Kneel For The Sinclair Heiress

The pain stole all my strength. I lay on the pavement, a pathetic, broken heap. By the time a kind stranger found me and helped me to the hospital, I had missed the optimal window for treatment.

As a designer, my right hand was everything. Now, I had to watch as doctors inserted steel pins into it, one by one. It was shattered.

In that cold, sterile room, watching the pins go into my hand, I finally understood what it meant to lose all hope.

Three days later, Jaxon called.

He casually demanded I bring a "decent gift" to Kendra's birthday party at a SoHo rooftop bar.

His tone was so cheerful, as if nothing had happened. But the throbbing in my hand was a constant, agonizing reminder of his cruelty.

"Fine."

A decent gift...

For five years, I hadn't taken a dime from my family. I'd managed to save over a million dollars, but my surgery had wiped out nearly all of it.

Kendra wanted a 'decent' gift, did she? I wondered if her utter ruin would count.

By the time I arrived, having made my arrangements, the party was in full swing.

Jaxon stood at the entrance with his arm wrapped around Kendra, the two of them a picture-perfect couple.

The moment they saw me, their fingers intertwined.

"You actually dared to show up empty-handed?" Jaxon sneered, his face darkening. "I didn't know you were this shameless. Look at yourself. That old coat, the bandages... it's disgusting. You're just here to make a scene, aren't you?"

Kendra didn't bother to hide the glint of triumph in her eyes. She bit back a laugh and shook her head. "Let it go, Jaxy. It's enough that she's here. Besides, as long as I have you, I don't need any gifts."

"But... I do have a surprise for you..."

At that, Kendra's hand moved to gently stroke her abdomen. The simple gesture made my breath catch in my throat. My grip on my phone tightened.

Despite our years together, Jaxon had never been truly intimate with me. I could wear the sexiest lingerie, try every trick in the book, and he would still end the night with a cold shower.

His excuse came later. His "first time" was important, and he wouldn't "waste it on a gold digger" like me.

The colleagues around us began to cheer. Only then did I notice Jaxon's parents, Richard and Brenda Pierce, and his younger brother, Tyler, were also in attendance.

"Jaxy, this birthday wouldn't mean anything without you," Kendra murmured. "I know you're not focused on marriage right now, but I worry about you being lonely when you're older... so, I made a decision. For us."

She slowly raised her eyes to his, her gaze full of adoration.

"I'm pregnant. Just over two months. I think it's a girl. She'll be beautiful, just like you."

I froze, my mind a complete blank. My mother passed away years ago. Her death anniversary was two months ago. Jaxon had stayed by my side the whole time, a pillar of support while I grieved.

Or so I thought. Apparently, he was comforting me by day and sleeping with Kendra by night.

What I had mistaken for genuine care was nothing but guilt.

Richard and Brenda were the first to burst into applause.

Some guests started whispering. Jaxon was famously ruthless about his no office romance policy, even suing an employee who tried to hide a relationship.

But now, he just patted Kendra's back reassuringly. "Since it's come to this, Scarlett's fired. She's the one who seduced me in the first place, shamelessly latching onto me and begging to be my girlfriend. A woman like that is a disgrace to this company."

Instantly, all eyes were on me, a mixture of pity and morbid curiosity. I was a spectacle: the woman who had been so publicly, so thoroughly cheated on.

"Are you finished?"

To everyone's surprise, I just smiled faintly.

"Then I suppose it's time for my gift."

With a subtle lift of my hand, my family's lawyer, Arthur Croft, strode into the party, flanked by two NYPD officers. The lead officer gave me a respectful nod. "Miss Sinclair."