Chapter 199

Sophie’s POV
“YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT!” I screamed, watching my pathetic excuse for a sister writhing on the floor in pain. Her arm hung at an awkward angle, clearly dislocated. Served her right. “What the hell did you do at the jewelry season opening?”
I’d been lounging in my bedroom, enjoying a rare moment of peace when all hell broke loose in our rented apartment. Now Ivy was sprawled on the floor like trash while Blackwood’s security goons ransacked our place.
“Sophie, help me!” Ivy crawled toward me like some desperate animal, her makeup smeared across her face.
I jumped back instantly. “Don’t you DARE touch me!” The last thing I needed was her grabbing onto my designer skirt with those grubby hands.
The security team’s leader, a stone-faced man in a black suit, barely spared me a glance. “Mr. Blackwood has instructed us to escort both of you out of New York. Immediately.”
“What?” I forced my most innocent expression. “There must be some mistake. Why would Ryan want ME to leave? What does this have to do with me?”
The security team ignored my performance, bulldozing into our bedrooms and throwing our belongings into suitcases with zero regard for organization. My designer clothes were being manhandled like cheap rags!
“Wait! Those are Chanel!” I protested as a hulking guard stuffed my blouses into a bag.
“Take your things and leave New York,” the leader repeated, dropping the hastily packed suitcases at our feet. “Mr. Blackwood was very clear.”
Ivy started trembling, her eyes burning with hatred. “Who the fuck does he think he is? Does he own New York now? He’s already thrown me out once—why again?”
I stepped away from my sister, seeing my chance for a clean break from this disaster. “Look,” I said sweetly to the security leader, “I have absolutely no idea what my sister has done. Ryan already asked me to leave the company, but surely he wouldn’t be so cruel as to banish me from the entire city?”
Ivy’s head snapped toward me, her mouth hanging open. “Sophie, what the hell? You HELPED me get into that jewelry event! You gave me your invitation!”
I narrowed my eyes, my voice ice-cold. “Don’t drag me into your mess. I haven’t left this apartment in days. Whatever stupid stunt you pulled, you did it on your own.”
“Looking at your state,” I added with a disgusted glance at her disheveled appearance, “you clearly fucked up spectacularly. If Ryan wants you gone, then LEAVE. As of now, I don’t have a sister anymore.”
The shock on Ivy’s face quickly morphed into pure hatred. With a shriek, she lunged at me. “You backstabbing BITCH!”
Ivy screamed, yanking a fistful of my hair.”You never deserved to be my sister!”
I slapped her across the face, hard enough to leave a red mark. “And you never deserved ANYTHING I gave you! Ungrateful little parasite!”
Suddenly, someone knocked on a nearby table. We both froze mid-fight, looking up to see Serena standing there with a small, satisfied smile.
“Don’t stop on my account, ladies. This is quite the show.”
Ivy immediately broke free from my grip and lunged toward Serena, her face contorted with rage. “You home-wrecking BITCH! You dare show up here?”
Before she could reach Serena, one of the guards intercepted her. With a simple twist and push, he dislocated Ivy’s arm. Her scream was piercing.
I seized the opportunity to fix my appearance, smoothing down my blouse and attempting to tame my hair. Even in this humiliating situation, I refused to look defeated in front of Serena Quinn.
“What do you want?” I spat. “If you think you can force me out of New York, you’re mistaken. Unless Ryan tells me to my face, I’m not going anywhere. You mean NOTHING to me.”
Serena ignored my question completely, calmly taking a seat as if she owned the place. Her eyes fixed on Ivy.
“I have a simple question, Ivy. Was today’s little stunt entirely your idea? Or did someone else help you plan it?”
Ivy clutched her injured arm, her face pale with pain but her eyes still burning with hatred.
“What’s the point of asking? You’ve won, haven’t you? You’ve bewitched Ryan and stolen him from us. Are you here to gloat over your victory?”
Serena’s smile disappeared, replaced by an icy coldness that even made me shiver.
“Ivy Hart, have you already forgotten everything you’ve done? When my life was in danger, you answered my desperate call for help, and if I hadn’t been lucky, I’d be nothing but a ghost now.”
She turned to face me. “And you’ve been letting your sister use your name to seduce Ryan. Did you know about that, Sophie?”
My blood ran cold. I grabbed Ivy by her collar with such force that she winced in pain. “You did WHAT? You tried to sleep with Ryan using MY name?”
Ivy spat in my face, literally spat. “Oh, like you’re so innocent? When Ryan failed to become CEO years ago, you faked your own death and ran off to marry some rich old man overseas! Have you forgotten THAT, dear sister?”
I felt my face drain of color. “Shut your filthy mouth! That’s not true!”
“Don’t pretend with me!” Ivy screamed. “I’m your sister! I know EXACTLY who you are!”
Serena let out a soft laugh. “Faking your death? Marrying a rich old man? This is fascinating.” She nodded to one of her guards, who moved to separate us. “Ivy, why don’t you elaborate? If you tell me everything, I’ll have someone fix that arm for you.”
I tried to intimidate Ivy with my fiercest glare. “Don’t you dare say another word!”
But Ivy was beyond caring. Her eyes gleamed with malice as she stared back at me.
“You abandoned me, Sophie. You threw me under the bus. So why should I protect your secrets anymore?”
She turned to Serena with a twisted smile that promised nothing but destruction—for both of us.
“You want the truth about Sophie Hart? Let me tell you EVERYTHING