---- Chapter 7 Jeanette was waiting for them in the grand foyer. Her eyes, full of undisguised hatred, locked onto Ember. She ignored Ember completely, linking her arms through Julian' s and Estelle' s. "Brother! Stel! ' m so glad you' re here!" she gushed, pointedly turning her back on Ember. "Jeanette, be nice," Julian chided weakly, but made no move to include Ember in the family reunion. "Estelle will be staying in the room next to yours, Ember," Julian announced. "Just until the wedding." "That's fine," Ember said, her voice distant. "It has nothing to do with me." Before the awkward silence could grow, a butler appeared. "Mr. Carlo Copeland would like to see you in his study, Miss Tucker." Ember followed the butler down a long, wood-paneled hall. Carlo Copeland, Julian' s father, sat behind a massive mahogany desk. He was a cold, pragmatic man who valued the Copeland empire above all else. "Ember," he said, his voice devoid of warmth. "The family is ---- grateful for what you did for Julian. You saved our heir." He slid a black velvet box across the desk. "This is a small token of our appreciation." Ember didn't open it. "| don' t want it, Mr. Copeland." He raised an eyebrow. "There is one thing | want, though," Ember continued, her voice gaining strength. "It's a request." She looked him straight in the eye. "l am not going to marry Julian. On the day of the wedding, | will be leaving the country. For good." Carlo' s composure finally cracked. He looked genuinely surprised. "| want your promise," Ember said, pressing her advantage. "| want you to promise that you will not let Julian look for me. Let him believe | vanished. Let him have his life with Estelle. It 's what he wants." Her heart was a steady, resolute drum in her chest. This was it. The final cut. Carlo studied her for a long moment, his shrewd businessman s mind calculating the angles. A quiet, clean break was better than a messy, public divorce down the line. "Are you certain?" he asked. ---- "Yes," Ember said, her voice unshakable. She left the study feeling lighter than she had in years. It was past lunchtime, and the house was quiet. Julian had already left for the office. She found Estelle and Jeanette in the conservatory, laughing over tea "Look who it is," Jeanette sneered as Ember approached. "Finally decided to show your ugly, scarred face?" Ember ignored her and walked past. Jeanette jumped up, blocking her path. "Don't you walk away from me! You' re just a low-class tramp who got lucky. You' re a nobody. A freak!" She gestured wildly, knocking a heavy ceramic vase off its pedestal. It shattered on the floor, and a sharp piece of porcelain flew up, slicing a thin, bloody line across Ember' s arm. "You' re a bastard, you know that?" Jeanette screamed, her face contorted with rage. "Everyone knows your mother was a homewrecker, and you' re just the same! A worthless nobody!" Ember' s hand flew up, the crack of her palm against Jeanette' s cheek echoing in the sudden silence. "Lam the future Mrs. Copeland," Ember said, her voice low and cold, her eyes burning with a fire Jeanette had never seen before. "And you will show me respect." ---- Jeanette, stunned, tried to swing back, but Ember pushed her away. Estelle rushed forward, playing the peacemaker. "Please, stop! Don' t fight!" she cried, positioning herself perfectly between them. Enraged, Jeanette lunged at Ember again. Ember sidestepped, and Jeanette crashed into Estelle. Both of them went down in a tangle of limbs. "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" a voice boomed from the doorway. It was Carlo. He took in the scene: Jeanette on the floor, Estelle crying, and Ember standing over them with a bleeding arm. "Take her to the discipline room," Carlo ordered the household staff, pointing a stern finger at his daughter. Jeanette paled. She knew what that meant. She was dragged away, screaming and begging. Estelle immediately knelt on the floor, tears streaming down her face. "Mr. Copeland, please, it was my fault! Punish me instead! Jeanette was only defending my honor!" Carlo looked down at her, his expression unreadable. "Very well," he said. "You may join her." He turned and walked away. A moment later, Estelle, realizing her ploy had backfired spectacularly, let out a small shriek and fainted.