Ivy let out a cold laugh. “Don’t you still have a son? What could possibly be so terrible that even he can’t handle it?”
The mention of her son only made Rosetta more agitated. “It’s about your brother! Lauren Miller wants to break up, but your brother refuses to let her go. In a fit of rage, he locked her in the house–and then he… he forced himself on her. The Miller family was furious. They called the police, accused your brother of kidnapping and rape! Last night, during a torrential storm, the police showed up at our door and took him away…”
Ivy stared at her, stunned.
Was this really the end of the Windsor family’s good fortune?
Baillie Windsor had gone and destroyed himself.
Try as she might, Ivy couldn’t hide the flicker of satisfaction in her heart. She blinked in shock, then allowed herself a faint, ironic smile. “But what’s that got to do with me? Shouldn’t you be begging the Millers for help?”
“We already tried. They refuse to see us, and their lawyer made it clear–they want your brother in prison. They want his life ruined forever.”
Rosetta’s words broke into sobs as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I must have
done something terrible in a past life. Why else would I have such bad luck? First you, then Emma, and now your brother’s been arrested- Ivy, can’t you feel a little pity for your mother? Go talk to Jamison. If the Ludwig family mediates, your brother might still have a chance.”
Suddenly, Ivy understood. They wanted her to beg the Ludwigs for help.
“You’re delusional,” she replied flatly. “You want to parade your dirty laundry through the whole city?”
“It’s not as if we could keep it a secret, even if we wanted to,” Rosetta shot back, voice shaking.
After all, Baillie had already been arrested. Bad news traveled fast, especially among their social circle. Right now, everyone was laughing at the Windsors behind their backs.
As the conversation grew heated, Adkins Windsor–who’d been sitting in the back of the luxury sedan parked nearby–finally couldn’t restrain himself. He shoved open the car door and strode toward them.
17:04
Ivy glanced his way, her expression growing even colder,
“Ivy, after all, we raised you,” Adkins began, already slipping into guilt–tripping without preamble. “Maybe we didn’t treat you so well these past three years, but what about the twenty years before that? We gave you everything, cherished you, poured our hearts into your upbringing–made you who you are. Or have you forgotten all that?”
Ivy’s face was granite, her mind swirling with a thousand retorts.
But Adkins wasn’t finished. Leaning in through the driver’s window, he let his anger pour out. “I’ll be blunt. This family was just fine–until you came back. Ever since then, it’s been chaos. Not a single day of peace.
Emma getting arrested, well, she’s only got herself to blame. But your brother… If Emma hadn’t gotten herself into trouble, the Millers wouldn’t have forced Lauren to break up with him. He wouldn’t have lost control and made such a terrible mistake. Now Emma and your brother are both behind bars. This family–once so perfect–is falling apart. And you don’t feel the slightest bit responsible? Not a shred of guilt?” Ivy drew a slow, steadying breath. She reminded herself these people weren’t worth getting angry over–not at the cost of her own health.
But since things had come to this, she couldn’t help but lay out the truth, point by point. “If you want to talk about blame, let’s start with the facts. First: when I was kidnapped all those years ago, it was Emma who conspired with the traffickers. Maybe there wasn’t enough evidence to convict her, but that doesn’t erase what she did. She deserved every bit of what’s come to her.
Second: when I barely escaped with my life and came home, all of you treated me with nothing but coldness, suspicion, and hostility. I told you Emma was involved, and instead of believing me, you accused me of lying, of stirring up trouble. You closed ranks against me, spread rumors, and in the end, you threw me out of my own home. Tell me–was that not your fault?
Third: to cover her tracks and secure her place as ‘Miss Windsor,‘ Emma even hired someone to have me killed. If I hadn’t been lucky enough to survive, you wouldn’t even have the chance to stand here and scold me now. But even then, you chose to protect her, and once again, turned on me.”
