Paid To Care, Destined To Conquer Novel

Chapter 489 Reap What You Sow Emerson snapped his head up to look at Stella. "You know they're-" "What is it?" Stella's expression darkened, her gaze icy as she stared at him. Emerson turned away, guilt written all over his face. He couldn't even meet her eyes. His throat tightened, and not a single word came out. "So you don't blame the ones who did wrong, but you go after the person who exposed them? Pathetic!" Blake spat and rolled his eyes. Emily let out a cold laugh. "Hypocrite." Emerson's face was burning with shame.

He was a total mess, completely embarrassed and wishing he could just disappear. "John," Sebastian said coldly. John immediately stepped forward and woke up Dexter, who was still unconscious. Dexter's eyes fluttered open, his mind still foggy. There was a dull ache at the back of his neck. But when he finally took in the scene before him, his blood ran cold. Seeing himself and Sophie both disheveled, a wave of nausea hit him so hard he had to turn his head and dry heave. And when Sophie saw it, her face went beet red with shame. "You..." Dexter snapped and glared daggers at Stella.

"Don't worry," Stella said, her smile lazy and dripping with sarcasm. "Nothing happened between you two." Dexter's breathing grew heavy with anger. "You could've stopped all of this!" "I could have," Stella replied, meeting his eyes without hesitation. "That's why I gave you a way out. Dexter, if you'd just stood your ground and said no to Sophie when she begged you, none of this dirt would've stuck to you." The two of them locked eyes. "What was going through your mind back then? Tell me," Stella said.

She arched her lips in a cold smile, and her gaze was so sharp that Dexter felt like she could see right through him. Dexter was stunned. "You were thinking, 'Even if the person getting played is innocent, this is the last time. The last time I'll help Sophie, right?" Stella pressed. Dexter's eyes widened in shock. Everyone was totally speechless. Stella scoffed, "This is the road you chose. Don't blame anyone else for it." The room was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Salem, the one caught up in all this, just stared at Stella.

No one knew that before the party even started, Stella had already found him. With just a few words, she'd managed to predict almost eighty or ninety percent of what would go down tonight. If it hadn't been for that, he never would've let the staff lead him away so easily earlier. "Stella!" Sophie shrieked, her eyes blazing red as she realized she'd been toyed with from start to finish. She was on the verge of losing it completely. "I should've had you taken out ages ago! I should've finished you off myself!" Right then, Sophie was eaten up with regret. "Bullshit!" Emily said.

Stella didn't even blink, but Emily was like a wildcat ready to pounce. She was about to 7/2 Chapter 489 Reap What You Sow rush over and give Sophie a couple of slaps, but Allan was quick and caught her around the waist just in time. Allan: "Hey, easy there! Chill, okay?" Emily was thrashing wildly. "Chill my ass! Let me go, I'll rip her damn mouth apart!" Blake froze for a moment. Stella said, "Emerson, you went all out and snatched control from Ryker just now. The rumor mill has been working overtime ever since.

"Sure, the Clinton family holds 59% of Clusia's new infrastructure projects, but don't kid yourself. Those contracts can be handed off to someone else in a heartbeat. After tonight, the Clinton family's dirty laundry is going to be splashed across every street corner..." As Stella spoke, her amber eyes darkened, the look in them sharp as a blade. With just a few sentences, she laid out the stakes for Emerson, making it impossible for him to ignore the consequences. Emerson could see the trap hidden behind her words, but at this point, he was already in too deep.

He had no choice but to step right into it. Emerson asked, "What do you want me to do?" Stella gave a faint, knowing smile, her gaze sliding past Emerson to settle on the once-close "mother and daughter" behind him. "Mrs. Clinton, what goes around comes around." Aveline, the one Stella had just singled out, flinched hard. Stella said, "Back then, you did whatever it took to save Sophie. You clearly value that bond, so I'll help you out. "If you can't be mother and daughter by blood, you can still be in-laws." Her lashes lifted as she regarded Aveline with icy amusement.

As soon as she said that, everyone in the Clinton family gasped in shock. Emerson's heart skipped a beat. The scariest part was that, on paper, everything looked perfectly legit. To outsiders, it was just an adopted daughter becoming the daughter-in-law. But for the Clinton family, who knew the whole ugly truth, this was Stella twisting the knife. She was tormenting them, and she knew exactly what she was doing. "I won't! I won't marry her!" Dexter shouted, shaking his head desperately, his refusal written all over him. He'd never had any romantic feelings for Sophie, never, not even once.

"Stella, you... You can't." Aveline's lips trembled as she spoke. But Stella didn't even bother to look at her, keeping that icy, badass vibe. Out in the ballroom, nobody would ever guess that all the drama tonight was masterminded by this very girl. Stella smiled, "You know perfectly well that after tonight, among all the high society in Jaffina, your name, Sophie, will be absolute poison. No one will dare go near you. "Honestly, marrying into the Clinton family is the best ending you could ever hope for. And besides..." Sophie's heart was racing, but she forced herself to keep it together.

"Besides what?" she asked. "You love clinging to the Clinton family so much, right? Fine, I'll make it official. You'll have every legitimate reason to stay with them for the rest of your life. Isn't that exactly what you wanted?" Stella said. Stella's gaze swept over every face in the Clinton family, her eyes icy and unreadable, not a hint of emotion showing as she took in their reactions. Stella thought, 'From now on, they would have a whole lifetime to make each other miserable. 'Fatherly love; filial piety; a serene mother; a son at peace. Isn't this exactly what they want?

'Let the Clinton family rot in their own mess for the rest of their lives, tearing each other apart day after day. 'Let grudges, hatred, indifference, and curses poison every single day they have left, and may they never know peace, not even in death.' 2/3 Chapter 489 Reap What You Sow "I won't agree to this! Stella, you're insane! Who gives you the right to ruin my life?!" Dexter shouted. Dexter's eyes were bloodshot, on the verge of going crazy. Dexter thought, 'Why? 'Why do I have to be the one you sacrifice?' "So now that you've been on the receiving end.

Do you finally understand how helpless it feels to be the one getting played?" Stella's voice was cold, almost indifferent. Dexter was left speechless, his face drained of all color. "You know, they say some lessons you never learn from others, but when life smacks you in the face just once, that's all it takes," Stella added. Dexter just crumpled to the floor, like all the strength had been sucked out of him. He couldn't even make a sound. "I won't agree!" Emerson gritted his teeth, still refusing to give in.

Stella said, "If you refuse, by tomorrow, the whole city will know the truth about Sophie's past. And when that happens, your dear brother will be finished. "The Clinton family has been the top dog in Jaffina for years, with everyone watching your every move. You know how it is. Show the slightest weakness, and they'll tear you apart. I don't need to spell it out for you, do I, Emerson?" Emerson was stunned. 'She really thought of everything, didn't she?' Emerson thought.

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