Chapter 123
[ 484 words ]
Chapter 123:
Caroline’s entire body went completely rigid. Her combat instincts flared to life. The muscles in her thighs coiled, preparing to neutralize the threat.
Jarrod’s heavy fingers instantly dug into the soft velvet at her waist. It was a brutal, silent warning. Do not move. Let me handle this.
Harper saw Caroline’s silence. She mistook the tactical restraint for pathetic weakness.
A vicious, triumphant smirk twisted Harper’s face. She stumbled forward, invading Caroline’s personal space. She leaned in, her alcohol-soaked breath hitting Caroline’s cheek.
“A piece of trash like you will only last a few days in his bed,” Harper whispered, her voice dripping with pure venom. “Marriage certificate or not, once he gets bored of fucking you, he is going to throw you out into the garbage exactly where you belong.”
The insult hit Caroline’s eardrums. The ice in her veins shattered.
T𝗁e m𝗼s𝗍 𝗉𝗼𝗽ulа𝗋 ոо𝗏𝗲𝘭s оn 𝘨𝘢l𝗻о𝗏𝘦𝗅𝗌.c𝘰𝗺
She did not wait for Jarrod’s protection. She violently twisted her torso, breaking Jarrod’s iron grip on her waist. She took one aggressive step forward, closing the distance until she was inches from Harper’s face.
“Miss Romero,” Caroline stated. Her voice was not a scream. It was a clear, terrifyingly calm declaration that cut through the air like a surgical blade. “You seem to suffer from a massive, delusional misunderstanding regarding the permanence of this situation.”
Harper blinked, completely thrown off balance by the sudden shift in power.
Caroline tilted her chin up. Her gray eyes locked onto Harper with absolute, lethal authority.
“My position as Mrs. Romero is not a negotiation, and it is certainly not a temporary distraction,” Caroline announced, projecting her voice so every eavesdropping guest could hear. “Since you find the reality so difficult to digest, perhaps a visual reminder will help sharpen your memory.”
Caroline did not waste a single breath arguing. She opened her velvet clutch. She pulled out her phone, her fingers flying rapidly across the screen as she opened a secure file. She didn’t need to hack a database; Jarrod was a man who planned for every contingency.
“Since the military protocols were so efficiently handled,” she explained coolly, “I suggest you familiarize yourself with the names on this document.”
She pulled up the official document and shoved the glowing screen directly into Harper’s face.
“Read it,” Caroline commanded.
Harper stared at the screen. Her pupils dilated in absolute horror as she saw the weight of the Romero name formally attached to the woman she despised.
Right there, in undeniable black text, were the names Caroline Thompson and Jarrod Romero, printed side by side above the bright red official seal of the District Court.
The blood completely drained from Harper’s face. Her fingers went numb.
The crystal champagne flute slipped from her hand. It hit the solid marble floor and shattered into a hundred jagged pieces. The sharp, violent crash echoed loudly across the quiet hall.
The sound acted like a physical magnet. Every remaining guest in the vicinity stopped breathing and stared directly at the confrontation.
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