#Chapter 197: Settlement

I lacked the urge to get out of bed that Monday morning, still exhausted from Timothy and I’s trip to the beach. I had been restless the whole night because of it. Something was different. I could feel it in the air. My phone buzzed, and the notification read: "Meeting in 40 minutes – Scarlett." I exhaled slowly and rose from my bed, straightening my night gown. I had almost forgotten about the dispute with everything that had happened, but perhaps this meeting would mark the end of it all. Otherwise, it would have to be taken into court. I was just on time as I entered the grandiose conference room, my footsteps echoing in the cavernous space. Scarlett sat at the head of the long mahogany table, her meticulously coiffed auburn hair a gleaming beacon of power. Stella, in her characteristic all-red attire, seemed even more enigmatic than ever. Her lawyer, a middle-aged man with a polished veneer of sophistication, stood by her side, clutching a stack of documents. Stella's piercing