Scarlett’s POV.I stared at Caden for a moment longer, then smiled.“You should mind your own business,” I expressed calmly. “Whether Leon marries me or not isn’t your concern.”He opened his mouth, but I didn’t allow him a chance to speak.“Because one thing’s certain—this child will be his heir.”His expression changed. Just a little. His eyes narrowed, his lips pursing in a tight line.“And you?” I added. “You’ll never see a cent of Leon’s inheritance.”He looked at me like he wanted to say something cruel—like he always did. I expected it. But for once, he didn’t have a comeback.I left him standing there and walked away, not looking back once.When I returned to my desk, I picked up the report Ezra had left me before lunch. But the words blurred. I stared at the same paragraph twice before flipping the page, not really absorbing any of it.My mind kept circling back to what Caden had said.So Leon had once been engaged.Not just involved. Engaged.The story behind it was vague—ju
Scarlett’s POV.I arrived at Rosenthal Group before nine.Ezra met me downstairs and led me through the formal onboarding with HR. The paperwork was handled quickly and discreetly. No one said anything about my relationship to Leon, and it was clear he hadn’t told them to treat me any differently than any other new employee.Good. That was what I wanted. To keep my identity a secret. I didn’t want anyone to know I was somehow connected to Leon.I kept my head down, smiled politely, and followed Ezra from floor to floor as he showed me how the executive wing operated. I’d expected a quiet corner desk with limited access—but instead, I was stationed just outside Leon’s office. A front-row seat to the company’s highest-level operations.I wasn’t stupid. I knew Leon had placed me there so he could keep an eye on me. But I wasn’t complaining. If anything, it made things easier.I watched, listened, and asked questions. Ezra was surprisingly patient. Professional. He treated me like a colle
Scarlett’s POV.“Very well,” Leon inclined his head. “I’ll arrange it.”I paused, slightly surprised he agreed. “You mean it?”He nodded again, already pulling his phone from his pocket. “I’ll notify HR this afternoon. You’ll start next week.”I straightened. “That fast?”“You said you needed money,” he explained. “No point in waiting.”A quiet sense of relief passed through me. I didn’t want to sit around this estate another day feeling like dead weight. I didn’t want to keep depending on his protection like it was charity. And more than that—I didn’t want to keep feeling like someone who was waiting to be discarded.“Thank you,” I said again. More genuinely this time.He studied me for a moment. “You’re really this happy about working?”I gave him a look. “You thought I’d rather sit around polishing my nails?”His mouth twitched, almost a smile, but not quite. “You won’t be doing much.”“Why not?”“You’re pregnant,” he pointed out.“I’m not fragile.”“I didn’t say you were. But I’m
Scarlett’s POV.For once, my father had nothing to say. My stepmother stood frozen beside him, her eyes wide.There was a long pause of silence before my father cleared his throat and adjusted the cuff of his jacket, pretending to recover. “Well… since this is all moving so quickly,” he spoke stiffly, “we should go back and prepare.”“For what exactly?” I asked flatly.He didn’t answer. He just gave Leon a shallow nod and turned toward the door, dragging my stepmother with him.Her heels clicked behind him, and she turned once more. “You’ve grown very bold, Scarlett,” she said quietly. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” she added before finally stepping outside.I made the decision not to respond.The door shut behind them. Their absence left behind a hollow silence.I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.“They won’t give up that easily,” I muttered, then turned to Leon. “Still… thank you. For helping me again.”He didn’t answer right away.When I met his eyes, somet
Scarlett’s POV.The silence that followed stretched long enough to make everyone in the room feel the weight of it.I hadn’t even looked at Leon when I said it.I didn’t dare.But I felt the subtle shift in his presence—so slight anyone else would’ve missed it. His posture hadn’t changed. His expression didn’t falter. But the heat behind my ears told me something had.He was shocked.Of course he was.We hadn’t discussed marriage. We hadn’t discussed anything beyond the surface-level lie he would assist in that I was keeping up. I didn’t even know where he stood anymore—whether he was protecting me out of guilt, out of spite, or because he truly gave a damn.But I didn’t care in that moment.This wasn’t about him.This was about making my father finally pay. The man who had never raised me, never defended my mother, never acknowledged me unless it made him look good. The man who chose convenience and luxury over blood, every single time.My stepmother was the first to speak. Her voice
Scarlett’s POV.I wasn’t sure what stunned me more—that Leon showed up when he did, or that he actually went along with it.My father’s face twitched like a man trying to keep hold of two masks at once. He opened his mouth, probably to salvage the disaster he’d just caused, but I didn’t give him the chance.I turned toward Leon and said calmly, “My father wants me to apologize to our nephew.”Leon didn’t blink.My father shot me a glare, before his expression shattered—steadying a gentle look on Leon instead. “N-no, Mr. Rosenthal, I—of course not—I never meant—”He stepped forward with a strained smile, his mouth shaking nervously as he spoke. “Please forgive me. My words just now were out of anger. I respect your choices, of course—your… relationships.”Leon raised an eyebrow. “You mean my sexuality?”My father froze.Leon added, “Because I believe you were just saying, rather loudly, that I’m gay, and Scarlett was a disgrace for staying here.”The color drained from my father’s face