Chapter 2 A Slap In The Face

"Ms. Clarke, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!"

Kaelyn hurried down the stairs, her face a picture of exaggerated concern.

"Maybe you can just toss everything in a bag for now?" she added, hiding her disdain behind a sweet smile. Kaelyn had always looked down on Allison, seeing her as nothing more than a poor country girl who'd shamelessly latched onto Colton for a better life.

Colton frowned in frustration. "You're so clumsy!" he snapped, glancing at the scattered clothes.

Allison's suitcase contained so little - a few clothes and hardly any jewelry.

She hadn't even spent much of the money he had given her over the years. She lived simply, frugally, and it was a reflection of how she had never tried to take advantage of her status.

But love couldn't be forced or faked.

"Melany's luggage takes priority. Just toss Allison's things in a storage bag," Colton added dismissively, eyeing the broken suitcase. "I'll have the housekeeper buy you a new one tomorrow."

Allison gave a faint, bitter smile. "That suitcase was the one I stole from the kidnappers when we were running for our lives. If it hadn't been for it, we would've drowned back then."

For years, she had taken care of that suitcase - just as she had taken care of their marriage. And now, like their relationship, it lay shattered.

Colton let out a cold laugh. "That story might fool my grandfather, but it doesn't work on me."

The memory of being kidnapped as a child was too vague, and he always doubted that Allison had been with him during that time.

Turning to Kaelyn, Colton raised his voice. "Hurry up and pack her things!"

"Yes, sir," Kaelyn eagerly began to gather Allison's clothes, but she deliberately stepped on them, dirtying them in the process.

With a sickly sweet tone, she mocked, "Ms. Clarke, Mr. Stevens' grandmother always says that people are like clothes. Once a person's clothes are stained, it doesn't matter how much you wash; the marks never truly fade."

Allison had always been kind to Kaelyn, even when she didn't have to be.

After all, Kaelyn was a distant relative of Colton's grandmother.

Years ago, when Kaelyn had made a blunder that nearly put the Stevens family at odds with Kellan Lloyd, the eldest son of the Lloyd family, it was Allison who had smoothed the waters. She had negotiated a deal with Kellan, who was paralyzed, securing the critical land for the Stevens' commercial project. Back then, Kaelyn had been grateful, almost humbled. But now, emboldened by the winds of change within the Stevens family, Kaelyn acted as if she had never bent the knee.

It all boiled down to one thing - Colton's grandmother's favor had drifted, and with it, so had the family's attitude.

"If clothes get dirty, you're right," Allison said, her eyes flicking to Colton, "they're impossible to clean completely." She shrugged, a casual finality in her voice. "So, I won't be needing them anymore."

She had never liked those bland, shapeless things anyway. They had never quite suited her.

"But when people mess up," she continued, her voice turning cold and unfamiliar, "they need to face the consequences."

The air in the room shifted. For the first time, Colton looked at Allison as if seeing her through a new lens - her usual softness was now replaced with a sharp edge. Even Kaelyn sensed the change, but she quickly donned an innocent mask, as though slipping into a role she had perfected. "I only serve the Stevens family, Ms. Clarke," Kaelyn said, her voice tinged with sweetness. "And since you're divorced-"

Smack!

Kaelyn never got the chance to finish. Allison's palm cracked across her left cheek with such force that the sound echoed in the room.

Kaelyn's eyes widened in disbelief. "How dare you hit me?"

"Because I felt like it."

"If Mrs. Stevens finds out-"

Smack! Another slap, harder this time, sent Kaelyn stumbling backward. Both her cheeks were now red and swollen, the perfect mirror of each other.

The second blow knocked Kaelyn off her feet, and as she hit the floor, her ankle twisted beneath her. She cried out in real pain, her face a picture of humiliation and fury.

Tears welled up in Kaelyn's eyes, spilling over as she whimpered, "Mr. Stevens, she's gone too far!"

But before Kaelyn could spew more of her complaints, Allison was on her again, her hand gripping Kaelyn's throat as she tore the necklace from around her neck.

"That's for the suitcase and the clothes."

Kaelyn's face flushed crimson as Allison's grip tightened, choking her words into sobs.

"And now, I'm taking back what never belonged to you in the first place."

The necklace was a modest piece - an emerald pendant encircled by diamonds - but it wasn't the value that mattered. The engraving on the back made it unmistakably clear that it was never Kaelyn's to wear.

"You... you're committing assault!" Kaelyn croaked, gasping for air. In her panic, she didn't even notice when her bladder gave way.

As Allison's grip threatened to suffocate her, Kaelyn's mind finally cleared, and she realized with terrifying clarity that Allison wasn't just capable of hurting her - she could kill her if she wanted to.

But Allison, without hesitation or lingering, snapped the necklace chain and walked away, her steps unhurried, as though the encounter was beneath her notice.

Kaelyn scrambled to her feet, desperation clawing at her as she turned to Colton, pleading, "Sir, this is all a misunderstanding, please-"

"Get out!"

Colton's patience snapped as his boot connected with Kaelyn's side, sending her sprawling once again.

The smell of urine, sharp and acrid, hit his nose, and his temper, already at its peak, spilled over.

"The Stevens family doesn't have room for someone with sticky fingers."

Meanwhile, Allison had already stepped out of the villa, her phone in hand, and dialed a familiar number. When the call connected, her voice was calm, almost light. "Rebecca, I'm divorced, and I've moved out of his villa. My house and car are still in Vrining. Mind if I crash at your place for the night?"

On the other end of the line, Rebecca Green went from silence to squealing joy within seconds.

"Holy crap! You finally divorced that idiot! Forget crashing - you're staying over for a party! A single's party!"

Even from a distance, Allison could hear Rebecca's exaggerated laughter bubbling through the phone. "If the folks at Cobweb find out the founder is back, the servers will explode!"