Chapter 5

Harrison frowned. "What did I do?"

Nathaniel's jaw tightened. "Who told you to dress like this?"

'Like this?' she wondered. "What are you talking about, Nathaniel?"

His gaze dropped to her scandalously short skirt. "Your thighs are practically bare. Do you actually want men staring at your legs like this?"

The outfit had been Gabrielle's idea. Her exact words still rang in Harrison's ears: "My darling Harrison never shows skin, while Isabella parades around half-naked. Tonight, let Willowbrook see who truly has the best legs."

Harrison arched one perfect eyebrow. "Seems Mr. Falcon appreciates my legs after all."

Nathaniel froze.

Leaning back against the wall with effortless grace, Harrison slowly lifted her right leg. The crystal stiletto traced a teasing path up his ankle.

He wore tailored black trousers that accentuated his powerful physique, radiating icy restraint.

Her bare skin ghosted higher, deliberately provocative. A silent challenge.

Nathaniel's eyes turned glacial. "Explain yourself."

Harrison's lips curved. "Tell me, Mr. Falcon - do you prefer my legs...or Isabella's?"

He studied her luminous face - angelic yet devilish in its temptation. Last night's glimpse behind those glasses hadn't prepared him for this breathtaking vision.

Something about her features tugged at his memory.

Harrison's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Has Isabella ever wrapped her legs around your waist, Nathaniel?"

His breath caught. Leaning closer, his expression softened in a way she'd never seen. "Harrison, are you truly this brazen? Your mind only thinks of men. You even hired eight male escorts to satisfy your...needs."

He'd dodged her question about Isabella. The ultimate protective gesture.

Their passion must have been explosive in their youth. Isabella's legs had definitely claimed his waist - why else would he still carry that torch?

Isabella was fortunate to inspire such devotion from a man like Nathaniel. He'd never call her 'shameless.'

Harrison's smile never reached her distant eyes. "Well, Mr. Falcon, since you're...inadequate, I must seek satisfaction elsewhere. Let's finalize our divorce. If the first man fails, perhaps the next will succeed."

Did she just imply he was insufficient? That another man might please her better?

This woman was playing with fire.

Nathaniel seized her chin. "Testing me? You want proof of my...capabilities?"

Harrison stiffened.

His lips hovered centimeters from hers, his words icy. "Keep dreaming. I won't touch you. My heart belongs to Isabella."

That declaration shouldn't have stung. She'd always known. Yet the pain spread through her chest like poison.

"Darling."

Harrison looked up - Isabella had arrived.

Willowbrook's Red Rose lived up to her name - porcelain skin, rosebud lips, a ballerina's graceful frame.

Nathaniel released Harrison instantly. His entire demeanor softened as he approached Isabella. "You're here."

Isabella's gaze flickered to Harrison. "Who's this?"

She didn't recognize her stepsister.

But Harrison would never forget Isabella.

Stepsisters by marriage only. Harrison's father Theodore wasn't her biological parent - that honor belonged to Benjamin, long deceased.

Once, Harrison had a loving family - Benjamin, her mother Victoria, all devoted to each other.

Her father would lift her high, whispering, "My Harrison, promise me you'll always be happy."

Then he died suddenly. Theodore moved in with his daughter Isabella. Victoria became mother to both.

Her mother married her uncle. Loved Isabella. Forgot Harrison existed.

When Isabella scored an A to Harrison's A+, Victoria struck her daughter's hands with a ruler. "Must you always outshine your sister?"

When chemotherapy stole Isabella's hair, Victoria shaved Harrison's head too. "Now you match. She won't feel ugly alone."

Night after night, Harrison stood outside their bedroom door, clutching her dead father's gift, listening to their laughter. "Mommy...I'm scared..."

Then Isabella claimed Victoria as "Mom" - and declared, "A mother should only have one daughter."

The memory still burned - rain pelting her face as Victoria's car disappeared down the muddy road, Harrison's desperate screams unanswered. "I'll be good! I'll let Isabella win! Mommy, please!"

She'd never forget Isabella.

Sebastian arrived breathlessly. "Isabella! This is...your sister Harrison!"

Isabella blinked. "Harrison?"

Harrison knew Isabella had always despised her.

Childhood beatings. Constant belittlement. Then Isabella blossomed into Willowbrook's darling - talented, beautiful, Nathaniel Falcon's lover. Coddled in admiration.

Sebastian gaped at Harrison's transformed beauty. "I never realized..."

Isabella's childhood memories were hazy - why notice an unloved stepsister? Wasn't Harrison supposed to be some country bumpkin?

Approaching with regal disdain, Isabella smirked. "Harrison. How...interesting to see you copying my style."

Harrison remained silent.

Straightening her spine, Harrison's ethereal beauty glowed under the chandeliers like a priceless jewel.

This wasn't the broken girl Isabella remembered.

Isabella's laugh dripped venom. "I heard about your divorce. Can't survive without male attention? Hiring escorts at a bar? If I were you, I'd find actual employment."

She glanced at Nathaniel, adopting a magnanimous tone. "Darling, Harrison did care for you. Even as your maid, you should help her find work."

Nathaniel's gaze lingered on Harrison's face.

Sebastian chuckled. "Jobs require degrees, Isabella. What's Harrison's education?"

Isabella's laugh tinkled like broken glass. "She dropped out at sixteen."