Scarlet found herself inside the prestigious Sunset Hills Business Club once again, as she nervously adjusted the collar of her shirt, trying to look as professional as possible. Seated across from her was a stout, middle-aged man named Vincent Kaleb Hammer, who was known in the business circles as V. K Hammer. His face bore the deep creases of years of indulgence. He had a reputation for his unsavory behavior, but Scarlet was hoping that he could help her out this time. Scarlet cleared her throat, "Mr. Hammer, as I was saying, I believe our companies could greatly benefit from a strategic partnership. Our market research indicates that collaborating on this project could yield substantial profits for both of us." Vincent leaned back in his plush leather chair, a predatory glint in his eyes. He took a long sip of his scotch before speaking and grinned, his eyes lingering on Scarlet in a way that made her uncomfortable. "Miss Scarlet, you certainly know how to make a proposal s
Artis was seething now, his fists clenching at his sides. "You don't think I feel helpless, Scarlet? You don't think I want to provide for us? But you need to just trust me, haven't I told you so many times already, that I am making some arrangements!" Artis wanted to convey this message to Scarlet, he wanted her to understand that he wasn't complaining about her, rather, he was complaining to her and wanted her to express sympathy, care, anything at all! But it looked like his words only added lots of fuel to the fire already burning on Scarlet's side "This, this is your problem! I can't stand your lies, Artis! You've been pretending that everything is fine when it's not. You've been deceiving me, while you've done nothing but let us down," Scarlet's eyes bore into Artis, and his tongue was tied because of the genuine hurt he saw reflected in them. "First, you said that you had taken care of the hospital debts and that I should trust you." Her voice trembled with anger and hur
Scarlet had long since disappeared from his view, but Artis was frozen in his place. For the first time they had been together, she had been so upset at him that she had refused to go with him. And thinking of how hurt she was to do this, Artis' heart was hurting even further. He was really loathing himself right now, even if he wished to place the world in the palm of her hands, it would all be meaningless if he didn't do something to fulfill them. What was the point of having an unlimited amount of money and power, if he could not even compensate for all the times she had suffered because of him? He had to take action, and he had to do it now! Thinking this, he finally came out of his daze, and dialed Mr. Holt's number without thinking twice. "Mr. Hardy?" A voice greeted him within seconds. "Is everything alright with Mrs. Hardy? I apologize, but I hadn't received any intel from you or anyone else, and I was worried-" "That's fine, Mr. Holt…" Artis, thankfully, didn't fixa
The dimmed lights in the clubhouse were leaving a warm glow across the leather furniture and polished mahogany tables. Scarlet had arrived early, dressed in a formal frilly top and ready for the meeting; and moments later, Mr. V. K. Hammer strolled into the room with an air of casual confidence. His sharp suit, silver hair, and immaculate grooming left no doubt about his power and influence in the business world. He extended a hand toward Scarlet, offering a faint smile as he greeted her. "Pleasure to finally meet you again, Miss Scarlet! I remember our last meeting, where you had left after a phone call." He said with a chuckle, which was supposed to be non- threatening; but had the completely opposite effect, making her hair raise on its ends. Scarlet shook his hand with a confident grip, "Yes, Mr Hammer. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me again." As they settled into their seats, Scarlet outlined the details of the business deal, but it wasn't long before Vince
K Hammer, still seething and splattered with red wine, hesitated for a moment. With a fierce growl, Vincent was about to leap out of his seat, to chase after Scarlet and continue his pursuit, driven by ego and frustration. How dare that little girl humiliate him so badly, not once but twice! He had to teach her a lesson, then, didn't he? But before he could stand up, his phone began to ring. The ringtone pierced the air with a startling interruption, and Vincent fumbled to retrieve his phone from his pocket. Ne checked the caller ID, only to find that it was an unknown number; but for some reason, Vincent felt compelled to answer it. "Hello, who is this?" "Is this Mr. V. K. Hammer?" An extremely familiar voice asked from the other end… but he couldn't quite place where he had heard it. "Yes…?" "Edmund Sawyer." On hearing this name, the phone nearly slipped out of Vincent's hand, and his face became pale. Mr. Sawyer was his superior at work, who used to hold significant
After getting the call from Mr. Sawyer, Vincent rushed out of the clubhouse just like he had originally meant to. But within a span of five minutes, his intentions had completely flipped. Where he had originally wanted to overpower Scarlet and make her obey his demands, he was now rushing out to beg for an apology, hoping that she hadn't gone too far yet. But to his surprise and relief, she hadn't left the Sunset Hills Business Club at all. Rather, she was standing just a little bit away from the main entrance, talking to a man. _______ Scarlet's words echoed in the parking lot, stunning Artis. He couldn't believe they were back to this question of him not trusting her, when all he wanted was for her to be safe and happy. His hands moved forward of their own accord, grabbing Scarlet by her shoulders. He felt completely helpless, because he just couldn't understand how to get through to her. He was just about to shake her back and forth, when his hands froze and the words got s
Scarlet returned to her childhood home after the unsettling encounter with Mr. Hammer at the clubhouse. She felt a bittersweet mix of emotions; she knew that after the matter was settled, Artis expected her to say that she would be coming back with him, but she didn't feel like she was ready for it yet. The opulent Silverman's villa, with its grand facade and lush, manicured gardens, had always been a place of both comfort and contention in her life. The lofty appearance of the building signified their wealth and status, a reflection of her family's prominence in the upper levels of society. Yet, it had also been the site of numerous disagreements and clashes between her and her parents, who had been less than thrilled about her marriage to Artis. As she pushed open the heavy double doors and entered the villa, memories of her childhood flooded back. The familiar scent of lavender and citrus permeated the air, evoking a sense of nostalgia that was hard to ignore. The sprawli
In the hospital hallway, away from Eva's room, Scarlet's sister, Mia, watched in silence. She had arrived at the hospital early that morning to visit Eva after Artis had taunted her a few days ago for not being concerned about her own niece. These words affected her deeply because no matter how much she hated Artis and how disconnected she felt from Scarlet, she did genuinely care about her niece. However, the unexpected interaction that she had witnessed between Artis and Mr. Holt had left her both surprised and puzzled. Mia knew of Artis as her sister's husband, but she was not aware of the details of his business connections. Hell, she didn't even know he had anything to do with a business! From her sister's general condition, all she knew was that Artis Hardy was a piddly grocery store clerk or something, who couldn't even run his household with his meager salary and depended on Scarlet. In a shocking contrast to that, the discussion she had overheard had involved amount
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Scarlet was still struggling to comprehend the situation as she returned to the room, and Artis could tell by the ashen look on her face that she had just received some major news.But before he could ask about it, they were interrupted unexpectedly due to a call on her phone. Her mom's sharp tone blared through the speakers as soon as she received the call;"Your dad is coming home tomorrow. And if you don't want the whole world to know what an ungrateful little weasel you are, you better come by around noon and sign the papers, the lawyers will be here too.""Mom, I won't –""No! I won't hear any of your excuses. Mark's health is already in bad condition, and I am telling you, Scarlet! If something happens to your dad just because you are being such a brat, I will never forgive you!"With this warning, Hena cut the call, shaking Scarlet from the core. Seeing that her mother's disapproval was not going to go away any time soon, Scarlet was forced to think of the only possible option
As soon as the bell rang, Artis opened the door, only to find a dejected Scarlet stepping into their home. The concern in his eyes didn't go unnoticed, and he immediately moved towards her."Hey, what happened?" Artis asked, his voice laced with genuine worry. "You look upset."Scarlet attempted to dismiss his concern with a forced smile. "It's just a work- related thing, nothing major."Artis, however, wasn't easily convinced. He could read Scarlet well, and her attempts to downplay the situation only heightened his curiosity."Come on, honey. You know you can tell me anything." Artis insisted, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "I hate seeing you like this."Despite Artis's caring nature, Scarlet remained guarded."No, I already told you. It's just some misunderstanding at work. I can handle it on my own."Artis's protective instincts started kicking in, as he made her sit on the couch. "Scarlet, we are a team. If something's bothering you, let me help."Scarlet, appreciating
As Artis and Scarlet embarked on the journey home after visiting her father at the hospital, the car became a witness to the intimate conversation between them. After holding herself back for the entire day, Scarlet's curiosity about the undisclosed wealth of her family bubbled to the surface, and she gently questioned him regarding his family dynamics. Artis could also understand that she had received quite a shock after coming to know this information, and he patiently tried to answer her questions without giving away too much at the same time. However, their conversation took a more serious turn as Scarlet expressed a concern which she had tried to suppress ever since he had told her about the reason for leaving his family."Artis, you said that you had left them because you didn't agree with a marriage that they had arranged for you. What if… what if they are still resentful because of that? What if we go and meet them, and your parents don't approve of me?"Leaning back in the
As Dr. Dave Cameron dropped the bombshell about the Berhans family's unethical practices, the gathered onlookers, once swayed by Chad's lies, were now enraged by the truth about the family's history of exploiting innocent people.Angry voices started to rise, condemning Chad for his involvement in these scandals and accusing him of being a manipulative liar. The crowd shifted its anger towards Chad;"He fooled us all with his fake tears and displays of generosity!""I can't believe we fell for his lies, he manipulated us all!""People like him who bully others and then act like victims are a disgrace to the community!"The collective resentment built up as the crowd vented its frustration, realizing the extent of Chad's betrayal."Fool me once, shame on you!""We trusted him and demanded justice for him, and in return, he betrayed us!""I feel so cheated! We won't let you get away with this!""Kick him out! We don't want him here anymore!""Let's make sure everyone knows the truth abo
In the middle of this drama, a reporter also happened to arrive on the scene, with his full camera crew, making people think that the media had also been alerted about this scene because of the involvement of the heir of such a high profile family. But little did everyone know that this reporter had been tipped off by Chad himself, even before he had confronted Artis and Scarlet. He was fully prepared for both possibilities: if Artis agreed to give a statement, then this reporter would immediately rush to the scene and take his interview ; and if he refused, then too, Chad would get the chance to exploit this drama for a sensational news story. The atmosphere became charged with anticipation as the reporter, armed with a microphone, waded through the crowd to confront Artis and Scarlet.The reporter, with a cunning glint in his eye, addressed them;"Artis Hardy and Scarlet Silverman, the alleged fraud couple! What do you have to say about these damning accusations? Is it true that
Artis and Scarlet stood in the hospital lobby as the sound of blames and accusations grew louder, while no one was ready to hear out their side of the story.On the contrary, the crowd's relentless beratings and insults only seemed to magnify with each passing moment."You call yourselves decent people? You're nothing but opportunistic leeches!""I doubt that all that success of the Silverman family is also built on lies, wasn't it? They really think everyone is a fool!""This poor guy deserves better friends than you two!""Look at them, acting innocent now. Just own up to your shameful acts!""These people are nothing but social climbers! They pretend to be friends with someone until they have squeezed the last drop of profit from them, and then forget about the ones who supported them!"Scarlet's eyes were filled with tears now, because her attempts to explain were being drowned out by the overwhelming chorus of disapproval, again and again. On the other hand, although Artis was v
Chad's apologetic monologue continued, his voice heavy with guilt and the regret evident in his tone;"Artis, man, I can totally understand why you didn't want to forgive me at the hotel. I mean, I have been a complete idiot and I didn't even realize it! I looked down on you because of your financial status, and I even had some really messed up thoughts about Scarlet regardless of the fact that you two are married."He gulped before continuing, "And once I found out that Mrs. Silverman wanted you to get divorced as soon as possible, my hopes literally skyrocketed, thinking that I was finally going to get my dream girl. And that's why, I was also saying all those things back at the hotel, to hopefully provoke you enough where you willingly signed the divorce papers. But I can see how stupid I was, and I admit, I was wrong on all counts."Artis, though maintaining a stoic facade, couldn't fully trust Chad's sudden change of heart. "It's always easy to spout flattering words, Chad. But
Scarlet, enduring the unexpected slap from her mother, felt a surge of humiliation and pain, which sent tears streaming down her face. Although her cheek was already wet due to tears; this time, her tears were not because of her rage– rather, they had appeared because of the deep emotional wounds inflicted by her mother.For a few minutes, she was unable to say anything, processing the shock of the slal. But on the other hand, Artis, witnessing Scarlet's vulnerability, could no longer stand by as a silent spectator. His protective instincts kicked into gear, and he finally broke his silence to confront Hena;"Are you in control of your senses or not?! How can you just slap her like this–""Shut up!" Hena glared at him, while seething in anger."She is my daughter, and I can do as I please! Dammit–""Excuse me! You have exploited her enough as it is. Now, she is my wife before she is your daughter, so behave appropriately, do you understand? You better control yourself in front of m