The Billionaire's Dangerous Redemption (by Claire Winters) novel Chapter 11

11 The Victor’s Smile

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I watched as Alistair scooped Ivy into his arms and rushed out of my office, her blood–stained hand hanging limply over his arm. The door slammed behind them, leaving me in deafening silence.

My legs finally gave out. I collapsed into my chair, trembling hands covering my face. No tears came. Just emptiness and a hollow ache spreading through my chest.

The office phone rang, startling me. My assistant’s concerned voice filtered through.

“Ms. Shaw? Is everything alright? I saw Mr. Everett rushing out with-”

“I’m fine,” I cut her off, my voice steadier than I felt. “Hold my calls for the next hour.”

I hung up before she could respond and pulled my laptop closer. Work. I needed to lose myself

in work.

For the next three hours, I buried myself in design sketches and fabric swatches, forcing my brain to focus on hemlines and color palettes instead of blood–stained lips and accusing eyes.

My phone vibrated aggressively against the desk. Father. I stared at his name flashing on the screen, considering ignoring it. On the fourth ring, I picked up.

“What have you done?” His voice exploded through the speaker before I could even say hello.

“Hello to you too, Father.”

“Don’t get smart with me!” he shouted. “Ivy is in the hospital! They had to give her a transfusion!”

I gripped the phone tighter. “I didn’t touch her.”

“That’s not what Alistair said. He told me everything–how you shoved her to the ground in a jealous rage!”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “Of course that’s what he said.”

“This isn’t funny, Hazel! Your sister could have died!”

“Step–sister,” I corrected automatically. “And I have security cameras in my office. Would you like to see the footage of what actually happened?”

He dismissed this with an impatient grunt. “It doesn’t matter what happened. She’s dying, Hazel. Dying! Could you show some basic human decency?”

The familiar pressure built behind my eyes. Always the same. No matter what Ivy did, I was always painted as the villain.

“What do you want from me?” I asked, suddenly exhausted.

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11 The Victor’s Smile

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“I want you to apologize to your sister. And…” He paused. “They’re moving the wedding up. This Friday.”

My fingers tightened around the phone. Three days from now.

“The doctors say she doesn’t have much time left,” he continued. “They want to make sure she gets her final wish.”

“And what does this have to do with me?”

“Ivy still wants you there. As the officiant.””

I nearly dropped the phone. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m dead serious. She wants you to be the one to marry them.”

The cruelty of the request stole my breath. It wasn’t enough that she’d taken my fiancé, my wedding dress–now she wanted me to personally hand him to her.

“No,” I whispered. “I won’t do it.”

“Damn it, Hazel!” His voice rose again. “Why must you always be so difficult? She’s dying!”

“So you keep reminding me.” My voice hardened. “But dying doesn’t give her the right to torture

me.”

“It’s just one day. One hour, really.” His tone shifted, becoming wheedling. “Do this one thing for your family.”

Family. The word tasted bitter on my tongue.

Then, an idea formed. “You want me to do something for family? Fine. I want something in

return.”

“What?” His voice was immediately suspicious.

“Mom’s shares in Shaw Designs.”

Silence stretched between us.

“Those shares belong to the family,” he finally said.

“They belonged to Mom. And she wanted me to have them.” I pressed harder. “You’ve kept them from me for years.”

“You’re blackmailing me? Using your dying sister’s wish as leverage?”

“Just using the situation to my advantage. Isn’t that what you taught me?”

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