Chapter 40

Joyce stepped out, and Caiden caught a glimpse of her swollen, red eyes, though he didn't utter a single word.

As soon as the door clicked shut, he whipped around to face Katrina, a frown twisting his face.

"Just look at her! She's got her emotions all over her face for everyone to see. How is she even supposed to deal with someone like Cedric? He's arrogant,cold,and ruthless. He needs someone sharp, someone who can match him. Not Joyce-she's too simple-minded.You're her mother. You should know her better than anyone. Tell her to let go of this ridiculous idea before she embarrasses herself."

Katrina felt a spark of anger flare inside her, but all she could do was let out a soft whimper in reply.

Joyce hadn't walked far. She stood still, hearing every word Caiden had said. Her face hardened with fury,and her resentment for Daniela grew even stronger.

Daniela was about to sign a contract when her phone buzzed,pulling her attention away.

"Miss Harper, there's been some trouble at the concert hall. A group of disruptive people came in,bought tickets, but didn't even bother to watch the show. Instead, they caused a scene, shouting and disturbing everyone. We were about to call the authorities, but the leader said she was your sister.We didn't want to stir things up, so we let them go."

Daniela froze, her pen hovering mid-air above the contract. "Was there any damage to the hall?"

The manager hesitated, clearly unsure how to approach it.

"Send me a list of what's broken, and I'll take care of it," Daniela added.

A few minutes later, her phone buzzed with a message detailing the damages.

It was a long list: fifty broken chairs, three damaged cellos, two ruined microphones, and six shredded music scores.

Daniela skimmed the list, only to receive another message from the hall manager. "Miss Harper, I hate to trouble you, but I checked the reservations for tonight.The same group has booked seats again. They say they're your family, and I'm not sure how to handle it." The hall manager was no rookie when it came to dealing with trouble. With his connections on both sides of the law, a rowdy crowd wouldn't usually faze him. But since they were supposedly linked to Daniela,he'd held off on taking action.

"Refund their tickets," Daniela instructed. "Close the hall for tonight. I'll take care of this myself."

"Got it," the manager replied without hesitation.

With Elite Lux freshly relocated back to the country,Daniela had been swamped with work. She'd planned to take care of the concert hall situation in a few days.

That evening, however, Daniela received another call,this time from the auction house.

"Miss Harper, Joyce Holt attended the auction today,and she made outrageous bids on almost everything.But when it came time to pay, she refused. We were on the verge of calling the police, but she claimed to be your sister. We're unsure how to proceed. What do you want us to do?"

Daniela's brow furrowed as frustration took over.Without a second thought, she replied, "Call the police."

That evening, Daniela had just gotten home and was on her way upstairs to relax when loud, angry knocking on the door broke the silence.

Josie moved towards the door to open it.

Before she had a chance to even speak, Katrina barged in, her hand held high as she charged past Josie.

"Daniela! How could you be so cruel and heartless? Is it really necessary to ruin Joyce's life like this?"

Daniela, worried her new housekeeper might get dragged into the chaos, shot Josie a quick glance,silently urging her to stay behind her. It was only then that she finally turned her attention to the uninvited visitors.

Katrina was at the front,with Caiden right behind her,and Alexander lingering at the back.

Before steppinng into the room, Caiden scanned the space, only relaxing once he was sure Daniela was alone.

He straightened up, adopting a forced air of authority."Daniela, how long do you plan to drag this out?"

Daniela's face remained impassive as her eyes scanned the group. A small, bitter laugh escaped her lips, laced with sarcasm. "So, you storm into my house,stand here in my space, and then question me about how long I'm going to keep this up? Don't you think that's a bit much?"

Katrina broke down into tears, wailing with exaggerated sorrow. "Daniela, the police called us.They said it was your people who reported Joyce.That's your sister! How could you be so heartless?"

Through her sobs, Katrina turned to Alexander."Alexander, do you see it now? Do you see how cruel Daniela is? Thank God you divorced her! Can you imagine the kind of chaos she would've caused your family if you'd stayed with her?"

Daniela spoke in a steady, measured tone, her face showing no emotion. "She showed up at the auction,placed bids on just about everything, and then refused to pay for any of it. She's the one who caused this whole situation. So tell me, how is that my problem?"

"This is your domain! So what if your sister wanted to get a few things? Isn't it just natural for sisters to share every now and then? You're being ridiculous,Daniela!Calling the cops on your own sister? Do you have any shame at all?" Katrina shot back, her voice growing louder with anger.

Daniela let out a mocking laugh. "Share a few things?Joyce didn't bid on just a few items. She went for over 20 high-end pieces. The total was $230 million.If that's what she expects from me, I simply can't do it.But since you're so willing to help, why don't you cover it? As her mother, isn't it your job to take care of her?"

Her words, a quick comeback that mirrored Katrina's,left her completely at a loss for words.

Katrina stiffened, her face flushing as she searched for something to say.

Caiden's frown deepened further. He wasn't interested in the back-and-forth or the details of who was right.

He interrupted the tension in a sharp,commanding voice. "Daniela, it's late. Enough of this! Call the police and get your sister out."

Daniela responded flatly, "I won't."

Caiden's eyes went wide with shock. "What did you say? You ungrateful little brat!"

His anger flared up, and, like usual when he couldn't win an argument, his hand shot up, poised to hit her.

Daniela had dealt with this enough times. She instinctively stepped back, bracing herself to dodge the blow.

But just before his hand could land, another hand reached out from behind her, gripping Caiden's wrist with a vice-like hold.

"Ah!" Caiden screamed, his face twisting in agony as a sharp, burning pain shot up his wrist. "Let go! Let go!Let me go!"