Chapter 7 Sweet Revenge

Scarlett's POV

Dawn was breaking as I walked back home, my mind still processing Jack's betrayal. The cool morning air did little to calm my fury. As I approached our house, anguished cries reached my ears, jolting me from my thoughts. I broke into a sprint, just in time to see several cars speeding away, their engines roaring with arrogance.

My heart sank at the sight that greeted me. Our front door had been smashed in, creating two gaping holes. The walls were defaced with crude insults in bright spray paint. Inside, my parents and Emma sat huddled on the floor, covered in rotten eggs, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Scarlett, you're a curse on this family!" Dad wailed, his face contorted with rage beneath the dripping egg yolk. "If you hadn't insisted on marrying Jack, we wouldn't be getting attacked online, and these 'justice warriors' wouldn't have come to teach us a lesson!"

He gestured wildly at the destruction around us. "People recognize us everywhere now. How are we supposed to live like this?"

Mom joined in with her own lament: "Dear God, what kind of life is this?"

I surveyed the damage with clinical detachment. "I'll handle this."

Emma shoved me hard. "How exactly are you going to fix this? We're being destroyed online!"

"Some of what's being said online is true," I pointed out coldly. "Weren't you all looking down on Jack before? Always calling him 'that poor boy'?"

Mom immediately shifted to protect Emma. "Why are you attacking your sister? When you trace this back, you're the one who brought this disaster on our family! We can't stay in Maple Creek anymore. So tell us, where are we supposed to live now?"

I sighed, already formulating a plan. "Pack your things. You're all coming with me to New York."

By mid-morning, we had relocated to my apartment in Old Brooklyn. I watched with faint amusement as my family inspected their new surroundings with obvious disappointment.

"This place is tiny," Mom complained, wrinkling her nose. "And this neighborhood is so... ordinary."

"Mom, real estate in New York is expensive," I explained patiently. "I run a small pharmacy that barely covers the rent, supports all of you, pays for Emma's tuition, and handles our daily expenses. This is the best I can do."

Mom frowned at the layout. "There are only two bedrooms. How are we all supposed to fit?"

Emma immediately jumped in: "I'm not sharing a room with you!"

"Don't worry," I assured her, already heading for the door. "No one's sharing with you. I'll stay at the pharmacy."

Before leaving, I placed an envelope on the kitchen counter. "Here's this month's living expenses. Let me know if you need more."

The atmosphere instantly shifted. Their complaints faded as they eagerly counted the cash inside, their faces brightening with dollar signs.

That afternoon, I walked alone through the streets of New York, my expression hardening with each step. I'd learned through my connections that Jack was attending his "welcome to the family" celebration at the Crown Hotel—one of New York's most exclusive establishments.

Perfect.

The Crown Hotel towered above me, its glass facade reflecting the afternoon sun. Even the doormen wore suits worth more than most people's monthly salary. I assessed the security—tight, but nothing I hadn't handled before.

Within twenty minutes, I'd hacked into their employee database, created a temporary badge, and slipped into a service entrance. Five minutes after that, I emerged from a staff changing room dressed in a hotel uniform, pushing a cart with a steaming bowl of ginseng soup.

I positioned myself near the presidential suite, monitoring the comings and goings. When Jack stepped out to take a phone call and headed toward the restroom, I followed at a discrete distance.

"Yes, I'm a Rothschild now," I overheard him boasting into his phone. "The whole family has welcomed me back. My father Derek is going to help me get into the family business..."

I waited until he emerged, then stepped forward with a smile that didn't reach my eyes.

"Well, if it isn't the high-and-mighty heir," I called out sweetly. "Your small-town girl has come to pay her respects."

Jack froze, his face draining of color. "S-Scarlett? How did you get in here?"

When he recovered from his shock, he tried to intimidate me. "You'd better back off. The Rothschilds have rented this entire floor. There are dozens of top-tier security guards out there. Touch me, and you won't leave here alive!"

I just smiled. And then I acted.

The scalding ginseng soup went straight into his face. Before he could scream, I stuffed his mouth with my cap and kicked his legs out from under him. Dragging his struggling form into a bathroom stall, I unleashed years of combat training, my movements precise and devastating.

When I finally stopped, Jack had ceased fighting back. He nodded frantically at my instructions.

"Remember this lesson well," I warned him, my voice deadly calm. "Don't think joining a wealthy family puts you beyond my reach. Clear up those online rumors immediately. If you ever cause trouble for me again, you'll learn what the Shadow Group is truly capable of."

Satisfied with his terrified nodding, I straightened my uniform and walked out. I was almost at the elevator when I heard Jack crawl out of the bathroom behind me.

"Help!" he screamed. "Someone stop her!"

Instantly, black-suited security personnel emerged from everywhere, forming a tight circle around me. I assessed my options, body automatically shifting into combat stance.

As I prepared to fight my way out, the suite doors opened. A distinguished older couple emerged—the man slightly overweight with graying hair, the woman immaculately dressed with calculating eyes.

Derek and Catherine Rothschild. Gabriel's older brother and his wife.

And apparently, Jack's biological parents.

This complicated things significantly. To them, I wasn't Scarlett Ross but Victoria Langley, Gabriel's runaway fiancée. If they recognized me now, my mistaken identity would be exposed in the worst possible context—surrounded by security and connected to an incident with their son. The situation had suddenly become dangerous.