Posy Sterling

Posy’s scream echoed through the grand hallway of the Runes estate, sharp enough to make the house staff flinch from wherever they were stationed. A vase crashed against the wall, shattering into a hundred glittering shards that scattered across the floor.

Her room was already a wreck; perfume bottles overturned, a mirror cracked down the middle from where she had thrown a shoe at it, clothing ripped off hangers and tossed across the carpet. Her hair was in wild disarray, her face flushed crimson with rage.

“How dare she!” Posy shrieked, her voice hoarse from screaming. “How dare she do this to me!”

She hurled another object, a crystal lamp this time, across the room. It struck the corner of her vanity and toppled over, exploding into pieces.

Her chest heaved with each ragged breath, her nails digging into her palms. She could still hear it in her head, the whispers, the reports flooding social media, the headlines screaming the same impossible, unbearable truth.

Thea Balmero married Seth Blackwood.

The words felt like poison searing through her veins.

She had spent years, years, plotting her way to the top of their family’s empire, doing everything possible to bury Thea in the shadows where she belonged. She had schemed, manipulated, smiled when she wanted to scream and screamed when she needed to be obeyed. She had endured her father’s constant doubt, her mother’s overbearing criticisms, the board’s skepticism, all because she believed she was destined for the throne.

But now? It's all in the fucking dust! Thea still managed to outshine her by marrying the most wealthy man in the country! Hell, one of the richest in the world!

Posh screamed again! How could she have missed it? She was so busy planning her wedding and running the company that she forgot to keep an eye on Thea, to find out what she was doing!

Posy bit her nails, pulling it out of its cuticle until it bled furiously. Thea is married to Seth Blackwood. The Seth Blackwood. It drove her mad! Mad with anger and rage!

Could that be why she was so confident? Why she dared to show her face in public? Because she knew she had a powerful man on her side? Is that how the videos had vanished? Why she was yet to reach Vance about the article?

Could that mean…..Posy swallowed at the possibility of what could happen to her.

The door slammed open.

“Posy!”

Adam stepped inside, his usually composure strained. His tailored suit was still pristine, his silvering locks perfectly groomed, but his eyes were dark, thunderous, betraying the storm brewing beneath.

Behind him, Gina followed, her expression etched with disbelief. She clutched her silk robe tightly around her frame as though the news itself had chilled her to the bone.

Adam’s eyes scanned the wreckage of the room before fixing on his daughter, whose chest still heaved with fury.

“Tell me it isn’t true,” he demanded. His voice was firm, a command more than a plea. “Tell me this news about Thea is a lie.”

Posy froze, her lip trembling. She wanted to scream again, wanted to deny it, but the words wouldn’t come. She knew better. The world already knew.

Gina gasped softly, covering her mouth with a trembling hand. “It is true then…” she whispered, her tone colored with shock. “My God… Thea? Married? To Seth Blackwood of all people?”

“Answer me, Posy!” Adam barked.

She whipped her head toward him, her eyes blazing, but still she said nothing. The silence was damning.

Adam’s fists clenched at his sides. He turned toward Gina, his voice low but heavy with restrained fury. “You see? It’s true. Thea married Seth Blackwood. And we… we had no idea.”

Gina shook her head violently, her earrings swaying. “Impossible. It doesn’t make sense. How could she have possibly met a man like him? What are the odds?”

“Odds?” Adam’s laugh was cold, humorless. “ Whatever the odds are, it's in her favour! She's married to Seth Blackwood! Do you know how long I've been trying to get him to partner with us? Years! Years I tell you!” He glared at Posy again. “You knew.”

Posy’s face twisted with rage. “Of course I didn’t know!” she snapped, her voice breaking. “Do you think I’d let that… slide if I knew something like this if I had?!” She clutched her chest as though the betrayal was physical.

‘She stole everything from me. Again!’ Posy screamed internally.

“How could she be married to him, knowing you've always wanted to work with him and say nothing? I tell you father, Thea only thinks about herself..” Posy said.

“You're the selfish one.” Adam retorted sharply.

The words struck like a lash. Posy’s breath caught, her mouth falling open. “What… what are you saying?”

Adam advanced into the room, his shoes crunching lightly against the shattered glass on the floor. His gaze bore into her, unflinching, merciless.

“I’m saying,” he said slowly, “that our company has already bled enough under your incompetence.”

Posy flinched, as though slapped.

“You begged for control, and I gave it to you,” Adam continued, his voice like steel. “And what did you do with it? A series of failed projects. Deals that collapsed before they even began. Investors pulling out left and right. You’ve been bleeding the Balmero's name dry while your sister…” His jaw tightened. “Your sister was quietly securing the most powerful man in Zean City.”

“Don’t say that!” Posy screamed. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she stomped her foot like a child. “She’s not my sister! You disowned her didn't you? We're not related anymore! She doesn’t deserve Seth, she doesn’t deserve this family, she doesn’t deserve…”

“Enough!” Adam roared, his voice echoing through the broken room.

Posy’s words died in her throat.

Gina stepped forward hesitantly, her hand resting on Adam’s arm as though to soothe him. “Adam,” she murmured, “we need to think carefully. If this is true, then…” Her eyes darted to Posy, wide with fear. “What does this mean for us? For the business?”

Adam inhaled deeply, collecting himself. Then, with frightening calm, he spoke the words that made Posy’s blood run cold.

“It means,” he said evenly, “that I’m going to reach out to Thea.”

The room fell silent, so silent that the faint ticking of the antique clock on the wall seemed deafening.

Posy’s face went pale, then flushed red again in the span of seconds. She stumbled back a step, her chest heaving. “No… no, no, you can’t!” she screamed, her voice shrill with panic. “You can’t go to her! She’ll ruin everything! Don’t you see? That’s what she wants…to destroy me, to destroy us!”

Adam’s expression didn’t waver. “What I see is that she is married to the most powerful man in this country, perhaps the world. And if there’s even a chance that alliance can save this family’s legacy, then I’d be a fool not to take it.”

“You’d do that to me?” Posy whispered, her voice trembling with desperation. “After everything I’ve done for this family, after everything I’ve sacrificed…”

“Sacrificed?” Adam cut in, his eyes narrowing. “ The only thing you've done is drag our family name to filth! We are tipping the line of bankruptcy and you're talking about sacrifice? Don't make me sick.”

Posy’s hands balled into fists at her sides. “I am this family! I’ve always been the one fighting for us, for you, while Thea….Thea…” Her voice cracked into a sob. “She abandoned us. She spat on us. And now you want to welcome her back?!”

Gina finally spoke again, her tone softer, almost pleading. “Adam, she’s right in one way. Thea left us… she chose her own path. You disowned her. You said you didn't want anything to do with her anymore. What makes you think she’ll lift a finger to help us after what happened?”

Adam turned to his wife, his jaw set. “Because of Seth Blackwood.If Thea is his wife, then whether she wants to or not, she has power now. And power is what we need.”

Posy shook her head violently, tears spilling down her cheeks. “You can’t do this to me! You can’t let her back in! I’ve worked too hard, Father! I’ve done everything for you!”

Adam’s gaze softened for only a fraction of a second before hardening again. “You’ve done everything for yourself, Posy. And it’s not enough.”

The finality in his voice broke something inside her. She screamed again, a raw, guttural sound, and swept her arm across the dresser, sending jewelry boxes and glass bottles crashing to the floor. She dropped to her knees among the wreckage, sobbing, her hair falling over her face.

Adam didn’t flinch. He didn’t move to comfort her. He simply turned toward the door.

“I’ll be making arrangements tomorrow,” he said coldly. “Whether you like it or not, I will speak to Thea.”

And with that, he walked out, Gina trailing uncertainly behind him, casting one last nervous glance at their daughter.

Posy remained on the floor, her sobs muffled into her hands. Hatred boiled in her chest, burning hotter than her grief. She could feel it consuming her, choking her, until there was nothing left but one single thought.

If Adam brought Thea back into their lives, if he dared hand her the crown Posy had fought so hard for… then she would do whatever it took to tear her down once more.

Whatever it took.