Chapter 20

Chapter 20

POV: *Adelaide*

“Congratulations!”

The cheers rang in my ears as I stood there with a blank face. I was still too shocked to even speak.

“I’m so proud of you, Corinna.” My stepmother pulled Corinna into a firm hug, a huge smile on her face.

“You’ll be a great mother.”

“To the Steyns and Hildebrands! To the next generation!” My father raised a toast, a pleased look on his

face.

Everyone rejoiced as they held up their glasses-except for me.

Mine was still spilled out over the floor.

“Addic, honey, are you alright?” my grandmother asked, concerned.

I glanced at her, tears swimming in my eyes as my emotions went haywire. I didn’t even know what I

was feeling, I just knew it wasn’t good.

“Come with me, dear.” My grandmother patted my hand as she pulled me into a quiet corner.

“I’m sorry,” I told her as I wiped away the tears building in the corner of my eyes.

“There is nothing to be sorry for, Adelaide,” my grandmother said sternly but softly. She brushed away

the hair from my face, a smile pulling at her aging eyes. “It may seem like Corinna has everything now,

but love is the real prize. That’s all I ever wanted for you.”

Love? Did she mean love with Damon?

“Thank you, Grandma,” I smiled, laying my head on her shoulder. I felt warm inside but also worried.

I thought I had been in love with Ashton, but he screwed me over in the worst way possible.

And Damon…

I wasn’t even sure what I was feeling. Even if I was falling in love with him, which I didn’t want to admit

in the slightest, there was no guarantee he felt the same way.

Chapter 20

He didn’t need the inheritance, and he never would. So why did he marry me? To get back at Corinna

or…..

I sighed, wrapping my arm around myself. Why did my life have to be so complicated? A few months

ago, I had everything figured out. It all came crashing down in one day!

“Grandma, I’m gonna go home. Is that okay?” I asked.

“Of course, dear. It was so nice to see you,” she said as she brought me into a hug, wrapping me

tightly, and I smiled, happy to have this little bit of comfort.

“You make it home safe, okay?” she said and smiled at me, looking into

my eyes.

Home.

I was surprised to find the first thought in my head was not my tiny apartment but the mansion I had

woken up in this morning. I decided not to think about how quickly I’d adopted that as my home, I’d had

enough thinking for the day.

“I will, Grandma,” I smiled, “See you later.”

As I left, I glanced at Corinna and Ashton standing amidst the crowd of people. Despite how happy they

looked on the inside, I knew them both too well.

Their smiles were fake-as plastic as dolls. This was all for show, even if they were pregnant. They’d

never have anything real together.

Ashton glanced over at me, and our eyes met. His intense glare bore into me, and I looked away.

I thought I had loved him once, but I didn’t anymore. I knew for sure

now.

I glanced away, heading to the door as I said goodbye to my feelings for Ashton for good. Now, there

was nothing between us.

As soon as I got to my car, my phone started to ring. I sighed, not really wanting to talk to anyone.

“Hello?”

“Howdy, Addie!”

Chapter 20

“Cassidy?” I asked, confused. “What are you calling for?”

Marvin Cassidy was the general contractor for the movie set. He never called me unless there was a

big issue. That was the last thing I needed.

“How far away are ya from the set?” Cassidy asked in his southern drawl. “Cause we need the

approval of the director to make some minor improvements to the set-emergency improvements if ya

get what I

mean.”

I was suddenly reminded of when Damon visited our set. He’d pointed out a few flaws and said

somebody would come by. I didn’t realize he meant Cassidy.

“We don’t have the funds for this,” I sighed, rubbing my temple. “Our budget’s small as it is.”

“No worries, Addie.” I could hear Cassidy’s grin from here. “All been paid for, I assure you.”

“Let me guess, Damon?” I rolled my eyes, already getting the memo.

“Right-o. Can you be here in about ten?”

“Make it twenty,” I said before ending the call.

Work never ends.

Minor emergency improvements my *ss. Damon had practically paid for Cassidy to redo the whole set

including a new paint job.

Cassidy, of course, was willing to do the whole thing, but I had to gently tell him that I was not going to

spend two months rebuilding the whole set from the ground up.

Luckily, Cassidy was a sweet guy who only wanted to help and was so much more reasonable than

someone like Damon.

Once we were finished with the construction plans, it was nearly nightfall, and I was exhausted. I

silently cursed Damon and his over-the-top way of doing things.

As nice as it was, it left me with a bunch of work. Work I did not want to deal with.

I lounged in the tent, not quite ready to go back to Damon’s mansion.

Chapter 20

The more I pondered my life, the more free donuts I stuffed down my face.

I was just reaching out to grab the final jelly one when someone else took it from me.

“Mmm, jelly-filled,” Jenna said as she took a bite.

To my surprise, she wasn’t alone. Kathy, the woman I’d met at the Mexican restaurant the other day-

who was married to Lacey-was right next to her.

“Nice to see you again, Adelaide,” Kathy smiled.

“What are you doing here?” I blurted, then blushed as I realized how that sounded. “Not that I don’t

want you here,” I added quickly. I could hear how awkward I sounded and cringed internally.

“Oh, just hanging out and finishing some work at the same time. Would you like to have drinks with me

and Lacey later? She’s been begging for me to invite you out,” Kathy rolled her eyes, but I could see

the fondness in the way she spoke of her wife.

I couldn’t help but want that too.

“Yeah, sure,” I laughed. “I could use a little fun.”

“Do you have the picture?” Jenna asked as she finished her donut. “I need to get it in the system.”

“Yeah, it’s all right here,” Kathy said, holding out a picture, and my eyes went wide as I recognized it.

“That’s…” I couldn’t finish, my eyes glued to the picture.

“Corinna Summers,” Kathy finished with a nod.

“They are really pushing for her to be cast,” Jenna said. “They don’t even care what part at this point,

just so long as she’s in it. I was gonna run it by you later since you have the final decision.”

I swallowed, uncomfortably, my sister’s smiling face staring back at me from the photo.

Corinna must really want this deal. I knew how hard she had been

pushing to start up her acting career, considering she never shut up about

it

Chapter 20

I could do the right thing and give her a fair chance. A chance she’d never give me if the situation was

reversed.

But I also knew she would have never agreed if she knew I was the director. If I allowed her in, I would

be inviting personal drama onto the set which I didn’t want to do.

And it would mean helping her, the person who had made my life a living hell from the moment we met

as kids.

But if I didn’t…

I sighed, conflicted.

Out of all the reasons, however, there was one that stood out above all.

“There’s no need.” I said, firmly, “I don’t approve.”

“Why?” Jenna asked, sharing a confused look with Kathy.

“Honestly? Because she’s pregnant, and that will make it difficult for us to film certain scenes,” I said

with a downcast look. My mood quickly soured as I was forced to admit it out loud.

“How do you know that?” Kathy asked with a frown, “I haven’t heard. anything about it.”

“I heard the rumors but I thought that’s all they were. How are you so sure?” Jenna asked, curiously.

“She announced it today,” I said, blankly, “at our family gathering.”

“Family gathering?” Jenna trailed off, quickly paling as she snatched the photo from Kathy’s hand and

then gasped. “No way.”

“Wait a minute, is Corinna Summers…” Kathy’s eyes went wide.

“Is she…” Jenna said.

They both looked at me as they said at the same time, “Your sister?”