Chapter 17
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Chapter 17
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Allen and Matilda instinctively reached out at the same time, grabbing each other’s shoulders in reflex. Their eyes met, and both froze for a moment.
Matilda recovered first. “Dr. Saunders, I’ve got something to do. Let’s talk next time.”
Before Allen could answer, her shoulder slipped from his hand. He looked up just in time to see her striding toward the V–ward.
At Saints International Hospital, the regular rooms were all singles, but the V–ward suites were downright luxurious.
Shelby’s room had its double doors thrown wide open, like it was waiting for someone.
Matilda walked through the living room area and stepped inside. Shelby was half–sitting on the hospital bed, with Brandon and Zack on either side of her.
All three of them stared at Matilda the moment she walked in, following her with their eyes as she came to the foot of the bed.
Matilda dropped her bag at Brandon’s feet with a heavy thud. Without a word, she started unbuttoning her blouse. Her hands moved fast and sharp, without the slightest hesitation.
In an instant, Brandon realized what she was doing. His rage shot up, and he stormed over, grabbing her wrists, the muscles in his face twitching. “Addicted to stripping now? How shameless can you get?”
“Let me go. You’re just making Tessa’s life hell to get back at me for Shelby, right? Fine. I’m here to give you what you want. I’ll strip–strip down to nothing.
“Zack, if you’ve got guts, don’t shut your eyes. Pull out your phone and record it.” Matilda jerked her hands free and went back to unbuttoning.
Zack suddenly panicked, his eyes darting away, not knowing where to look.
His whole plan had been to make Matilda bow her head and admit defeat. He hadn’t expected her to throw the rules out the window and rather strip naked than apologize.
Brandon finally exploded. “Enough! Outside! Now!”
He yanked Matilda out of the room. His grip was so strong it felt like he was crushing her bones.
Matilda struggled, but he only pulled tighter.
In the living area, Brandon slammed her against the wall with brutal force. “You think you look good naked,
huh?”
Matilda sneered, “Not as good as Shelby. Didn’t you sneak in a few extra looks?”
“Matilda, I really misjudged you. You’re rotten enough to use filth like this to hurt her. You just want to ruin
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Chapter 17
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Shelby, right?” Brandon roared.
Matilda turned her face away, cold and expressionless. She couldn’t even bother wasting an emotion on him –he wasn’t worth it. “All I did was strip her clothes. I didn’t try to kill her. If she doesn’t want to live, that’s on her, not me.”
“What about Tessa? Doesn’t she matter to you either?” Brandon shot back.
That struck her like a hand around her throat. For a long moment, she couldn’t speak.
Finally, she spat out, “I was the one who misjudged you. You bastards. Besides threats, what else can you do?”
“Methods don’t matter. Results do. Matilda, is this your first day knowing me?” Brandon’s voice was ice–cold.
“If it was, and I saw what you really were beneath the surface, I wouldn’t have spared you a single glance,” Matilda shouted.
Inside the ward, Shelby stretched her neck, trying to see.
She couldn’t make out what Brandon and Matilda were saying, but she could hear their voices.
Still, they weren’t yelling as fiercely anymore. That wasn’t what Shelby wanted.
“Zack, I don’t want to see Matilda. Can you make her leave? Please, get her out of here,” Shelby said, putting
on an upset act.
Zack softened his tone. “If we just let her walk away like this, then all that trouble with Tessa would’ve been for nothing. Don’t worry–Matilda values loyalty. She’ll come in and give you an explanation.”
Shelby glanced toward the door, uneasy. She worried Matilda might blurt out that she hadn’t completely stripped her–just left her with two pieces of clothing.
As her anxiety grew, Brandon came back in. The fury in his eyes had faded, replaced with a cold emptiness.
Matilda’s white blouse, lace trim and all, was buttoned all the way up again. She walked in on high heels and picked up her bag.
Then she looked Zack straight in the eye. “Mr. Maxwell, you’ve outdone yourself again today. Making things hard for your own wife just to side with an outsider–you really don’t know who’s close and who’s not.”
Zack gave a crooked grin. “Sharp tongue, sure. But you still showed up, didn’t you? I’m teaching you to recognize reality. Without Brandon backing you, you’re nothing”
Matilda tuned him out. None of it mattered.
All she asked herself was whether she could swallow her pride once for Tessa’s sake. The answer was yes.
It wasn’t about proving she was noble or righteous. It was because Tessa had opened her heart to her, seen her at her lowest, and still comforted and encouraged her without complaint.
“Tell me, what do I have to do for you to stop making things hard for Tessa?” Matilda said flatly.
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Chapter 17
Zack tossed the decision to Brandon. “Brandon, you call it.”
Shelby’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at him, afraid he might go soft.
Brandon gave her a look that said, “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
Then he turned to Matilda, his face unreadable. “Post an apology on your social media.”
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Up until now, Matilda had never admitted fault in any of the scandals. If she apologized publicly, it’d be like admitting to lies she hadn’t committed.
Shelby smirked, pleased. “I’ll do whatever you say, Brandon.”
Zack pressed harder, “Matilda, I know your pride runs deep, but will you or won’t you?”
Matilda reminded herself that the moment she walked in that room, she should’ve lowered her head- especially since Tessa was paying the price for her.
She was about to agree when she caught Shelby’s mocking smile, taunting her weakness.
The words on her lips twisted into something else. “I can apologize online, but I’ll need a day to draft it. And from now on, there’s to be no more harassment of Tessa.”
“Brandon?” Shelby tugged his sleeve, not wanting him to give Matilda extra time.
Brandon understood. “It’s noon now. You’ve got eight hours. Matilda, you’re in no place to bargain.”
Matilda turned and stormed out. Rage and humiliation surged in her chest. She slammed the double doors behind her–two deafening bangs that echoed like the end of the world.
She spun around and froze. Not far away, Allen stood holding test results. His whole body shook.
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9:17 Mon, Oct 13
Chapter 18
Chapter 18
