Ch 1: Fall of the Stepsister

SMACK!

The sound of the slap echoes around the lavish mansion. A beautiful brunette is standing in the middle of the living room, her pearly cheek marred by the red palm print. Her ocean blue eyes are now red with fury and anger, stinging with tears. She’s only twenty one years old, already the wife of the most powerful man in the country. But she’s only his wife in name; this slap is the proof of it.

The slap hurts her pride and while her heart is bleeding with sadness, she stands tall to defy the ones who are bringing her down.

“You evil woman!” The handsome man whispers at her, barely containing his fury. The blonde man is in his mid twenties. His dark eyes are sharp and his handsome face is contorted into fury. The sight of this woman disgusts him.

This is Hector Hawkins. Son of Vincent Hawkins and his heir. 

So this is the reality, right dear husband? Scarlett D’arcy thinks in spite. Oh the irony!

“How dare you hurt Ella?” He screams at her. “She’s your sister!”

“She’s a homewrecker!” Scarlett snarls. “She’s sleeping with you behind my back and even got pregnant with your child! Whereas you wouldn’t even touch me for the years we’ve been married!”

SMACK! 

Hector slaps her again. 

“Are you really gonna put all the blame on her?” He growls. “You attacked her that night and caused her to miscarry! And not only that, you even killed James! How could you?”

There’s a slight whimper but it’s not from Scarlett. Ella Swanson is standing at the doorway, her innocent eyes filled with despair. She looks weak and the attack on her has put a toll on her.

“Sister,” Ella pants. “You hate me. I know that and I’m sorry for the grief I’ve caused you. But…but what did my father do to you? He was innocent! Why did you kill him?”

Ella bursts into tears. Hector rushes to aid her while Scarlett stands there in silence. Her face is unreadable.

“I didn’t say anything when you tricked Hector into marrying you!” Ella sobs. “You and stepmother conspired to throw me out of my own home! But my father loved you. He loved both of us equally! Then why did you kill him? And Amelia…poor Amelia is now paralyzed! All because of you!”

Scarlett’s lips are quivering. Yes, she conspired against Ella to win Hector’s love. Her heart is as black as the night and she knows it. She has done despicable things to win over Hector.

But she’s not a murderer.

“I didn’t kill him,” Scarlett finally breaks the silence. “I didn’t kill James…”

I can’t kill him, she adds in her thoughts. Her fury is now replaced with grief for her stepfather who was always kind to her. If there’s one person she couldn’t hurt, it was him.

“You killed him and hurt my sister!” Hector growls at her. “And now you’ll pay for it…”

Suddenly, a group of policemen barge into the mansion. Scarlett is shocked to see them.

“No!” She yells. “I didn’t kill him! There’s no evidence of it-”

“You forgot, darling,” Hector says in a spiteful tone. “I’m the one who will decide your fate now. You’ll rot in prison and there’s nothing you can do! Take her away!”

The cops grab Scarlett and she protests. She can’t go to jail! She must find the culprit!

“NO!” She screams. “HECTOR, I DIDN’T DO IT! I SWEAR!”

Her pride is stripped off and she’s panicking. She didn’t kill her stepfather but her protests fell on deaf ears. 

She’s Scarlett D’arcy, the top female executive in the country. Her abilities brought Hawkins Group immense success and she’s the envy of many. She’s the beautiful one, the ambitious one and yet…yet, her husband pines for Ella. He loves Ella, not Scarlett. To him, Ella is his princess, his Cinderella and Scarlett is the wicked stepsister.

And now, the stepsister has fallen.

“HECTOR, YOU’LL REGRET THIS!” Scarlett vows. “YOU DON’T KNOW HER-”

But Hector is busy tending to Ella. His eyes are filled with love and wonder for her. He won’t look at his wife.

The last thing Scarlett remembers as she’s being dragged away by the police, is her stepfather’s words.

“Scarlett, your name is beautiful,” he had once said. “Just like the color, Scarlet. People say it’s the color of anger but the flip side of anger is passion. You’re passionate about your dreams and you hide unconditional love. You’re not rude, you’re just honest. Like the color, you’ll also spread love. So what if people say nasty things to you? I know you’ll achieve everything you want and never give up on your loved ones. Just have faith in yourself, okay?”

Have faith. As the weeks go by, Scarlett remains silent. She doesn’t flinch nor beg. Her judgment is swift and she’s sentenced to three years in prison for her crimes. There’s no direct evidence of her guilt but Hector’s influence ensured she’s locked up.

All Scarlett does is repeat those words in her head. 

I’m Scarlett D’arcy, she says to herself. And I get what I want.

…

*Three years later*

The door opens and Scarlett steps out into the sun. The brightness almost blinds her. She’s only carrying one small backpack which has a few clothes and basic items. There’s a little bit of money in it as well which she saved up in jail where she also worked as a part-time tutor for young inmates. 

“Here’s your ID,” a grumpy jailor tells her. Scarlett nods and takes her ID card.

“There’s also a phone left for you,” the jailor says. Scarlett doesn’t say anything but accepts the phone. She knows who gave it to her.

As soon as she takes it, the phone rings. 

“Hi hi!” A cheerful voice greets her from the other end. Scarlett winces. It’s him again.

“Where’s the car?” Scarlett demands.

“How mean! Aren’t you gonna greet me or something? After all, I’ve been helping you for three years. You’d have been dead meat in prison.”

“I don’t even know who you are!” Scarlett snaps. “I didn’t ask for your help at all!”

“Too bad,” he says. “Because now you need my help more than ever.”

A car stops in front of her and an elderly driver comes out of it. He opens the passenger door for her.

“Get into the car, Scarlett,” the man on the other hand tells her. “If you want revenge, this is your best bet. See ya in an hour!”

Scarlett sighs and hangs up the phone. She debates with herself for a while before muttering, “F*ck it.”

She gets into the car and drives off.

Meanwhile, somewhere deep in the city, a man hangs up the phone. He’s sitting on a couch with a drink in his hand. His face is half hidden in the dark but he’s smiling.

There’s a document in front of him; a marriage certificate.

A young teenager enters the room and sighs. “Are you really gonna get through with this?” She groans. “She’s Hector Hawkins’ ex-wife and one of the members of the enemy clan! Whatcha even thinking?”

The man looks up, his hazel eyes twinkling with mischief.

“I’m thinking of what Cinderella’s stepsister will be like,” he says. “Did jail turn her into a meek kitty or is the wildcat a tigress now? Either way, I think I’m gonna have a lot of fun.”

The teenager winces. Weirdo, she sighs inwardly.