bChapter /bb67 /b

Tricia waited eagerly, fully expecting her p tond squarely across bCharlotte’s /bface. But suddenly, a man appeared out of nowhere and seized Genevieve’s bwrist/b, shoving her aside. “Touch my sister, and see what happens!” he barked.

Genevieve lost her bnce and staggered, crashing painfully into the counter.

Tricia, afraid she’d get caught up in the chaos, hesitated and stepped back, leaving Genevieve to take the hit alone.

Genevieve had never suffered such humiliation in her life. Gritting her teeth against the pain in her back, she red viciously at Charlotte and Hiram. “You Sterlings think you can treat me like this? I swear, I’ll have my brother drive your entire family out of the city!”

Finally, Tricia rushed to her side. “Genevieve, are you okay?”

“Dr. Sterling, this is too much! How could you let your brother push Genevieve like that?”

“She was about to hit my sister–what, are you blind?” Hiram shot back, pointing usingly at Tricia, his face contorted with anger.

Tricia went pale. Men who lost control this way always brought back a wave of fear from her past.

Charlotte tugged Hiram back. “Enough, don’t stoop to their level.”

“Don’t stoop? If I hadn’te in, would you have just let her hit you?” Hiram’s face was red with outrage. “So what if she’s the precious Howard heiress? You’re still-” “Hiram!” Charlotte cut him off sharply.

He swallowed the rest of his words, balling his fists in frustration.

Charlotte ced both hands on his shoulders, turning him to face her. “I know you’re just worried about me, but you promised you wouldn’t lose your temper like this anymore.”

He scowled and looked away. “You’re too soft, you know that?”

“Oh, really? What do you want me to do, bark back at every dog that yaps at meb” /bshe replied, exasperated.

Genevieve finally caught on, her face twisting in outrage. “Charlotte, did you just bcall /b

bme /bba /bbdog/bb?/bb” /b

b“/bbDid /bI blie/bb?/bb” /bCharlotte shot back without a hint of mercy. “Who bbrought /bbyou /bbhere /bjust to bark a couple times? And now you want to get physical? bDon’t forget/bb, /bbeven /bbif /bbyou /btry to throw your family’s weight around, you still have to convince bRosemary /bbto /bbelieve you.”

“You-” Genevieve choked, her bravado instantly deting at the mention bof /bRosemary.

Her grandmother still refused to see her after she’d tattled about Tricia the other day. If the olddy found out she’de to the hospital to hassle

Charlotte–especially while hanging around with Tricia–she’d probably be banned from the family estate for good.

Furious, Genevieve stamped her foot and stormed off.

Tricia watched her go, reying Charlotte’s words in her mind. Her face clouded over. She turned to look at the Sterling siblings, biting her lip until it nearly bled.

Charlotte had actually used the Howard matriarch to put Genevieve in her ce–and it had worked. Genevieve was genuinely afraid.

Could it be that this wretch actually knew that stubborn old woman?

Charlotte led Hiram back to her office. Seeing he was still sulking, she pulled an unopened gift box from her desk drawer. “Alright, tomorrow’s your big birthday, so don’t waste today being angry. Here, this is for you.”

Hiram opened the box to find his favorite oak–cased mechanical watch.

“Wow, sis, when did you get this?”

“This morning, on my way to the hospital. I remembered you saying you wanted

this model.”

Before marrying Evander, Charlotte had always tried to remember Hiram’s birthday and pick out something he’d like. No matter what she gave him, Hiram was always delighted.

But after she married Evander, Charlotte realized how easily a man bcould /bsteal her attention from her own brother. Surrounded by the Howards‘ constant bg /b

bP/bb, /bbshe’d /beven started to believe Hiram was just hot–tempered and impulsive, always bcausing /btrouble like their parents.

The thought made her eyes suddenly sting with tears.

b212 /b

no bAo /b