Chapter 9 Judgment, Jabs, and Credit Card Fraud

CHAPTER 9

ROSE'S POV

I descended the staircase slowly, smoothing my dress nervously as I approached the dining room. My mind was still reeling from earlier, my encounter with Evelyn Sterling a blur of sharp words and icy stares.

As I reached the bottom step, hushed whispers floated toward me from the partially open door.

"You have to trust me on this, Mother," Damien said, his voice low and firm. "I love her."

My heart skipped a beat.

What?

For a split second, something warm and unfamiliar rushed through me. Then reality crashed in like a tidal wave.

No, no, no. He's lying, Rose. It's just for the deal. Stop being ridiculous.

I shook my head, pushing away the ridiculous thought as I adjusted my dress one last time and stepped into the dining room.

Damien and Evelyn immediately turned to look at me. Evelyn's sharp eyes scanned me critically, while Damien gave me a small, reassuring smile.

"There you are," Evelyn said, her tone neutral but her gaze anything but.

"Good morning," I said politely, forcing a small smile as I sat down. My hands fidgeted in my lap, nerves twisting my stomach into knots.

The maids moved efficiently around us, setting the table with dishes I couldn't even begin to name. The aroma was mouthwatering, but my appetite was nonexistent.

As the maids stepped back, Evelyn turned to me. "Would you like to say grace, Rose?"

"Of course," I said quickly, folding my hands and bowing my head.

My voice trembled slightly as I recited a short, simple prayer. When I finished, Evelyn nodded approvingly.

"Let's eat," she said briskly, picking up her utensils.

I followed suit, trying to calm my nerves as I took a small bite. The food was incredible-far better than anything I could've made.

A pang of regret hit me as I remembered my failed attempt to prepare Damien's mother's favorite dish the previous night. I really should've asked the head chef for help yesterday. Instead, I'd wasted precious time, and now I felt utterly unprepared.

The tension at the table was thick enough to cut with a knife. I focused on my plate, desperately trying not to embarrass myself further.

The sudden sound of footsteps and the dining room door bursting open made me jump.

"Hello, motherfuckers!"

I turned to see a stunningly beautiful woman sauntering into the room. She was tall and striking, with wavy auburn hair cascading down her back and piercing green eyes that seemed to gleam with mischief.

"Language, Diana," Evelyn said sharply, though her tone softened as Diana approached her.

Diana grinned, leaning down to kiss Evelyn on both cheeks. "My beautiful, beautiful mother," she cooed, her voice dripping with affection.

Diana Sterling

Then she turned to Damien, giving him a playful peck on the cheek. "Hello, dear brother."

Damien's jaw tightened as he checked his phone, his expression darkening. "Why am I getting a $500,000 debit alert, Diana?" he asked coldly.

My fork clattered against my plate as I choked on my food.

$500,000?

Diana turned to me, her lips quirking into an amused smile. "Is this the fiancée?"

I couldn't find my voice. Her presence was overwhelming, her confidence practically radiating off her in waves. She was gorgeous, with an aura of effortless charm that made me feel incredibly out of place.

"I-uh, yes," I stammered, my cheeks heating as I fumbled for a response.

"Well, aren't you adorable?" Diana said, her smile widening.

Damien groaned, rubbing his temples. "Diana. Answer the question."

"What question?" she asked innocently, plopping down into an empty chair and pouring herself a glass of wine.

"The $500,000 question," he bit out.

"Oh, that question," she said, waving a hand dismissively. "Relax, Damien. It's just a little shopping spree. Nothing to get worked up over."

"A shopping spree?" Damien repeated, his voice dangerously low. "Do you have any idea how irresponsible that is?"

"Do you have any idea how boring you sound right now?" Diana shot back, taking a sip of her wine.

Evelyn sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Diana, you can't just waltz in here, cause chaos, and expect everything to be fine."

"I'm not causing chaos, Mother," Diana said sweetly. "I'm just... enhancing the atmosphere."

I bit my lip, trying to suppress a nervous laugh.

Damien, however, looked far from amused. He glared at Diana, his fingers drumming against the table.

"You need to take responsibility for your actions," he said sternly.

"And you need to loosen up," Diana retorted, flashing him a cheeky grin.

Before Damien could respond, Diana turned her attention back to me. "So, Rose, tell me-how on earth did my dear brother manage to land someone like you?"

I blinked, caught off guard by the question. "Uh, well, I-"

"She's not a topic for your games, Diana," Damien interrupted, his tone sharp.

Diana raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Oh, protective, are we? How sweet."

"Diana," Evelyn said warningly.

"Fine, fine," Diana said, throwing up her hands in mock surrender. "I'll behave."

For the rest of the meal, Diana kept her comments to a minimum, though her amused glances in my direction didn't go unnoticed. I couldn't help but feel like I was being sized up, evaluated in some way.

By the time the meal ended, I was exhausted. Between Evelyn's scrutiny and Diana's playful jabs, I felt like I'd been through an emotional rollercoaster.

As the maids cleared the table, Diana stood up, stretching lazily. "Well, this has been fun," she said with a grin. "We'll have to do it again sometime."

Damien shot her a look that clearly said otherwise, but she ignored him, turning to me with a wink. "Good luck, Rose. You'll need it."

Diana's words were light, but her smirk carried the weight of a hundred hidden meanings. My lips quirked upward despite myself, unsure whether to take her comment as encouragement or a warning.

"Thank you," I murmured, offering her a polite smile.

Diana raised an eyebrow and turned back toward Damien, clearly not done with her chaos for the day.

"Honestly, Damien," she began, lounging back in her chair dramatically, "how are you still this uptight? What happened to the brother who used to sneak out of family dinners with me and bribe the chef to send us cake in the garden?"

Damien pinched the bridge of his nose. "That brother grew up and learned how to manage his money instead of squandering it on frivolous things, like you."

"Frivolous?" Diana gasped, clutching her chest in mock outrage. "I am a Sterling, Damien. Everything I do is art, not frivolity."

The sudden image of Diana dramatically arguing her way through a fashion boutique popped into my head, and I couldn't stop the laugh that burst out of me.

"You think it's funny?" Diana asked, swiveling to face me with an exaggerated pout.

"Uh-" I began, but before I could explain, Evelyn cleared her throat.

The sound was subtle, yet sharp as a knife. It cut through my amusement instantly, and I snapped my mouth shut, feeling like a child caught misbehaving.

Diana, however, was undeterred. "Mother, don't look at her like that. You're scaring the poor girl."

Evelyn didn't respond. She didn't have to. The icy look in her eyes spoke volumes.

Diana seemed unfazed, leaning back in her chair with a sly grin. "You know, Rose," she said, her tone shifting to something softer, almost conspiratorial, "you really shouldn't take my brother too seriously. He's insufferable about 90% of the time. The other 10%, he's tolerable, but only just."

"I can hear you, Diana," Damien said flatly.

"Oh, I know," she replied cheerfully.

I bit my lip, trying to suppress another laugh, but it was impossible. The combination of Damien's deadpan tone and Diana's over-the-top antics was just too much.

"You shouldn't encourage her," Damien said, turning to me with an exasperated look.

"Encourage me!" Diana echoed, her grin widening. "Rose, I like you already. You're fun."

"Thank you," I said, unsure how else to respond.

Diana stood abruptly, walking over to Damien. "Speaking of fun," she said, draping an arm around his shoulders, "we really need to do something about your wardrobe. You've been wearing the same boring suits for years. Let me take you shopping. I promise I won't spend more than-oh, I don't know-a million dollars."

Damien rolled his eyes. "I'm not giving you another cent, Diana."

"Don't be so dramatic," she said, patting his chest affectionately. "You'll barely notice it's gone."

As she hugged him, whispering something I couldn't quite hear, I noticed her hand slipping into his pocket.

"Are you...?" I began, my eyes widening as I realized what she was doing.

Diana shot me a wink, pulling out a sleek black credit card and slipping it into her purse with practiced ease.

I clapped a hand over my mouth, trying and failing to stifle the laugh that bubbled up.

"What's so funny?" Damien asked, turning to me with a puzzled look.

"Nothing," I said quickly, though my shoulders shook with barely contained laughter.

Diana straightened up, looking utterly unbothered as she adjusted her purse strap. "Well, this has been lovely," she said, flashing me a dazzling smile. "Rose, you're a delight. We'll have to hang out sometime-just the two of us. I feel like we'd have so much fun."

"Uh, sure," I said hesitantly, unsure whether to feel flattered or terrified.

"I mean it," Diana said, winking at me again. "You're the first person in this house who hasn't bored me to tears in years. Keep it up."

With that, she strutted toward the door, pausing only to blow a kiss to Evelyn and toss a sarcastic, "Bye, Damien!" over her shoulder.

As soon as the door closed behind her, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I burst into laughter, doubling over as tears pricked the corners of my eyes.

"What's so funny?" Damien demanded, his tone a mix of annoyance and confusion.

I shook my head, gasping for breath. "She-she stole your credit card!"

Damien froze, his eyes narrowing. "She what?"

"She stole your credit card," I repeated, laughing even harder at the look on his face.

Evelyn sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know why you let her get away with this nonsense, Damien. You're too soft on her."

"I'm not soft," he muttered, pulling out his phone. "I'm canceling the card right now."

"She'll just find another one," Evelyn said dryly.

I finally managed to calm down, wiping tears from my eyes as I looked at Damien. "You know, for someone so smart, you really should've seen that coming."

He shot me a glare, but there was no real heat behind it. "You're enjoying this far too much."

"Maybe a little," I admitted, grinning.

Evelyn stood, brushing nonexistent crumbs from her lap. "I'll be in the sitting room," she said, her tone clipped. "Do try to keep things under control, Damien."

"Of course, Mother," Damien said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

She gave him one last stern look before leaving the room, her heels clicking against the marble floor.

As soon as she was gone, Damien slumped back in his chair, running a hand through his hair.

"Does she always cause this much chaos?" I asked, still smiling.

"Always," he said with a sigh. "And she enjoys every second of it."

"I can see why," I said. "She's... a lot, but in a good way."

"She's exhausting," Damien corrected, though there was a hint of fondness in his tone.

"Well," I said, standing up, "I think I'm going to need some fresh air after all that."