CHAPTER 119: GRACE & GRIT

The engine purred softly as Elizabeth gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles white, eyes glued to the road ahead—but her mind wasn’t on the road at all.

It was back in that hospital room.

Back with Ivy’s voice whispering poison into the ears of a helpless woman.

"You’ll never walk into a room and take the attention again..."

Elizabeth’s stomach churned. She’d always known Ivy could be reckless—dramatic, selfish, impulsive—but this... this wasn’t just a woman who’d lost control.

This was something darker. She was more than dangerous and she was glad she hadn’t stayed with Stefan while he was blind otherwise alot would have gone wrong.

"I should’ve gone in there," she whispered, tightening her hold on the wheel. "I should’ve stopped her..."

But what would she have done? Screamed at her in front of hospital staff? Accused her with no evidence? Ivy would’ve twisted it all into a performance. She’d cry, pretend to be misunderstood, and the world would believe her. Besides, doing that could cause a lot to go wrong with their image and company stocks. Stefan wouldn’t want that.

Elizabeth pressed her foot harder on the gas, needing to put distance between herself and that place. Between herself and the thought of Eliana, pale and broken in that hospital bed, listening to her "best friend" threaten her life.

Even though Eliana had tried to seduce Stefan or talked bad at Ivy, it definitely wasn’t enough reason to put her in that condition. Ivy was a vile woman and she needed to do something to keep that woman at bay. But what could she do especially after learning something like that?

She reached for her phone resting on the seat beside her and tapped the call button next to Stefan’s name.

Perhaps, Stefan would have a better idea. He not only needed to know what Ivy was capable of doing, he needed to know abd tell her what to do. After all, Ivy was someone he used to love.

He’d said she should’ve trusted him that day when Ivy left so maybe, she should start trusting him to handle his business now.

She placed the phone on loudspeaker as it rang once, twice until she heard the disconnect tone indicating there had been no answer.

She frowned and tried again, this time picking up the phone while focusing on the road so she could keep driving. Her fingers drummed against the steering wheel as she waited.

But still, it rang till it went to voicemail.

She sighed in frustration, pulling the phone back into her lap.

"Come on, Stefan. Pick up. This isn’t something I can sit on..." she let her voice trail off as she tried again one more time.

This wasn’t just gossip or bad blood between friends. It was criminal. If Ivy had anything to do with Eliana’s condition—and Elizabeth now strongly believed she did with everything she’d heard—then something had to be done. Fast.

She tried calling again. Then again. But still nothing.

Elizabeth chewed her bottom lip, her brows furrowing. "Where are you, Stefan?" she muttered, glancing out the window. "Why aren’t you picking up?"

Was he with Ethan?

Probably. Had they seen Ruby? Though she needed to hear from him about Ivy but she still couldn’t help thinking about Ruby. After all, she was pregnant with her grandchild.

Should she just call Ethan and have him pass the phone to Stefan? Why wasn’t he picking? Perhaps he was busy right now. Looking for Ruby and couldn’t pick up.

And maybe that was for the best. He was trying to move on, after all. Rebuild a life that Ivy had broken. Maybe Elizabeth shouldn’t be dragging him back into the mess of his past.

But... this wasn’t just about the past.

This was about danger.

Real, breathing danger, dressed in designer heels and fake friendships. What should she do? She needed to handle Ivy so that Stefan and Ruby would be safe when they finally returned together.

She exhaled deeply, fingers tapping the wheel as her thoughts spiraled again. She could go to the police. That was the right thing to do, wasn’t it?

Except... what would she even say?

"Hello, Officer, I overheard a private conversation through a hospital door and I think this woman might’ve tried to cripple her best friend."

That wouldn’t get her far. There were no recordings, no security footage, no witnesses—nothing but her own word.

And Ivy would deny it all. Of course she would. She always had a way of flipping the story, making herself the victim, turning tears on like a faucet.

And poor Eliana? She couldn’t even speak for herself.

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Not yet. But even if she could, there was no guarantee that she actually knows what happened.

Elizabeth let out a low groan, frustrated. She hated this feeling—this helplessness. She hated that someone like Ivy could walk around free, smiling, sipping overpriced coffee, while Eliana lay trapped in a bed with shattered bones and a shattered life.

Her eyes flicked up to the sky as she drove. The city skyline peeked in the distance. Tall, cold, unforgiving.

And then... a thought came.

It came quiet at first, like a whisper. A suggestion.

But then it took root and before she knew it, it grew.

And slowly, a smile curved across Elizabeth’s lips.

"Oh..." she whispered, her heart suddenly racing faster. "Oh, that’s it."

She gripped the wheel tighter and sped up, turning off the main road and heading straight home.

She didn’t need to wait for Eliana to wake up.

She didn’t need to sit around for Stefan to call her back.

She just needed people and their attention. And she knew exactly how to get both.

By the time she pulled into the driveway of her house, she was already unlocking her phone. Her fingers moved quickly, scrolling through her contacts until she found the name she needed:

Claire Matthison. Claire Matthison was the owner of Grace & Grit Magazine and she was the only person that could actually help her do what she planned to do right now.

She pressed call and raised the phone to her ear, stepping out of the car. Her heels clicked against the stone driveway as she walked toward her front door, the call connecting just as she reached the porch.

"Claire speaking," came a familiar, slightly weary voice.

"Claire, it’s Elizabeth Winters."

"Elizabeth?" Claire paused. "Wow, it’s been a while. Is everything okay?"

"Oh, everything’s just fabulous," Elizabeth said with a dry laugh. "Listen, I’ve got something you’re going to want to hear. A little tip. About Ivy."

There was a beat of silence.

"Ivy Winters?" Claire said cautiously. "Your... daughter-in-law?"

"The very one."

Another pause. "And what kind of tip are we talking about here?"

Though Claire was definitely in need of this tip, she couldn’t help wondering why Elizabeth would put her daughter in-law on the spotlight like this.

"The explosive kind."

"Elizabeth..."

"I’m serious, Claire. I just left the hospital. Zeden General. You know who’s lying unconscious in Room 208?" Elizabeth didn’t wait for an answer. "Eliana Howells. Yes, that Eliana. Ivy’s best friend. Or should I say... ex-best friend."

"I—what? Ex-best friend? What happened?"

"Well, let’s just say I happened to overhear a very interesting conversation between Ivy and Eliana’s unconscious body."

Claire sounded skeptical. "You overheard something... but you don’t have any proof, I’m guessing?"

"Of course not. Ivy’s not stupid enough to leave fingerprints behind. But that’s not the point."

"What is the point, then?"

Elizabeth leaned against the front door, smiling slowly. "The point is, your magazine runs on noise, Claire. And I’ve just handed you the loudest headline this city’s heard in months."

"What’s the headline?" she asked abd Elizabeth went on to tell her.

There was a long pause.

"Ivy Winters tried to kill her best friend?" Claire said finally, disbelief in her voice. "That’s a very serious accusation."

"I didn’t say it out loud," Elizabeth replied smoothly. "But your readers can fill in the blanks. I’m giving you drama, betrayal, high society scandal—and an injured socialite in the center of it all."

Claire still sounded unsure. "And if I get sued?"

"You won’t," Elizabeth said confidently. "Because I’ll back you. Publicly. Financially, if I must. I want this story out. Everywhere. Let the world see the real Ivy."

"And what’s in it for you? I mean, wouldn’t it affect you as her mother in-law or Stefan as her husband?"

Elizabeth’s smile darkened. "Don’t worry about the backlash. I’ll take care of it. I just want the satisfaction of watching her fall from the pedestal she climbed by stepping on everyone else’s back."

Claire exhaled slowly, clearly thinking, wondering why Elizabeth was sounding that way.

Then she said, "Give me until tomorrow morning."

"I’ll be waiting."

She hung up, heart thumping with adrenaline.

Elizabeth stood still for a moment in her driveway, the wind stirring the ends of her coat. She felt lighter. Stronger. For the first time in days, she wasn’t reacting—she was acting.

And it felt good. Not good but great actually.

She glanced up toward the sky again, her jaw tightening. "You wanted war, Ivy?" she whispered. "Well, guess what?"

She opened her door and stepped inside.

"You just got one."

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And she couldn’t wait to see the look on Ivy’s face when the news hit every paper, every phone screen, every whispering mouth in Zeden and the whole country.

Let the world see the cracks beneath the glass.

Let them all know.

This time, Ivy wouldn’t be able to smile her way out of it.

This time, Elizabeth had the upper hand.

And she planned to use it. Not just in showing everyone who Ivy was but to also get that divorce papers signed.