The heavy silence that had fallen when Ivy stepped into the room thickened like a blanket of fog.
Ruby sat frozen, the air around her buzzing like static. Her fingers, still locked in Stefan’s, trembled ever so slightly. Ivy stood tall and poised—her silver dress glinting under the recessed lights, her lashes already glistening with tears, her way to get Mr Rogers on her side.
She had arrived prepared.
Mr. Rogers’s sharp eyes flickered between the two sisters—so alike, yet so divided—and finally settled on Ivy. His voice was calm, but there was weight in it, enough to cut through air.
"Ivy," he said carefully, "is it true what they’ve told ? That everything you said in that video was a lie... that you were the one who ran away before the wedding? I want to know the truth and if truly you love Stefan as you claim to, be truthful. I’ll look for a way to find out if you lied today."
Ivy’s reaction was instantaneous despite the underlying threat in Mr Rogers’s voice.
Her lips parted, and a tremor ran through her chin before she choked out a sob. "Have you ever been betrayed? Have you ever had soone close to you betray not just your trust but went ahead to shatter what’s left of you? I’m sure you’ve never experienced that otherwise, you wouldn’t even ask this. How would I lie about sothing like that?" she whispered, her eyes already brimming with tears. She sniffled then continued. "How could I ever fabricate the betrayal I went through? Is it even possible? Can you? If you can’t then why do you think I can?"
She turned slightly, her glossy eyes darting toward Stefan and Ruby. "Isn’t it clear enough from how tightly he’s holding her hand right now? From how comfortable she looks sitting beside him in the very place that should have been mine?"
Stefan’s grip tightened, and he sat forward, his tone hardening. "Ivy, why don’t you—for once in your life—say the truth and stop this.... whatever you’re doing now?" he snapped, the edge in his voice slicing through the veil of her tears. "You’re the one who disappeared. You’re the one who ran off and left your sister to fix your ss. You’re the one who returned and turned my life upside down, betraying your sister like she was done stranger with no blood or emotions running through her and now you’re here spinning lies. Again."
Ivy’s lips trembled again, but not with sadness—this ti, with fury. She turned to Mr. Rogers, pointing at Stefan like a child betrayed. "You see? You see how he speaks to ? How he defends her no matter what? Is this the man you think is innocent of all I said? He throws away like trash, humiliates , and protects her as if I’m nothing."
Her voice cracked as she added, "If I were lying, would he really be that cruel to in front of everyone?"
Mr. Rogers didn’t respond imdiately. His gaze shifted to Ruby, whose face had grown pale, her lips parted but unsure. She looked as though she were made of glass—about to shatter under the weight of it all. Her silence filled the room with a different kind of tension. One that felt like sha. Or guilt.
Mr. Rogers inhaled as if to speak, but before he could, Ruby’s breath hitched—and she finally exhaled.
That one breath was the shift. It was the courage she’d been suppressing, and the words she had long buried beneath years of quiet tolerance, ca bubbling to the surface.
She stood up slowly, her green dress cascading around her, her hazel eyes locked onto Ivy’s and though she felt like she was staring right at herself, she reminded herself it was her evil sister.
Her voice ca out calm, low, but resolute. "Aren’t you tired of this, Ivy?" she finally asked.
Ivy’s eyes narrowed, but Ruby didn’t stop.
"Haven’t you had enough of playing this ga? This charade you’ve been perfecting since we were children?" Ruby stepped closer now, her tone unwavering, like a slow-building storm. "Do you ever stop to wonder why because I do every single ti! Why do you hate so much?"
Ivy blinked, stunned.
"We ca from the sa womb, born on the sa day," Ruby continued, her voice breaking with emotion, "but you’ve always treated like I was your shadow. Like I was competition you never asked for. You humiliated at ho, at school—and now again, here."
She turned to Mr. Rogers briefly, then looked back at Ivy.
"It wasn’t enough that you left to substitute for you at the altar," Ruby said. "You then had the audacity to drag my na, my reputation, and everything my husband and I are trying to build through the mud. All because you couldn’t handle your own mistakes. Should I go ahead to ntion them? That one ti you left your books at ho and got detention but went ahead to lie to and she punished ? Or was it that ti you were seen making out with a professor and you go ahead to say it was , leaving to shoulder your lies? Should I continue?"
Ivy opened her mouth, but Ruby raised a hand—not aggressively, but firmly. "Let finish."
She swallowed, her voice softening with pain. "And what hurts the most is that our mother made you like this. Always excusing your lies. Always punishing for your cris. And now... this version of you—this vindictive, manipulative shell—you don’t even realize how much of yourself you’ve lost."
Ivy’s face was rigid with anger, but her tears had slowed, her crying act cracking beneath the weight of Ruby’s words.
For a mont, it was as though Ruby had pierced through to sothing Ivy herself had buried long ago.
But the window closed just as fast.
Ivy sniffled and turned dramatically back to Mr. Rogers. "You see? She thinks she’s better than . Always has and those things she’s saying? Doesn’t sisters do that? I guess those are what she held in mind, seducing my husband and getting pregnant for him and asking him to divorce ."
And then—like a seasoned perforr—she let out a deeper, wailing sob, crumpling her face into her hands. Her shoulders shook with convincing despair.
"I have to leave now. Because she’s just going to keep trying to justify all she’s done to by bringing up things I did whole we were still a child."
Mr. Rogers let out a slow breath and leaned back in his chair. He looked weary now, as if the weight of all he’d heard had aged him.
"I’ve listened to both sides," he said finally. "And what I see is a very ssy situation. Emotions. Accusations. Family issues. But none of that changes the fact that, from the outside, it appears Stefan Winters has not been forthcoming. If this is how he handles scandal and family conflict..." he looked between them slowly, "then I’m afraid I must reconsider our partnership."
Ruby’s eyes widened. Stefan didn’t move.
"I can’t, in good conscience, keep my company’s reputation tied to soone whose personal life is entangled in this much controversy," Mr. Rogers said, folding his hands. "Effective imdiately, I’m calling off our deal."
Ivy didn’t even try to hide it.
Her lips curled into a discreet smile as she dipped her head, pretending to wipe her tears. But Ruby saw it. And so did Stefan.
And that... that was enough.
Stefan stood, calm and composed, though his eyes were cold with restrained fury.
"I see," he said, his voice low but cutting. "You’ve made up your mind."
Mr. Rogers said nothing.
Stefan looked at him squarely. "I ca here thinking honesty and transparency would count for sothing. That you’d see through the theatrics and judge based on facts. Clearly, I was wrong."
Mr. Rogers tried to speak, but Stefan shook his head.
"I’m not going to beg you. And I’m not going to explain any further," he said, turning to Ruby, who rose quietly to her feet beside him. "I made a mistake thinking the truth would matter."
He looked at Ivy one last ti. "Enjoy your evening and congratulations to you."
With that, Stefan took Ruby’s hand and led her out of the room. Ruby didn’t look back. Her head was high, even though her heart was a battlefield.
As they stepped out into the hallway, Stefan didn’t say a word. He just kept walking, his grip firm, his jaw locked. But Ruby, despite everything, felt a strange strength build inside her.
Ivy had for long been against her and their mother had always supported her. The only ti she’d get excused or be free of those accusations were when their father was still alive.
No matter how much she tried to explain, their mother just wouldn’t have it and she’d been too heartbroken to even stand up to Ivy.
But it wasn’t so anymore. For once, she had stood up for herself. And that—no matter what happened next—was victory enough.
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