Badass in Disguise Chapter 147

Author's POV:

Dominic and Archer Sullivan escorted Catherine through the side entrance of the administrative building. Their faces were grim, matching the stormy clouds gathering outside. Catherine walked between them, her designer heels clicking against the marble floor, chin held high despite the circumstances. Her Burberry coat was immaculate, not a wrinkle in sight, as if she were attending a business meeting rather than facing consequences.

President Thornton sat behind his desk, fingers steepled, his expression severe. The deep lines in his forehead had deepened further since this morning. Chase stood by the window, arms crossed, his normally playful demeanor replaced by cold anger. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.

The door had barely closed when a frantic student burst in, eyes wild with panic. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he rushed toward Catherine, shoving a black bank card into her hand.

"Take it back! All of it!" he shouted, voice cracking. "You need to tell them this was all your idea. I'm not going down for this! I don't want to get expelled. Please!" His hands shook violently, desperation emanating from every pore.

Catherine shrieked, jumping backward as if she'd been burned. "Get away from me, you freak! Don't touch me!"

Dominic and Archer quickly stepped between them, Archer firmly guiding the student back while Dominic kept a vice-like grip on Catherine's arm. The student struggled against Archer's hold, nearly hyperventilating.

"That's enough," President Thornton said, standing with authority. "Young man, please wait outside. We'll deal with your situation separately."

After the student was escorted out, his sobs still audible through the closed door, Dominic turned to Catherine, his face flushed with anger.

"You still won't admit it?" he growled, fingers digging into her arm. "Look at what you've done! That boy's academic career is ruined because of you!"

Catherine's eyes narrowed, a practiced look of innocence washing over her features. "I told you it wasn't me, Daddy. I'm being set up." She shot a venomous glance toward Chase. "That Morgan girl is obviously trying to frame me because she's jealous of me."

Chase let out a short, harsh laugh from his position by the window. "Frame you? Please. Jade doesn't even care enough about you to bother. Who exactly do you think you are?"

"We have proof," President Thornton said quietly, his voice carrying more weight for its softness.

Chase pushed off from the window, pulled out his phone and placed it on the desk with a decisive tap. "Jade hacked into the campus coffee shop's security system. We have footage of you meeting with that kid, handing him money, and giving him explicit instructions on what to post."

The color drained from Catherine's face as the video played, clearly showing her passing an envelope to the student, their conversation caught perfectly by the audio. Her perfectly manicured nails dug into her palms as she watched herself being exposed.

"So what if I did it?" Catherine suddenly snapped, her voice rising to a near-screech. "I only told the truth! Everyone knows she's being kept by some rich guy. I just made sure people were talking about it. She deserves to be exposed!"

Dominic's hand came down hard across Catherine's face. The slap echoed through the office like a gunshot, silencing everything else. A perfect red handprint bloomed on her pale cheek.

"She is your cousin!" he shouted, his voice breaking. "Conrad's daughter. Your blood! How dare you spread these filthy lies about your own family!"

President Thornton's eyes widened in shock. "Conrad Sullivan's daughter? The Conrad Sullivan?" He looked startled by this revelation.

Catherine's hand went to her reddening cheek, her eyes filled with tears of shock and rage. "So what if she is? She's still trash from the slums. She's still sleeping her way to the top." Her voice took on a mocking tone. "She even had the nerve to claim she's with Ethan Haxton! Can you believe that? As if someone like him would look twice at gutter trash like her. She's ruined now, and you want to bring her into the Sullivan family? She'll drag us all down with her pathetic lies!"

"Sleeping her way to the top?" a deep voice cut through the room like ice through warm butter.

Everyone turned to see Ethan Haxton standing in the doorway, his tall frame filling the entrance. Raindrops glistened in his hair and on the shoulders of his perfectly tailored suit. Beside him stood Jade Morgan, her expression cool and collected as she surveyed the room. Ethan stepped inside with Jade following, closing the door behind them with deliberate slowness.

"I'm afraid I must correct you, Miss Sullivan," he said, his voice cool and measured. "If by 'kept' you mean Miss Morgan is my mistress, I regret to inform you that I haven't had that particular honor."

Catherine's mouth fell open, her eyes widening to an almost comical degree.

"The social media posts were mine," Ethan continued, moving further into the room, his presence both commanding and protective. "I thought some clarity was needed regarding the vehicle situation. The rumors were becoming rather... creative."

"But—" Catherine stammered, her voice failing her.

Ethan glanced at Jade, the hint of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "I would gladly spend money on Miss Morgan if she'd allow it, but she seems to be quite financially independent. In fact, I suspect she has more liquid assets than I do at the moment." His voice dropped slightly, taking on a warmer tone. "If she ever deigns to accept my financial support, I would consider it an honor."

Chase snorted with laughter. "Open your eyes, Catherine. Good luck seeing reality for once." He shook his head, visibly enjoying her discomfort. "Who's reaching above their station now? Last person who said Jade was delusional about Ethan was your cousin Aurelia, and she nearly lost her pants betting against it. You Sullivan folks are something else—if you can't reach it, you assume no one else can either."

"You're lying," Catherine whispered, her voice trembling. "You're from the poorest part of Cloud City. You lived in that disgusting neighborhood. How could you possibly know the Haxtons?"

Ethan's gaze turned cold, temperature in the room seeming to drop several degrees. "I would be very careful with your next words, Miss Sullivan. Very careful indeed." The threat in his voice was unmistakable, wrapped in perfect civility.

Jade finally decided to speak, her eyes sweeping over the Sullivan family members. "Since everyone's here, let's talk about how we're going to handle this situation."

Dominic stepped forward, his expression pained. "Jade, I take full responsibility for my daughter's actions. I hope you won't hold this against the family. We've only just found you, and—"

"What do you want?" Archer asked.

Jade smiled slightly, the expression not reaching her eyes. "Her four limbs."

The room went silent. President Thornton's face paled, his hand unconsciously moving to his throat.

"Excuse me?" he whispered, horror evident in his voice.

Ethan cleared his throat. "An arm or a leg. She can keep her life." He said it so matter-of-factly that it took a moment for the words to register with everyone.

Dominic looked horrified. "Jade, please—"

"Apologize," he turned to Catherine, his voice low and dangerous. "Get on your knees and beg for forgiveness."

Catherine's face contorted with rage. "I will not! Why should I apologize? I didn't start the rumors about her being kept. Her classmates saw her with some rich guy!"

She turned to Ethan, desperation in her eyes. "Mr. Haxton, she's not what you think. She's manipulating everyone. She's—"

The sound of another slap cut through the room as Dominic struck her again, harder this time.

"You stupid, stupid girl!" he hissed, spittle flying from his lips. "Can't you see what's happening? You've insulted Ethan Haxton to his face! You could destroy everything our family has built!"

Slowly, the realization dawned on Catherine's face as she looked from Ethan to Jade and back again. Her eyes widened with genuine fear as she finally understood who exactly she had been attacking, and what power now stood against her.