4

It had been 2 solid months since Scarlett lost everything she held dear. She had been invited to Liam’s and Amelia’s engagement party, and even if she knew that the reason she got invited was so they could mock her. She had gotten ready in her best ball gown and taken a ride to the venue anyways.

Scarlett stood at the edge of the ballroom, her fingers curled into fists at her sides. This was her money. Supposed to be her life, but they snatched it away cruelly. And here they were celebrating.

Liam, dressed in a tailored black tux, lifted his glass as he stood center stage, arm wrapped lazily around Amelia’s waist. She was looking radiant in a red silk gown, the deep neckline barely decent, her lips painted a cruel shade of wine.

“To the future Mr. and Mrs. Deveraux,” a guest toasted, prompting cheers.

Scarlett’s stomach churned. She stormed forward, the sound of her heels lost beneath the music. Gasps rippled through the crowd as she grabbed a champagne flute off a passing tray, and hurled it at Liam’s face, but she missed and it instead landed on his foot. The glass shattered, a sharp, satisfying crack against the polished floor.

The hall was covered with a deafening silence, then Liam slowly smirked, his smirk widening by the second. “Ah. And here she is.”

Amelia pouted dramatically. “Scarlett, darling, crashing our party? How desperate.”

Scarlett’s breath came in sharp bursts. “Give me back what’s mine.”

Liam chuckled, the sound obviously meant to be condescending. “What exactly do you think is yours?”

“My shares. My money. You these bloody coupled thieves.”

Liam called for a servant to clean his shoe, completely unbothered. “Ah. See, that’s where you’re wrong.” He gestured around. “This? It was never yours. You were just keeping it warm for someone smarter.”

Laughter rippled through the guests, and Scarlett’s chest burned. “You are a thief.”

Amelia sighed, rolling her eyes. “God, you’re embarrassing. Standing here, shrieking like some crazy psych patient.” She leaned in, voice syrupy. “Oh, wait. That’s exactly what you are.”

Scarlett’s fingers trembled.

Liam took a lazy sip of bourbon , watching her like she was cheap entertainment. “Here’s a free lesson, sis, the world doesn’t reward stupidity. You trusted me, and I capitalized on it. That’s business.”

Scarlett swallowed back the lump in her throat. “You. Are. Disgusting.”

Liam smirked. “And you’re poor.”

Scarlett’s pulse roared in her ears. Before she could respond, Amelia lifted her glass. “To moving on!” She declared loudly, and the crowd replied to her.

A cruel roar of laughter followed.

Scarlett stood there, every muscle locked wondering if everyone had collectively gone mad, every part of her was screaming to tear them apart. But she couldn’t, she was homeless, penniless and pregnant for a man that stabbed her from behind.

Instead, she turned on her heel and walked out, leaving behind the mocking guests. She promised herself there and then that she would make them regret this.

Scarlett sat in the back of a dimly lit cab, the remnants of Liam and Amelia’s laughter still ringing in her ears. The city lights blurred past the window, neon streaks cutting through the night.

Her phone buzzed. A notification lit up the screen.

Scarlett blinked at the headline, her breath catching in her throat.

BREAKING: Daniel Carter & Valerie Hart Announce Their Engagement!

Her stomach twisted and she struggled to breathe as she read the full details of the latest couple’s engagement.

With a trembling finger, she tapped the article. The first image hit her like a punch to the ribs. Daniel was dressed in a sharp navy suit, standing beside Valerie, who was draped in white satin. Her diamond ring gleamed under the sun in which the picture was taken.

Scarlett’s pulse pounded as she scrolled.

"The couple is set to wed in two weeks… at the Carter Estate."

Scarlett’s head jerked up. The cab swerved slightly as she sucked in a sharp breath.

The Carter Estate.

The very place she and Daniel had been married. She couldn’t believe they could both stoop this low to hurt her. A hollow laugh slipped from her lips.

Her fingers shook as she scrolled down. The comments were worse.

“LMAO Scarlett was just a placeholder.”

“She lost everything and now even her wedding spot? That’s brutal.”

“So embarrassing. Imagine being that disposable.”

Scarlett’s throat tightened. She tried to breathe, but her chest felt like it was caving in. This was the final nail in the coffin. She clicked off the screen, shoving the phone deep into her purse as if that could make it all disappear. But the truth was clear. She got out of the cab.

And then, a sleek black car pulled up beside her, stopping with a smooth, effortless glide beside her like the person had been waiting for a chance to get her alone.

The tinted window rolled down, and a man stepped out.

He was tall, powerfully built. His suit was tailored to perfection, black on black, as sharp as a blade. But it wasn’t the wealth that made Scarlett’s breath hitch. It was his face, the face of the man she had considered an enemy for years.

He had piercing eyes that were cool and unreadable. The smirk on his face was a smirk that belonged to a man who feared nothing.

Adrian Carter.

Scarlett’s breath came in sharp, uneven bursts. She wasn’t sure if it was from the upsetting news or from the sheer shock of seeing Adrian Carter standing in front of her.

Daniel’s older half-brother. The black sheep of the Carter’s dynasty.

The man their father had disowned and erased. The man Daniel despised more than anyone, and here he was standing in front of her looking like he had the world in the palms of his hands.

“Looks like you’re having a rough night,” Adrian mused, his deep voice laced with amusement.

Scarlett barely found her words.

“I… I…” She swallowed, pressing a hand against her aching belly. “What are you doing here?”

Adrian’s smirk didn’t fade. “Would you believe me if I said fate?”

Scarlett glared at him. “Try again, smarter this time.”

His gaze flicked down the street, they had both been gathering stares. The ex mistress of the Carter family and a shady looking man.

“You’re in trouble,” Adrian said smoothly. “And lucky for you, I like trouble.”

“I’d rather not.” Scarlett dismissed him, making a move to sidestep him. She’d rather not get in their nasty family’s affair.

“You might change your mind after seeing this.” He replied, thrusting a tablet that came out of nowhere in her face. Scarlett debated whacking the device out of his hand, but on closer look. She took it off his hands.

It was Daniel sitting across the table from the lawyer.

“…full custody,” Daniel was saying, his tone smooth, assured. Like it was already decided.

Scarlett’s stomach twisted.

The lawyer leaned forward. “Given her situation, it shouldn’t be difficult.”

Daniel exhaled, almost bored. “She’s got nothing. No home. No income. No stability. She’s unfit to be a mother.”

Scarlett’s fingers dug into the back of a chair.

“She’ll fight,” the man warned.

Daniel smirked. “She can try. But she won’t win.”

Scarlett’s nails bit into her palm. They were planning to take the only thing she had left.

Then another voice joined in. A voice that made her blood run cold.

“We’ll raise the baby.”

Valerie.

She slid into the seat beside Daniel, crossing her legs like she belonged there.

“She’s not needed,” Valerie said, swirling her wine glass. She smiled at Daniel, resting a perfectly manicured hand over his. “It’s better this way.”

Scarlett’s stomach twisted, she had seen enough.

She knew better than to trust another Carter, especially this one. But right now, she had nothing.

And Adrian Carter was looking at her like he had a solution.

“What do you have for me?” She asked him, looking him squarely in the face for the first time that night.

His office was a fortress. Scarlett sat across from Adrian, her fingers gripping the edge of her chair. She had no idea why she had agreed to come here.

But something about the way Adrian watched her had her staying.

“Daniel is an idiot,” Adrian said bluntly, leaning back in his chair.

Scarlett blinked. “I… What?”

Adrian smirked. “And so is Liam. So is Amelia.” He tilted his head. “You may think you are the only one they’ve screwed over. However, I can assure you that many others like us are looking to take their own pound of flesh.”

Scarlett stilled. Adrian exhaled, reaching for a single sheet of paper on his desk. He slid it toward her.

A contract.

Scarlett hesitated before picking it up. Her eyes scanned the words, but her breath caught on a single sentence.

"A legally binding partnership between Adrian Carter and Scarlett Deveraux with the purpose of dismantling Daniel Carter, Liam Deveraux and Amelia Deveraux, by any means necessary."

Scarlett’s fingers tightened around the paper. “You… want revenge.”

Adrian’s smirk deepened. “I’ve spent years building my empire, waiting for the right moment to destroy him.” His gaze darkened. “And now? That moment is here.”

Scarlett swallowed. “Why me?”

Adrian leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. His voice dropped to something dangerous, knowing.

“Because, Scarlett, you want revenge, too.”

The words hung in the air.

Scarlett’s breath came out unsteady.

Did she?

She thought of Daniel and Valerie, sipping champagne over their wedding plans.

She thought of Liam and Amelia, laughing as they spent her fortune.

She thought of the plans to steal her child, the humiliation.

She looked down at the divorce papers. The ones she had been forced to sign. The final proof that she had lost everything.

Scarlett lifted them slowly, and tore them apart.

She met Adrian’s gaze, steel in her voice.

“What do I have to do?”

Adrian’s smirk turned razor-sharp.

“Simple,” he said.

“Help me, and I’ll make him beg. Your enemies become mine. Mine become yours. I will protect your baby and you.”

She knew she had nothing left to lose. She had only one thing left to fight for and she’ll be damned if she didn’t take the chance to fight for it immediately.

Scarlett reached for the pen, and signed.

The war had officially begun.