The Family Showdown
If there's one thing my mother cares about more than her yoga class and her designer handbags, it's the Harper family name. And right now, I was apparently public enemy number one.
Margaret Harper paced the length of the sitting room like a general preparing for battle, her pearls clinking against her blouse every time she gestured dramatically. A copy of the society column—complete with a gleefully scathing article about my "scandalous" marriage—was clutched in her hand.
"Do you see this, Lila?" she asked, waving the newspaper in my face like it was a court summons. "Do you understand what you've done?"
"Oh, I understand all right," I said, sinking further into the overly plush couch. "I accidentally married a walking scandal, and now you're acting like I set fire to the family crest."
Margaret's nostrils flared, her pacing turning into stomping. "This isn't funny!" she snapped. "You've humiliated this family! We are the Harpers, Lila. We are respected. And now people think we're associating with someone like… like that."
"Someone like what?" I shot back. "A human being who makes mistakes? How shocking."
Her hand flew to her pearls like I'd just suggested we skip Christmas. "You know exactly what I mean."
---
Margaret's Ultimatum
"I want this fixed immediately," Margaret declared, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Annul the marriage, Lila. It's the only way to salvage this disaster."
I crossed my arms, staring at her with a mixture of disbelief and defiance. "You want me to annul my marriage so you can go back to pretending my life is one of your perfectly curated charity events?"
"Yes!" she said, throwing up her hands. "Exactly!"
"Unbelievable," I muttered under my breath.
"This is not a debate," Margaret continued. "If you won't annul the marriage, then talk to Ethan. He's already offered to help smooth things over."
At the mention of Ethan's name, my frustration reached a boiling point. "Oh, of course Ethan has a solution," I said dryly. "Let me guess—he swoops in to save the day, I annul my marriage, and we all pretend he didn't leave me at the altar in the first place?"
Margaret narrowed her eyes. "Ethan made a mistake. But he's a respectable man. Jackson Carter, on the other hand, is—"
"Don't finish that sentence," I warned, my voice sharper than I intended. "I know Jackson isn't perfect. Neither am I. But I'm not going to let you or anyone else dictate my life anymore."
---
Edward Harper's Mediation
Before my mother could respond, my father, Edward Harper, walked into the room, holding a tumbler of scotch like it was a shield.
"What's going on in here?" he asked, his voice calm but weary. Clearly, he'd been dragged into these "family crises" more times than he cared to count.
"Your daughter," Margaret said, gesturing toward me like I was a faulty piece of merchandise, "is refusing to fix this disaster. Do you know what people are saying about us?"
Edward sighed, sitting down across from me. "This isn't just about the family name, Lila," he said, his tone measured. "It's about the company. Investors notice these things. The board's already asking questions."
"So let me get this straight," I said, my frustration bubbling over. "I'm supposed to sacrifice my dignity—again—to save a company I don't even run?"
Edward didn't answer, but the look in his eyes said it all.
"Great," I said, standing up abruptly. "Glad to know where I stand."
"Lila—"
"No," I said, cutting him off. "You don't care about me. You care about what I represent. Well, guess what? I'm done being your PR puppet."
---
Jackson's Attempt at Support
As I stormed out of the Harper estate, I spotted Jackson leaning casually against his motorcycle, the very picture of smug nonchalance.
"Were you eavesdropping?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"Eavesdropping, loitering… call it what you want," he said with a grin. "Figured you might need an escape. Or someone to complain to who won't call you a 'disgrace to the family legacy.'"
I stared at him for a moment, weighing my options. My first instinct was to tell him to leave me alone. But the thought of staying in that house one second longer was unbearable.
"Fine," I said, climbing onto the bike behind him. "But if you crash, I'm haunting you."
"Noted, Mrs. Carter," he said, revving the engine.
---
We rode through the city in silence, the cool night air whipping past us. When Jackson finally pulled over at a quiet overlook, I slid off the bike and folded my arms, trying to hold onto my anger.
"You okay?" he asked, leaning against the handlebars.
"No," I admitted. "I'm not okay. No matter what I do, it's never enough for them. I could save the company single-handedly, and they'd still find something to criticize."
Jackson tilted his head, studying me. "So stop trying to please them."
I laughed bitterly. "Oh, is that your genius advice?"
"Yeah," he said simply. "Do what makes you happy for once."
For a moment, I didn't respond. His words were so straightforward, so absurdly simple, and yet they hit harder than I wanted to admit.
---
Sensing my mood shift, Jackson grinned and leaned closer. "Hey, look on the bright side. At least now you're famous. 'Accidental Bride Marries the Bad Boy.' Sounds like a great Netflix special."
I rolled my eyes. "More like a cautionary tale."
"Hey," he said, holding up a finger. "If you play your cards right, I'll let you write the sequel."
"Lucky me," I said, but a small smile tugged at my lips despite myself.
---
Ethan's Behind-the-Scenes Manipulation
While Jackson and I were out, Ethan took the opportunity to visit Margaret and Edward at the Harper estate.
"Jackson Carter is dragging Lila down," Ethan said smoothly, sitting across from Margaret in the same room where I'd just been lectured. "She doesn't see it yet, but he's dead weight. If we work together, we can help her get back on track."
Margaret, predictably, was thrilled by the idea. "What do you suggest?"
"Convince her to annul the marriage," Ethan said, his tone calculated. "Once that's done, I'll handle the rest."
---
Ethan wasted no time putting his plan into motion.
He leaked more details about Jackson's past to the media, twisting the narrative to make him look reckless and dangerous.
He also reached out to one of Jackson's estranged family members, hoping to dig up even more dirt.
Ethan's goal was simple: destroy Jackson's credibility and leave Lila with no choice but to leave him.
---
A New Twist
When Jackson dropped me off at my apartment, I was determined to put together a plan to salvage both my family's business and Jackson's reputation.
But before I could even take off my shoes, there was a knock at the door.
Standing there was Vanessa Grant, the nosy journalist from the gala, holding a folder full of documents and wearing a self-satisfied grin.
"You might want to see this," she said, handing me the folder. "It's about your husband—and it's going to change everything."
My stomach sank as I opened the folder, scanning the contents with growing dread.
"One step forward, ten steps back. Whatever was in that folder, I knew one thing: my life was about to get even more complicated."