Chapter 3
Chapter 3
The bell chimed softly as Rosalie pushed open the door to Blue Bottle Coffee.
Her eyes methodically scanned the interior, quickly identifying a woman sitting alone in a corner
booth.
The woman wore an impeccably tailored Chanel suit, her makeup flawless, every gesture radiating that particular brand of Manhattan old–money superiority. Rosalie approached with the graceful poise her dance training had ingrained in her, pulled out the chair opposite, and sat down, her expression perfectly composed.
“I’m Darcy Brown,” the woman announced with a practiced smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Dante
Wolf’s fiancée.”
Rosalie remained silent, regarding her with a detached gaze, her eyes as still as a frozen lake.
Darcy’s smile faltered slightly. She clearly hadn’t expected this reaction. “You seem… surprisingly
calm. You’re supposedly Dante’s girlfriend, yet he has a fiancée. Aren’t you going to ask me
anything? Make a scene?” Her tone was sweetly condescending, as if speaking to a child.
Rosalie’s lips curved into the faintest smile, her heart now an empty chamber where love had once
lived.
What questions could possibly matter anymore? Since overhearing those conversations at the
restaurant, Dante Wolf had become a closed chapter in her life. Nothing he did could surprise her
now.
Darcy, unsettled by her silence, shifted strategies. Her artificially sweet expression hardened.
“Look, I was trying to be nice about this,” she said, her voice dropping its honey–coated pretense. “I
thought you’d be crying or begging by now. Most of his little toys do.”
Rosalie simply watched her, unmoved, which seemed to infuriate Darcy further.
“Fine. Let’s cut the bullshit,” Darcy snapped, leaning forward. “The Wolf and Brown families are merging interests. Our engagement has been in the works for months. Dante’s just been having his fun with you on the side. Whatever you think you are to him, you’re temporary. He’s dumping you, like, yesterday. I’m giving you a chance to walk away with some dignity and maybe a little cash to ease the pain. Otherwise, trust me, it gets ugly.”
13:00
The Ultimate Payback: When I Married Your Enemy, My Stepbrother
1.1%
Chapter 3
Rosalie regarded her with the quiet dignity of Lima family heritage, her voice soft but clear. “When exactly will the engagement be announced?”
Darcy seemed thrown by the practical question, then recovered with a smug smile. “Early next month. The exact date isn’t set, but the contracts are already signed. It’s happening.”
Early next month–right after her birthday.
So Dante had orchestrated everything: release the videos on her birthday, discard her publicly, then announce his society engagement to Darcy. The perfect checkmate against her brother.
“Did you even bother to research who I am before this little intimidation attempt?” Rosalie asked quietly. “The Lima family doesn’t need your hush money. If you came here expecting to intimidate some desperate dancer who slept her way into Dante’s life, you’ve completely misjudged the
situation.”
Darcy’s expression soured instantly as Rosalie’s subtle reminder of her own family’s wealth and
status hit home.
Rosalie stood gracefully, smoothing her dress. “One piece of advice from someone who’s known him intimately for three years–Dante Wolf has no heart. He loves nothing except power and revenge. A business marriage might work for your family’s purposes, but if you make the mistake of falling for
him, you’ll end up as disposable as I was.”
With that, she turned to leave, but Darcy lunged across the table, grabbing her wrist with manicured
nails digging into her skin. “Who the fuck do you think you are? Some temporary fuck doesn’t get to lecture me about my fiancé!”
Before Rosalie could respond, Darcy seized the coffee cup from the table and flung its contents directly at her.
I’ll fix the repetition and adjust the emphasis as requested:
The warm liquid cascaded down Rosalie’s hair and designer blouse, the shock of it momentarily
stunning her.
Still fueled by rage, Darcy shoved Rosalie hard.
Her back slammed against the edge of a neighboring table. She fell to the floor, her head striking the hardwood with a sickening thud. Pain exploded behind her eyes, momentarily blurring her vision. She touched her forehead; her fingertips came away bloody.
13:00
The Ultimate Payback When I Married Your Enemy, My Stepbrother
1.3%
Chapter 3
At that moment, the coffee shop door burst open.
“What the hell is going on here?”
A voice like Arctic ice cut through the shocked silence, vibrating with barely controlled fury.
Rosalie looked up through her disheveled hair to see Dante striding toward them, several of his associates following behind. His black cashmere coat accentuated the dangerous darkness of his
expression.
He took in the scene in an instant–Rosalie on the floor, bleeding; Darcy standing over her, empty
coffee cup in hand.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the untouched coffee from the next table and threw its contents directly at Darcy’s face.
“What the FUCK are you doing?!” Darcy shrieked, coffee dripping down her designer suit. “I’m your FIANCÉE!”
He ignored her completely, dropping to his knees beside Rosalie. With swift movements, he carefully removed his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. His hands were visibly unsteady as they moved to examine the cut on her forehead.
“Rosie, are you hurt? Talk to me,” he whispered, his voice trembling with concern, an unusual crack in his typically smooth demeanor.
