CHAPTER 19: Catherine's Reaction

The engagement announcement hit the news at exactly 9 AM.

I was in Alexander's home office when his phone started ringing. First Victoria. Then Marcus. Then half a dozen board members.

But the call we'd been dreading most came at 9:47.

Catherine Sterling.

Alexander's jaw tightened as he looked at the caller ID. "I have to take this."

"Should I leave?"

"No." His hand found mine. "Stay. She needs to understand we're a united front."

He answered on speaker. "Mother."

"Alexander James Sterling." Catherine's voice was ice. "Would you care to explain why I learned about your engagement from TMZ?"

"I was going to call you this afternoon—"

"This afternoon? AFTER the whole world knows?" Her voice rose. "An engagement announcement without informing your own mother first? Who raised you?"

"Mother, please—"

"And to HER? That... that girl who destroyed my grandson's relationship? Who's probably carrying some other man's child and convinced you it's yours?"

My stomach clenched. Alexander's grip on my hand tightened.

"That's enough," he said, his voice deadly quiet.

"Enough? I haven't even STARTED. Do you have any idea how humiliating this is? My friends calling to congratulate me on my son's engagement to a woman half his age who was dating his son WEEKS ago?"

"It wasn't weeks ago. James and Bella broke up three months before—"

"Oh, so you've been planning this? Behind James's back? Behind MY back?"

I couldn't stay silent anymore. "Mrs. Sterling, I understand your concerns—"

"I wasn't speaking to you," Catherine cut me off sharply. "You've done enough damage to this family."

"Mother!" Alexander stood up. "You will NOT speak to my fiancée that way."

Silence.

Then: "Your fiancée. You're actually serious about this."

"Completely serious. Bella is carrying my child. We're getting married. This is happening."

"Then you're a fool," Catherine said coldly. "She's using you, Alexander. Can't you see? She wants your money, your name, your status. Just like all the others."

"She's nothing like the others."

"No? Then why is she marrying you so quickly? Why not wait until after the baby? Why the rush?"

Because I asked her to. Because I fell in love with her. Because she's the first person in years who sees ME, not my bank account or my name.

But he couldn't say that. Not to Catherine. Not yet.

"That's our decision," Alexander said firmly.

"A decision you'll regret." Catherine's voice turned bitter. "I won't support this marriage, Alexander. I won't attend the wedding. I won't welcome her into this family."

My heart sank. I'd expected resistance, but this...

"That's your choice," Alexander said quietly. "But know this—if you force me to choose between you and Bella, I'm choosing Bella. Every time."

Another silence. Longer this time.

"You've changed," Catherine finally said. "Ever since that night... you're different."

"Yes. I am."

"Is she worth losing your mother over?"

Alexander looked at me. His eyes held something deep and certain.

"Yes," he said. "She is."

The line went dead.

I stared at the phone, then at Alexander. "She hung up on you."

"She'll come around eventually. Catherine always does."

"But what if she doesn't? What if I've driven a wedge between you and your mother?"

He pulled me into his arms. "You haven't driven anything, Bella. This is MY choice. My decision. And I don't regret it for a second."

I buried my face in his chest, feeling tears threaten. "Your whole family hates me now."

"James hated you already. Victoria's neutral. And Catherine..." He sighed. "She's protective. Once she sees how happy you make me, she'll change her tune."

"And if she doesn't?"

"Then she doesn't. I'm 52 years old, Bella. I stopped living for my mother's approval decades ago."

But I could hear the hurt in his voice. See it in the tension of his shoulders.

This engagement wasn't just affecting me. It was tearing his family apart.

"Maybe we should postpone," I whispered. "Give people time to adjust—"

"No." His arms tightened. "We already announced it. We're not backing down. That would only make things worse."

"How could things BE worse?"

As if answering my question, his phone buzzed with a text.

From James.

"Congratulations, Dad. You've officially ruined our family. Hope she's worth it."

Alexander deleted it without responding.

"Ignore him," he said.

But how could I? How could either of us ignore the damage we were causing?

My phone rang. An unknown number.

"Don't answer it," Alexander warned.

I answered anyway. "Hello?"

"Bella Martinez?" A woman's voice. Professional. Familiar. "This is Diana Chen from New York Times. I'm doing a piece on the Sterling family engagement. Would you be willing to comment?"

I hung up immediately.

Within seconds, three more calls came in. Different numbers. All reporters.

"They found your number," Alexander said grimly. "We need to get you a new phone. New number."

"This is insane. How did they—"

"James," we both said at the same time.

My ex-boyfriend was escalating. First the victim interview. Now leaking my information to the press.

"What's next?" I asked. "What else can he do?"

Alexander's face darkened. "I don't know. But whatever it is, we'll face it together."

Together.

The word should have been comforting.

Instead, as my phone continued to buzz with unknown callers and Alexander's mother's words echoed in my mind, I felt the walls closing in.

This engagement was supposed to protect me.

Instead, it was putting both of us directly in the line of fire.