Chapter 22

When Anastasia arrived at the Kingsley estate, the tension in the air was suffocating. Sharpson sat on the living room sofa, looking absolutely murderous, his face darker than a storm cloud. Whitney stood nearby in an expensive silk dress, her expression tense but her mouth shut. Valeria sat hunched on the opposite sofa, pale and clearly having already been through the wringer. With the viral scandal all over social media, she knew she’d messed up royally.

“There you are, you little troublemaker,” Sharpson’s voice could have frozen Hell itself as his eyes bore into Anastasia.

Anastasia looked at him with complete indifference. “What do you want?” Her tone was flat, like she was talking to a complete stranger. Actually, in Anastasia’s mind, Sharpson ranked lower than a stranger. Thinking about how he and his mistress had destroyed her mother made her blood boil with hatred.

“I’m your father! What kind of attitude is that?” Sharpson’s voice boomed with fake authority.

“Pretty sure we severed all ties years ago. Say what you need to say, or I’m leaving,” Anastasia’s voice was arctic.

“You ungrateful little bitch!” Sharpson slammed his fist on the coffee table, making the whole room shake. “You have the nerve to ask what this is about? Look at the mess you’ve created! You’ve destroyed the Kingsley family name!”

Anastasia had expected exactly this reaction. She laughed coldly, meeting his glare head-on. “The mess I created? Dad, are you completely delusional? The security footage clearly shows Valeria dragging me into that pool. How exactly is that my fault?”

Sharpson’s face turned even redder. Of course, he’d seen the footage, but he didn’t give a damn about the truth—he only cared about the family’s reputation. This whole viral shitstorm had to be Anastasia’s doing somehow. There was no way it would’ve blown up this big naturally. That ungrateful little bitch should’ve been strangled at birth. Valeria’s behavior had already dragged the family through the mud, and instead of quietly handling damage control, Anastasia had let it explode across every social media platform. Seeing Anastasia’s complete lack of remorse made his blood pressure spike even higher.

“Stop making excuses!” Sharpson roared. “Valeria is your sister! Even if she made a mistake, you should’ve covered for her as the older sibling! Instead, you let this become a global scandal! Do you have any idea what people are saying about the Kingsley family?”

Listening to this bullshit, Anastasia felt nothing but cold contempt. This was her father—a selfish, narcissistic piece of shit who’d never cared about anyone but himself.

“I’m an only child,” Anastasia said icily. “My mother only had one daughter. Valeria is a grown woman who should face the consequences of her actions.”

“As for the family reputation, if you’re embarrassed, maybe ask Valeria why she pulled such a stupid stunt in the first place.”

“You little–!” Sharpson was shaking with rage, his pointing finger trembling.

Whitney quickly stepped in to defuse the situation. “Sharpson, calm down. Ana didn’t mean to cause trouble. We can figure this out together.”

“Figure it out? How?” Sharpson exploded. “The whole internet is dragging Valeria through the mud, and our family name is ruined! Tell me how we fix this!”

Valeria finally broke down crying. “Daddy, I know I messed up… I just lost my temper for a second. I never thought it would blow up like this…”

It was all that bitch Anastasia’s fault. If she hadn’t been so high and mighty, none of this would’ve happened.

Anastasia watched this performance with complete detachment. She knew Valeria’s tears were pure theater—the same manipulative bullshit she’d been pulling for years while Sharpson enabled her.

“Ana…” Whitney turned to her with fake desperation. “Could you maybe post something to help clear this up? Just say it was all a misunderstanding between sisters, that you were just playing around…”

“A misunderstanding? Playing around?” Anastasia actually laughed out loud. “Do you think the entire internet is brain-dead? Valeria dragged me into that pool, and now she’s getting dragged online. She earned every bit of this backlash.”

Whitney’s face turned purple with embarrassment and rage.

Sharpson was practically foaming at the mouth. “Anastasia! Don’t forget you’re still a Kingsley!”

Anastasia stared at him with pure disgust. “Actually, I’d love to change my last name. If this is why you called me here, sorry—can’t help you.”

“And don’t contact me again. Being around you two makes me physically sick.”

With that, she turned and walked out without looking back. She’d come here to make her position crystal clear: she wasn’t the same pushover they used to manipulate.

Sharpson was literally shaking with fury, his chest heaving. He shot Valeria a withering glare before storming off to his study. Valeria shrank into the sofa, not daring to make a sound.

Once Sharpson was gone, Valeria’s mask dropped completely. “Mommy, I want that bitch dead.”

Everything that happened today was Anastasia’s fault. Whitney’s hands were clenched so tight her veins were showing.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I won’t let that little whore get away with this.”

She’d underestimated Anastasia before, but apparently, the girl had serious connections to make something go this viral. Impressive. And dangerous.

Valeria bit her lip thoughtfully. “Mommy, what if we just… eliminated the problem permanently? We could have her kidnapped, get some guys to rape her, film the whole thing. Once we release those photos, Jasper would never touch her again. No man wants damaged goods.”

The more she thought about it, the more excited Valeria became. Imagining Anastasia being violated by disgusting men made every cell in her body sing with anticipation.

Whitney’s expression turned calculating. “That’s actually brilliant, darling. I’ll make some calls.”

“If that little bitch wants to play hardball, let’s show her what real consequences look like.”

After leaving the Kingsley house, Anastasia shivered involuntarily. She never wanted to set foot in that toxic place again. As she was about to call an Uber, her phone rang. Seeing Cassian’s name made her chest tighten with unexpected emotion.

“Done with the family drama?”

“Yeah, all done.” Hearing his voice made her feel suddenly vulnerable, like she might actually cry.

“Send me your location. I’m coming to get you.” He’d immediately picked up on her subdued tone.

“Okay.”

After sending her location, Cassian’s Bentley appeared within minutes. Sliding into the passenger seat next to him—so perfectly composed and elegant even in his casual wear—she felt overwhelmed by his presence.

“Sorry for dragging you out here,” she said softly, her heart racing just from being near him.