All Chapters of Under the Mistletoe with my Ex's Brother : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

SCARLET POVThe morning light filtered through the curtains when my phone rang.I was still in Damian's bed. We had fell asleep on his office floor last night, then eventually made it upstairs sometime around three in the morning. His arm was draped across my waist, his breath warm against my neck.The phone ranf again.I reached for it blindly, squinting at the screen.Dr. Kim.My heart jumped.I slid out of bed carefully, trying not to wake Damian. He stirred but didn't open his eyes.I slipped into the hallway and answered."Dr. Kim?" I called into the phone, my heart beating wildly. Dr. Kim my only friend at the hospital almost never called or else there was an emergency."Scarlet," Her voice spoke into the phone, sharp and urgent. "I need you to come to the hospital. Now."I froze and not heart fell."What's wrong?""Nothing's wrong. I think I found something. Evidence. Real evidence that proves you didn't cause those surgical complications."My breath caught against my throat. "

Morrison's face went pale. He looked at the other board members, then back at me. "We... we have to decline." The words landed heavy in the room. I'd expected it. But hearing it still stung. "I see." I reached for my bag. "However," Morrison continued quickly, "we'd like to make a counter offer—" "I'm not interested in counter offers." I stood. "My terms were clear. You've declined. We're done here." That was when Victoria spoke. "This is completely unreasonable." Everyone turned to look at her. She was standing now, her face flushed with anger. Her perfectly manicured hands were clenched into fists at her sides. "Yes, you were wrongly accused," she continued, her voice dripping with condescension. "And yes, the hospital owes you an apology. But asking to be made a partner? That's a far stretch, Dr. Hayes. That's not about justice. That's about greed." The room went very quiet. I looked at her. Really looked at her. This woman who'd sabotaged my instrumen

Victoria's Pov "Lucas." Savannah's voice was raw with honesty. "He says he loves me. Says he wants to marry me and raise our baby together, until I had a miscarriage due to something personal I can't tell. But I see it now, Victoria. He's obsessed with getting his son back. And every time he sees Scarlet, every time he's in the same room as her, I can see it. He's not over her. He's still in love with her."I understood that feeling. The jealousy. The rage.Watching Damian look at Scarlet like she was the only woman in the world."So what are you going to do?" I asked.Savannah met my eyes. "I'm going to destroy her."The words hung between us. Simple. Direct. Terrifying."How?" I asked, curious on how she planning to achieve this."Lucas is fighting for custody. His lawyer is building a case that Scarlet is an unfit mother. That she prioritizes her career over her son. That she's unstable." Savannah leaned forward. "We just need evidence. Proof that she's not the perfect mother she

Scarlet's Pov"You can ask," I told him"What do you do to decompress? When the carrying gets too heavy?"I thought about it, genuinely."I cook sometimes. Badly." I wrapped both hands tighter around my cup. "I run. I sit in Jace's room after he falls asleep and just... watch him breathe. Which probably sounds strange.""It sounds like a mother who loves her son.""That's all I am at the end of the day.""That's not all you are," he said quietly.Something in his tone shifted. Not inappropriate—nothing that crossed a line. Just warm and genuine.I met his eyes."Are you always this easy to talk to?" I asked."Only with people worth talking to."I studied him. He really did seem nice. Uncomplicated. The kind of man who said what he meant and meant what he said."I should get back," I said, beginning to stand."Of course." He stood too. "Dr. Hayes—Scarlet. I'd like to do this again. Just to keep the communication open about Jace.""That's fine. Dr. Hendricks—""James.""James." I picked

MARGARET'S POV (SCARLET'S MOM)Scarlet's penthouse was obscene.That was the only word for it.I stood in the living room while Jace tore open his new science kit at the coffee table and tried not to let my eyes wander too obviously. But it was difficult not to.The ceilings were high enough to echo. The furniture looked simple but cost more than most people's cars. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Minneapolis skyline. Fresh flowers on every surface. Not the grocery store kind. The real kind. Delivered weekly by someone whose only job was flowers.And this was just the penthouse.Damian Cole had properties in four cities. I'd looked him up.My daughter had done very well.Better than well.I'd seen her in the news. She was now a junior partner to one of the high rates hospital. Something I had never even expected from her in ten years.Regret filled my chest on his I had treated her and thrown her out. If I had known she would become this wealthy this soon, I would have made h