t know either.”
Sadie sighed. “Maybe we were wrong. Maybe Joe Martin never really liked Maisy.”
She had been so confident back then, certain that Maisy was good enough to attract someone like Joe. But now that she thought about it, maybe she had overlooked one crucial fact—Joe was surrounded by talented, beautiful women in Jipsburg. There was no shortage of competition.
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