Chapter 112 The Showdown
Emilia’s POV
In the blink of an eye, two days passed. Friday evening, and I was ready to call it a week. My desk at Hanson Group was clear, my files organized, and all I wanted was to go home and pass out in bed.
I was walking through the lobby with Lily when I heard it.
[There she is... that pathetic half-breed... thinks she’s so special just because she married Sebastian...]
I stopped walking. Lily noticed immediately.
"Em? What’s wrong?"
I turned toward the entrance and saw her.
Raelene, leaning against a fire-engine-red Lamborghini, dressed head to toe in designer labels.
"Oh, hell no," I muttered.
"Who is that?" Lily asked.
"Sebastian’s ex-wife."
Raelene pushed off from her car and walked toward us. Employees were already stopping to stare, phones coming out to record what was clearly about to be a scene.
"Emilia Taylor," Raelene said loudly. "Or should I say, Emilia Simons? Though I doubt that’ll be your name for much longer."
[Let’s see how confident she is when everyone knows the truth about her...]
I crossed my arms. "Raelene. What a surprise. I thought you’d left Silverlake City."
"I came back just for you, darling." Her smile was poisonous. "To return the favor from the gala."
"If you’re here to throw another tantrum, I’m not interested. I have better things to do than watch you embarrass yourself again."
Raelene’s face flushed with anger. "Embarrass myself? You’re the embarrassment. Do you really think you belong in our world? A half-breed witch with no wolf? The bastard daughter of a pack whore?"
The lobby went dead silent.
I felt Lily stiffen beside me, ready to explode, but I held up a hand to stop her.
"Is that supposed to hurt my feelings?" I asked calmly. "Because if you think calling my mother a whore is going to make me cry, you clearly don’t know me very well."
"Your mother was a dancer," Raelene spit. "Who spread her legs for an Alpha and got knocked up. That’s all you are. A mistake. And yet somehow, you’ve managed to trick Sebastian into keeping you around for three whole months."
"Jealousy isn’t a good look on you, Raelene. Though honestly, nothing is."
Her eyes flashed with rage. "You little..."
She reached into her car and pulled out a container. For a split second, I thought it might actually be acid. But as she twisted off the cap, the smell hit me.
Paint. White latex paint mixed with something that smelled like rotten eggs.
[This’ll ruin her precious designer clothes... humiliate her in front of everyone...]
"You know what you are, Emilia?" Raelene raised the container. "You’re trash. And trash belongs in the..."
I moved before she could finish the sentence. Years of dodging my stepmother’s flying objects had given me excellent reflexes.
The paint arced through the air, heading straight for my face. I stepped aside, and the foul-smelling mixture splattered across the floor and splashed onto a group of watching employees.
"Oops," I said sweetly. "You missed again."
Raelene’s face went red. "You..."
"Me what? Me managed to avoid your pathetic attempt at revenge? Me still standing here while you’re making a fool of yourself in front of fifty witnesses and about twenty recording phones?"
"I’ll kill you!"
She lunged forward, but Lily was faster. My best friend stepped between us and slapped Raelene across the face. The sound echoed through the lobby.
"Don’t you dare touch her!"
Everything happened fast after that. Raelene was shocked for only a second. Then she shifted partway. Her eyes glowing gold, her fingers turning into claws. As an Alpha’s daughter, she’d been trained to fight since she was a kid.
She grabbed Lily’s arm and twisted it, throwing her to the ground. Lily cried out in pain as Raelene’s claws scratched across her shoulder, drawing blood.
"Lily!"
I rushed forward, but Raelene shoved me back. I hit the floor hard. My head was spinning.
The employees watching... people I worked with every day... just stood there. And I could hear every single one of their thoughts.
[Serves her right... acting like she’s better than us just because she married rich...]
[Half-breed witch... my mom always said they were evil...]
[No wonder she got the promotion... probably slept with Scott too...]
[She’s not even a real wolf... what’s she doing in our pack territory anyway?]
The cruelty of it hurt more than hitting the floor did.
"That’s enough!"
Scott’s voice cut through the chaos. He strode into the lobby, his Alpha aura making everyone step back instinctively. He went straight to Lily, helping her up, then turned to face Raelene.
"Who the hell are you, and what gives you the right to attack my employees?"
"Your employee?" Raelene laughed. "This bitch assaulted me! I’m calling the police."
"You broke into my building, assaulted one of my people, and then actually assaulted another when she tried to defend her friend. You want to call the police? Please, be my guest."
Raelene pulled out her phone, her smile nasty. "Fine. Let’s see what they have to say about this."
[The police chief is my father’s friend... these two are finished...]
I struggled to my feet, my head still spinning. Scott offered me his hand, but I ignored it and stood on my own.
"Emilia, are you alright?" he asked quietly.
"Fine."
"You’re not fine. You’re bleeding."
I touched my temple and my fingers came away red. I must have hit my head harder than I thought.
The police arrived within ten minutes. Two officers, both looking distinctly uncomfortable when they saw who’d made the call.
"Ms. Ferguson," one of them said. "What seems to be the problem?"
"These two attacked me," Raelene said, pointing at Lily and me. "I want them arrested for assault."
The officer looked at Lily’s bloody shoulder, at the paint splattered everywhere, at the crowd of witnesses with their phones out. "Ma’am, perhaps we should discuss this at the station?"
"Fine. But I’m pressing charges."