Chapter 7 Do You Even Have Any Shame Left?
1031 Words
A shadow of gloom flickered in Stina's eyes, though she feigned fear on the surface. "I got wasted last night and woke up in some hotel. I have no clue who the guy was. Seriously, don’t say a word to anyone."
Tanae gasped, her voice trembling. "Wait… you slept with someone? Sis, what are we gonna do? Don’t worry, my lips are sealed."
Tanae put on a mask of concern, but inside, she was practically doing cartwheels with joy. Stina didn’t know. She didn’t know that the man last night was Mr. Miller. That was perfect. If she didn’t know, she wouldn’t try to steal him away.
Stina smirked to herself, not falling for Tanae’s act for a second. But that was exactly what she wanted—to let Tanae spill the beans. Otherwise, how else would she lure Lucas into the open?
Right on cue, Camille walked in, arms loaded with shopping bags.
After changing, Tanae naturally followed Camille out.
……
Stina had every intention of staying the night at the hospital, but the moment the sun dipped below the horizon, her father’s frantic call yanked her back home.
Back at the villa.
She rapped on the study door. "Dad." A gruff voice barked for her to enter. Stina pushed the door open, and the second she stepped in, a heavy book came flying straight at her head.
"Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!" Tony roared, his face red with fury.
Stina, prepared, sidestepped the brick-like hardcover. "Dad, what’s wrong?"
Tony pointed an accusing finger at her. "Where were you last night?"
A smirk tugged at Stina’s lips. Her dear sister had indeed tattled to their father. "At a hotel," she shot back, her voice icy.
"You’ve got the guts to admit that?!"
Tony rummaged through his desk, searching for another book to hurl.
"Your little stunt last night is all over Frankfurt! You’re engaged, for crying out loud, and you’re out there sleeping with some random guy? What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"Dad, who’s feeding you this? Someone spiked my drink. Hardly anyone knows about this. Who told you? It’s probably the same person who orchestrated the whole thing."
Tony frowned. "You really think you can keep something like this under wraps? What’s the point of scheming against you? Besides, if you hadn’t agreed to drink, no one could’ve tricked you in the first place."
Stina let out a silent, bitter laugh. She was the victim of a scheme, yet he was blaming her for not being careful instead of the schemers. If Tanae and her friends hadn’t pressured her into drinking last night, she wouldn’t have ended up drunk. Sure, she’d been too passive in her past life, but wasn’t it Tanae who’d teamed up with outsiders to get her drunk and humiliate her? Who could’ve guessed fate would play such a cruel trick on Tanae, letting Stina ruin her plans and end up with the man she’d been chasing.
"Dad, these rumors will die down in a few days. No need to make a big deal out of it."
"No need to worry? How can you say that! You’re engaged, and you’ve brought shame to the Phoenix family with your behavior. You’ve humiliated us all! Do you think your sister can still marry well after this? She’s supposed to marry into a better family, not like you, who’s so… directionless…"
Stina watched her father’s face contort with rage, and a cold, bitter feeling crept into her heart. This was her father. She didn’t know if he’d played a role in her mother’s death in her past life, but he’d certainly enabled Camille and her daughter to act so boldly. If it was about having a powerful ally, she could find one too—and right now, she had the perfect one in mind.
A slow, cunning smile spread across Stina’s lips. "The man from last night… it was Lucas."
The room went deathly quiet for a moment.
"What did you say?" Tony’s voice suddenly rose, tinged with excitement. "Are you saying the man from last night was Lucas? The Lucas from the Millers?"
Stina saw the glint in his eyes and knew exactly where his thoughts were headed. "Yes, but I’ve already promised Mr. Miller that I won’t speak of this to anyone."
Tony waved her off dismissively. "Fine, don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it."
As Stina walked out of the study, that sly smile still lingered on her lips. She glanced up toward Tanae’s room upstairs. So you’re after Lucas, huh? Let’s see if Dad still backs you now.This time around, with her newfound connection to Lucas, her father would at least think twice before taking any action against her and her mother.
Stina descended the stairs, left the villa, and drove straight to the Regal Crown Hotel.
Along the way, she made a few calls, using her network to get in touch with the hotel's security department manager.
Half an hour later, she arrived at the hotel's security monitoring room.
"Is this all the footage from last night?" Stina asked the security manager.
The manager hesitated, seemingly unsure before replying, "Yes."
A significant portion seemed to be missing.
"I need the surveillance footage from last night's banquet."
"Well, the Miller Group has already taken that."
Stina frowned, resigned herself to the second choice. "What about the footage from the hotel entrance this morning?"
"The hotel entrance? Yes, it's right here."
Stina let out a sigh of relief, accessed the footage, and took a few screenshots.
Leaving the security room, she had just stepped into the hotel lobby when she encountered a group of people entering through the main doors.
Lucas was at the center of the group, as usual. His tall, commanding figure and strikingly handsome face made him the focal point wherever he went. And now, surrounded by several well-known figures from the business elite, he seemed even more imposing.
Stina quietly stepped aside, waiting for the group to pass before heading toward the exit.
But before she could reach the exit, a waiter approached her.
"Ms. Phoenix, Mr. Miller wants you to wait for him in this room."
- Writer
