The Billionaire's Dangerous Redemption (by Claire Winters) novel Chapter 6
Chapter 6: My Wedding, Her Day
The chaos of firecrackers and sprinklers had turned the hospital wing into a disaster zone. Nurses rushed into Ivy’s flooded room, expressions alternating between concern and poorly disguised amusement as they surveyed the drenched occupants.
“She did this!” Tanya shrieked, pointing a dripping finger at me. Her mascara ran in black rivers down her cheeks. “Arrest her immediately!”
The security guard who’d appeared looked uncertain. “Ma’am, we need to move the patient first—”
“I don’t care! That woman just attacked my daughter!” Tanya’s voice rose to a pitch that made everyone wince.
The doctor who hurried in took one look at the situation and took charge. “This patient needs to be moved. Now.” He turned to my stepmother. “Mrs. Turner, please step aside and let us do our job.”
I leaned against the doorframe, watching the spectacle with cold satisfaction. Ivy’s hospital gown clung to her thin frame as nurses quickly disconnected her IV and monitors. For a woman supposedly at death’s door, she had remarkable energy for cursing and demanding I be punished.
“Miss, you’ll need to leave the premises,” a security guard told me firmly.
I smiled sweetly. “Of course. I just need to speak with my sister once she’s settled. Family matters.”
1
He looked skeptical but was too busy with the evacuation to argue further.
I followed at a distance as they wheeled Ivy to a dry room down the hall, Alistair and my family trailing behind like wet, miserable puppies. The jewelry box I’d brought sat forgotten on the wet floor of the original room. I picked it up and tucked it back into my purse.
Twenty minutes later, Ivy was installed in a new room, hooked up to fresh machines. Her hair hung in wet strands around her face, making her look genuinely ill for once.
I entered without knocking.
“You psychopath!” Ivy hissed when she saw me. “You could have killed me!”
“With firecrackers?” I raised an eyebrow. “Please. They weren’t even the dangerous kind.”
Alistair stepped forward, water still dripping from his expensive shirt. “Hazel, that was completely inappropriate. If you’ve come to apologize—”
“Apologize?” I laughed, the sound sharp enough to make him flinch. “I’ve come to deliver what you paid for.”
I pulled out the jewelry box and placed it on Ivy’s bed tray. “Your two million dollar purchase. Enjoy.”
Ivy stared at the box, then back at me. Something shifted in her expression – the mask of the dying victim fell away, revealing the calculating creature beneath. “Thank you, sister dear. How thoughtful of you to hand-deliver it.”
“I wouldn’t miss this moment for the world.” I smiled, all teeth and no warmth. “Congratulations on getting your dying wish. You’ve always wanted what was mine, and now you have it – my fiancé, my jewelry…” I gestured to Alistair, who had the decency to look ashamed.
“Hazel, that’s not fair,” Ivy’s voice turned soft, practiced in its fragility. “I never wanted to hurt you. It just… happened. When the doctors told me I had months to live, Alistair was so kind to me—”
“Save the performance,” I cut her off. “We both know exactly what you are.”
My father and Tanya burst into the room, having changed into dry clothes from somewhere. Harold’s face was thunderous.
“How dare you show your face here after what you did!” he bellowed.
I turned to face him, unflinching. “Hello to you too, Dad. I was just delivering the wedding jewelry, as promised.”
“You could be arrested for that stunt!” Tanya spat.
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The readers' comments on the novel: The Billionaire's Dangerous Redemption (by Claire Winters)
This had the potential to be a really good read, unfortunately it is inconsistently contradictory and all over the place....