Chapter 11
Chapter 11:
With a sharp motion, Stacey pulled away from Fred and darted toward Rylie. Worry and innocence warred across her features as she exclaimed,
“Rylie, please don’t get the wrong idea! There’s nothing between me and Mr. Dury p>
Instead of backing off, Stacey tried to catch hold of Rylie’s hand. Disgust flickered in Rylie’s eyes, and she sidestepped the attempt. No contact was made, but Stacey angled herself awkwardly, let herself topple, and cried out,
“Ah p>
as she hit the ground.
At the sight, Fred’s expression turned stormy. Marching up, he helped Stacey to her feet, then faced Rylie and scoffed,
“Go ahead and blame me, Rylie. I’m the unfaithful one! If you’ve got a problem, deal with me. Don’t pick on Stacey p>
A sneer crept onto Rylie’s lips as she glared right back.
“Pick on her? Really, Fred? She threw herself down. What do you want from me p>
As tears gathered in her eyes, Stacey quickly spoke up.
“Fred, it was my own clumsiness. Rylie had nothing to do with it. Please stop saying things like that about her p>
Fred stiffened, the sight of Stacey’s tears only sharpening his anger. Glaring at Rylie, he barked,
“Enough with your excuses! Stacey’s not the scheming type! You use your position as the Kirk family’s daughter to keep her down. You pretend to be perfect, but you’re always failing your exams, holding everyone in your research team back, and pretending to understand research you don’t even try to do p>
Her face cool, Rylie refused to let his words sting.
“Right, Fred. Stacey outshines me in every possible way. If you’re so sure, why not call off our engagement and make her your girlfriend for real? Why keep her just a secret lover p>
No detail of Fred’s game escaped her. Their engagement still stood, even as he paraded Stacey around. Deep down, everyone knew why: Stacey, an adopted daughter, meant no claim on the Kirk family’s money, and Fred wanted more than a pretty face with empty pockets.
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Speechless at first, Fred’s anger only grew as Rylie revealed the truth.
“You’re twisting everything! I never made Stacey my side piece!” Fred said, struggling to defend himself.
Mocking laughter bubbled from Rylie as she retorted,
“Weren’t you just confessing that you were the unfaithful one p>
Silence hung for a beat as Fred struggled for a response, prompting Stacey to fill the void, her voice breaking.
“Please, Rylie, I’m the one to blame. After Fred found out about your p>
“Relationships with other people, he began turning to me for comfort. That’s how things grew between us. If you need someone to blame, let it be me p>
A collective murmur rippled through the crowd.
“Rylie’s relationship with other people?” someone whispered, the rumor catching like wildfire among the students.
Hearing her name dragged through the mud, Rylie’s expression turned thunderous. Before Stacey could even move, she stepped up and delivered a sharp slap to Stacey’s cheek.
A stunned hush swept over the room, leaving everyone frozen as Stacey staggered, shock and disbelief written across her face.