Chapter 4- KARMA WEARS HEELS.

Manhattan.

The sky above was a shade of blue that felt staged-too immaculate for a funeral. But Charles Ashbourne would have wanted it this way,a large crowd and unforgettable headlines.

Outside the grand chapel,velvet ropes lined the cobblestones, struggling to hold back the swarm of paparazzi and onlookers scraping for the tiniest glimpse they could get. Long range cameras clicked repeatedly like buzzing bees.

This wasn’t just a funeral- it was an event. Billionaires, senators, royal heirs and Manhattan’s elite gathered in the finest designer black, each more concerned with their image than grief.

The Ashbourne family sat inside at the front pews. Christine sat between her two sons, Grant and Louis, faking to wipe an invisible tear every now and then.

Behind them sat other extended family members and when Grant turned to make sure everyone was present, he caught a glimpse of Diane in the family row. His stomach soured instantly.She was the new lady his mother wanted him to marry and he was not having it. His mother never learned and now he was starting to realize that she was orchestrating more harm than good to the family.

Nothing felt right about the day to Grant. He wondered if it was because he was burying his father he never had a good relationship with or if it was because their family was about to lose everything in a couple of months. Then he thought of her.

Scarlett.

He had not said her name aloud in years. Only in his thoughts but he often buried it under obligations. Under guilt and regret.

He thought about her more than usual these days and he wondered why. Maybe it was the lingering rumors: she had a child , a son whose age lined with the amount of years they had been split. Could it be his?

His family had sent for her under fake predicaments to confirm if she actually had a son and if it was Grant’s. He wished deep within himself that it was his son -not for the inheritance but to share something at least with Scarlett, it would give him a flicker of hope to revive what they had.

He wondered if she was going to come. She had not responded to their letter. They wondered if she even received it or if the lady was even her.He hoped she was Scarlett and she would come .

He clenched his jaw, a thousand thoughts running through his mind. He thought about her child again. It couldn’t be his. Could it? The doctor confirmed the IVF had failed.

He remembered the night he divorced her. The raw look of betrayal in her eyes when she signed the papers.The broken look on her face . He had broken her. He let his family use her like a pawn. Said a lot of hurtful things to her and discarded her when she no longer served their plan. Regret coiled in his gut.He regretted all of it. He wished he could apologize to her and take it all away. But it was too late now, or was it?

He raked his hair with his fingers and tried to concentrate on the ceremony. He took a heaved breath and tried to steady his heartbeat.

His mom sat next to him, pretense plastered across her face. His brother sat beside her , pressing away at his phone like it was just another random Friday.

The crowd outside was already restless. The low murmurs were rising to a buzzing pitch.Hushed murmurs rippled through the velvet ropes as a matte black maybach turned into the private driveway. Two black SUVs followed behind it, halting to a silent stop when it did.

Suddenly, time seemed to slow.

The buzzing paparazzi stopped mid sentence. Phones hovered in the air like drones. All eyes fixated upon the cars that had just stolen everyone’s attention.

No one got out for minutes. Not yet. 

Then, the SUV doors opened at the same time as if in command and 8 hefty men came out. Body guards.

Two of them walked to the Maybach, one stopped right at the passenger door while the other opened the back door.

A foot stepped out first. Not rushed. Not nervous. A red bottom Louis Vuitton heel. Sharp enough to slice the highest ego.

A journalist near the press line squinted at her phone “ I don’t have this person on the list. Who the hell is that?!”

The woman finally stepped out. 

Scarlett Monroe. Sent away and forgotten, now REBORN

 Her presence struck the cloud like lightning.She owned the environment even before she took a step.

The noise from everyone was deafening at her recognition. Paparazzi pushed and tumbled on each other for the perfect shot. She remained unfazed at the attention she had drawn to herself and pretended not to hear the whispers.

“Scarlett Ashbourne!”

“-they got divorced!”

“I thought she was dead-“

“Is it really her?”

“My God! She came back!”

Her tailored black suit hugged her silhouette perfectly to reveal an almost invisible waist. The wind teased strands of her polished black bob but even nature seemed to be at her mercy. A pair of oversized sun glasses concealed her eyes as she took slow, calculated steps. Her heels echoed down the aisle like war drums as her body guards followed closely behind her. Her expression was unreadable and her aura shouted-UNTOUCHABLE!

Click. Click. Click. Cameras were flying with shots-each trying to capture her face. The crowd parted like the Red Sea as she made her way to the chapel doors .

A gust of wind blew through as chapel doors opened. The entire congregation turned. It was as if everyone held their breath. Silence engulfed the room like a spell.Slowly, the whispers turned to murmurs and then loud chattering.

Grant recognized her at first glance. He sprang up from his seat but he couldn’t move. His heartbeat pulsed in his throat. He thought he was hallucinating for a moment. His mouth parted but no words came out. He stood there staring at Scarlett like he was frozen in time. She looked different, was it really her?She had a different aura. She’d survived.

Christine’s hand gripped her handbag so tightly that Grant couldn’t decipher if it was from surprise or fear. She was dumbfounded just like him. No one was expecting Scarlett today.

“Is it really her?” Louis gasped.

And then, a second disruption.Dressed in black Italian suit and diamond cufflinks. He strolled down the aisle like the chapel belonged to him. He slid in beside her , his arm brushing her waist with familiarity . He leaned in slightly and whispered “You sure know how to make an entrance. You’re terrifying. I love it”

Scarlett only gave a subtle smile. Practiced. Composed.

“Cassian Blackwell, how dare she bring him here?” Christine hissed under her breath.

From the altar, Grant gritted his teeth and clenched his fists at his side. His jaw tightened as he locked his eyes on Cassian’s hand resting too comfortably on Scarlett’s thigh. He felt the rage burn inside him. He smacked his tongue against his teeth as his eyes met with Scarlett’s right after she removed her sunglasses. Her gaze swept past him like he was air. He felt the blow, his blood boiled.

It took a long while to get everyone back in order. The organist resumed playing. The priest tried to collect himself. The ceremony dragged on but no one was paying attention anymore.

All eyes were on Scarlett. 

And for the first time in their lives the whole Ashbourne family knew they had met their karma - and it wore heels.