5

The jet touched down on Chicago’s private tarmac with a smooth glide, the hum of the engine fading as the wheels kissed the ground. Scarlett exhaled softly, her gaze fixed out the window. She had left this city a different woman, vulnerable, desperate, forced into a corner.

Now, she was back. And this time, she was the one holding the leash ready to unleash hell in them.

She turned in her seat, her eyes landing on the small sleeping figure curled up under a soft pink blanket. Her daughter. The very reason she had fought, planned, survived. Scarlett reached out, brushing a stray curl from Ava’s delicate face before pressing a kiss to her warm cheek.

"Mummy will be right back, baby," she murmured, her voice softer than it ever was with anyone else. "You stay with Daddy, okay?"

Ava stirred slightly but didn’t wake, her tiny hand clutching at the blanket.

Scarlett straightened, her walls snapping back into place as she turned to Adrian, who was already watching her with that unreadable expression. He was leaning back, arms folded across his chest, exuding the quiet authority he carried so naturally.

"You’re sure about this?" he asked, not in doubt, but in a way that suggested he wanted to hear her say it.

Scarlett smirked, adjusting the diamond bracelet on her wrist. "You ask me that like I haven’t been waiting for this day for two years."

Adrian chuckled, shaking his head as he stood. "Fair enough. I’ll take Ava home. We’ll be waiting."

She nodded once, then turned without another word, stepping off the jet into the city she had once called home.

The courthouse parking lot was already crawling with press when Scarlett arrived, but they didn’t see her at first.

Not until the gleaming black car, a model so rare that only ten existed in the world, rolled up in front of the grand courthouse steps. The sleek machine barely made a sound as it came to a stop. The chauffeur stepped out with crisp precision, moving swiftly to open the door, and then she emerged.

A hush swept over the crowd for half a second, a collective breath drawn in before the chaos erupted. The press surged forward, cameras clicking wildly, voices rising over one another.

She didn’t rush. She waited for them to recognize her, and they did almost immediately.

"Is that—"

"It’s her. Scarlett Carter."

"My God, look at that dress. That’s custom, handcrafted, no label, no duplicates. Not even the biggest celebrities have access to that designer."

"And the jewelry. Those emeralds aren't they ones that were auctioned off privately last year?"

"They were. But no one knew who bought them."

"And that car, Jesus, do you know how hard it is to get your hands on one of those? You don’t just buy it. You have to be someone, or wait in line for years to get it.”

Scarlett walked past the flashing cameras without a single flicker of acknowledgment. She didn’t need to confirm their whispers, she had planned this exact moment to a tee. This was her making a statement.

Meanwhile, across the city, Daniel was drowning in chaos.

His phone had been buzzing non-stop for the past thirty minutes, each notification was progressively worse than the last. He finally yanked it out of his pocket, his expression darkening as he saw the newest headline flashing across the screen.

EXCLUSIVE: DANIEL REEVES CAUGHT IN A COMPROMISING POSITION WITH MODEL IN PRIVATE SUITE, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR HIS CUSTODY CASE?

Daniel’s entire body tensed. He tapped the article open, his stomach twisting as he scrolled through the images. He was sitting too close to a woman he barely recognized, her body leaning into his, his hand on her knee.

He knew he hadn’t been there. This had to be some kind of sick and twisted joke.

"Sir, we need to get ahead of this," his media strategist, Glenn, was saying, his voice urgent. "It’s already blowing up. The press is going wild, and if we don’t control the narrative…"

Daniel slammed the phone onto the table. "That’s not me," he growled. "This is bullshit."

"We know that," Glenn said carefully. "But the public doesn’t. Right now, the court is watching your every move. We need to shut this down before…"

"I have to be in court in thirty minutes."

Glenn hesitated. "Sir.”

But Daniel was already grabbing his suit jacket, ignoring the chorus of voices calling after him. He had to get to court. The moment Daniel’s car pulled out onto the main road, the first delay hit.

"Road’s blocked, sir," his driver announced, slowing to a stop behind a wall of unmoving traffic.

Daniel exhaled sharply. "Then take another route."

The driver hesitated. "Sir, the app is showing closures all over downtown. There’s," He frowned, checking the GPS again. "That’s odd. A lot of sudden detours."

Daniel’s irritation sharpened into frustration. "Detours? What kind of…"

Before he could finish, his phone buzzed again. Another damn headline this time around.

BREAKING: DANIEL CARTER MISSES CRITICAL COURT HEARING? RUMORS OF SCANDAL RAISE QUESTIONS.

His pulse ticked. "What the hell is happening?"

The driver swallowed like he was considering an answer but couldn’t dare say it. The car was at a standstill. Horns blared in the distance, and his driver was still frantically refreshing the navigation system.

Daniel clenched his jaw, he knew something wasn’t right, shoving a hand through his hair as a deep unease settled in his gut.

This wasn’t just bad timing.

This was intentional, he wondered for a brief moment who would be trying to ruin his court hearing like this.

By the time he reached the courthouse, he was two hours late, the halls were quiet. The press was still outside, but the courtroom itself was nearly empty.

There were a few lingering officials and some scattered attorneys. But there was no judge and no hearing.

His lawyer, Rachel, was waiting for him near the doors, her arms were folded and her expression unreadable.

Daniel stalked toward her. "Tell me I didn’t just fight through hell to get here for nothing."

She sighed. "You didn’t exactly miss it."

His entire body went rigid. "What?"

"The hearing didn’t happen," she clarified. "It was adjourned before it even started."

Daniel’s fists clenched at his sides. "Why?"

Rachel glanced around, then lowered her voice. "Because an urgent presidential matter was brought to the court’s attention. A last-minute emergency debate. Your case was automatically pushed back."

Daniel stared at her. He felt the slow burn of realization creeping into his chest, but his mind refused to connect the pieces.

Someone was playing with him.

Someone had orchestrated this whole damn mess.

But who?

"New date?" he asked, his voice tight. He needed to get to the bottom of this soon.

Rachel shook her head. "Nothing confirmed yet. It could be days, even weeks."

Daniel dragged a hand down his face, exhaling sharply. This was a disaster. Between the scandal and now this convenient delay, there was definitely something wrong. The whole damn situation seemed like a coordinated attack and he would deal with whoever it was when he found out.

Starting with the model.

He felt a flicker of movement from across the room, and turned his head, and for the first time in two years, his gaze locked onto her.

Scarlett was standing near the exit, speaking to one of her attorneys, completely composed, her expression unreadable.

His breath stalled.

She looked… different. Not just polished, but untouchable. The last time he had seen her, she had been frantic and vulnerable. She was a woman who had lost everything she held dear to her heart.

But this new woman? She was in control.

Scarlett turned, catching his gaze. Her lips curved slightly, it was not a smirk, not quite. Just a quiet, knowing amusement, and then she walked away.

Daniel watched her go, his mind racing.

He didn’t know how, but something in his gut told him. She wasn’t just here to fight, she was out to destroy him.