Hailey’s face was a mask of fury as she tried to call Clara.
ngent to voicemail.
The phone rang and rang, but no one picked up. Finally, it
“Damn it, damn it!” Hailey screamed, losing control right there
She’d always seen Clara as a spineless pushover she could wall
at the most critical moment..
What was she going to do? If she couldn’t get the money…
the sidewalk.
all over. She never imagined the bitch would screw her over
All the evidence of her crimes would be exposed. By then, it would
too late.
The perfect facade she had spent years building for Clara’s father, brother, and Zane would be shattered.
After forcing herself to calm down, she called a cab to the hospital.
She had to show up for her so–called final round of chemotherapy.
Before long, Clara’s father and brother, Ethan, walked into the hospital room.
Hailey, pretending nothing was wrong, greeted them with a smile.
“Dad, Ethan, you’re here!”
“Hailey? Why are you out of bed? You need to lie down and rest.”
Clara’s father fussed over her as usual, but then he scanned the room and frowned.
“Hmm, where’s Clara?”
A jolt of panic shot through Hailey, but she quickly forced a sweet smile. “Oh, she’s not here, Dad.”
“Clara handed the studio and the publishing rights over to me. She was probably feeling a bit overwhelmed and decided to
take a vacation.”
“Did you need her for something?”
Ethan scowled. “What’s her problem now? Is she seriously throwing a tantrum over this?”
“We asked her to prepare the handover documents for the studio, and she still hasn’t sent them.”
“And she’s not answering her phone. This is getting ridiculous.”
Clara’s father sighed “That girl… why is she still so willful? I’ll give her a call.”
He put the phone to his ear, but the call went straight to a cold, automated message: the number was no longer in service.
“She’s not even picking up. It’s getting out of hand.”
Clara’s father sighed again. “I don’t know what she’s so upset about.”
“But since she agreed to it herself, she can’t back out now.”
Ethan, fuming, pulled out his own phone to text Clara.
Hailey watched them, a flicker of triumph in her eyes as a wave of secret delight washed over her.
/
See, Clara? This is what I wanted. You can hate me with every fiber of your being, but I’m still the one who’s doing just fine.
So what if your novels and studio aren’t in my name yet? The people who matter most will always be on my sides
But for some reason, Hailey couldn’t shake the feeling that their attitude toward her had subtly changed.
