"Do you really think we won't call the police?"
"You think we won't have the cops lock you up?"
The threat was laughably weak, earning nothing but a scoff from Karla.
Even the reporters standing by couldn't help but shake their heads.
Hunter Darwin was young, but his sheer stupidity was on another level.
Sienna Darwin had already planned for every contingency before her surgery, so why would Karla be intimidated by a bluff like that?
Even Claire found the scene too embarrassing to watch.
How could someone as formidable as Karla be scared of a clueless punk?
Even if the cops did show up, Karla wouldn't be the one leaving in handcuffs.
If anything, the Darwin family's obnoxious screaming had all the markings of a hospital disturbance.
They were far more likely to be thrown out by security.
"Go ahead. Call them right now."
Karla cast a cold, dismissive glance at Hunter.
He shrank back.
Deep down, he had always been terrified of Karla.
His sister might hold back, but Karla was a completely different beast.
She had bodyguards on standby who could toss him out by the collar without breaking a sweat.
He had thrown a tantrum in front of her once before and paid dearly for it.
Now, he cursed himself for acting so impulsively.
Realizing the shift in power, Beatrice Darwin zeroed in on Claire.
"Please, sweetheart, you have to talk to Karla for us. Let us stay."
"At least let me stay. I'm Sienna's own mother. It breaks my heart to see my girl like this."
"I know I haven't been the most impartial parent, but no matter what, she's still my flesh and blood."
"Seeing her lying there, teetering on the edge of life and death, it's just agonizing..."
As she spoke, Beatrice dramatically wiped away fake tears.
*Pfft.* Claire actually had to stifle a laugh.
*Teetering on the edge of life and death?* Was she seriously using that phrase?
Agonizing? More like she was agonizing over the fact that Sienna wasn't dead yet.
This woman was supposed to be her mother, yet all she could
about was how to send
daughter to an early gra hipbel
her
Or better yet, how to drain Sienna's wealth to fund her precious son's luxurious lifestyle.
Seeing that Karla remained completely unfazed, the Darwins actually dialed 911.
Since they were in a hospital and a high-profile celebrity was involved, the police arrived quickly.
After assessing the situation, the officers could only suggest a peaceful mediation.
Eventually, Karla relented, agreeing to let Beatrice stay behind alone to keep an eye on her daughter.
Thomas and Hunter, however, were ordered back to their hotel.
Karla had originally planned to reject the compromise entirely, but Claire had pulled her aside.
"Karla, if Sienna wants to cut ties with these toxic people for good, we should let Beatrice stay."
Karla blinked, her interest suddenly piqued. "What do you mean?"
She knew Claire rarely spoke without reason; she clearly had a plan.
"Just have someone keep a close watch on her, and when the time is right..."
Claire leaned in and whispered the rest of her strategy.
Karla nodded slowly. It made perfect sense. Guarding against a thief day and night would eventually lead to a Shipp skip up it was much better to just
hand her the rope to hang herself with.
FindNovel.net
The only problem was the risk to Sienna.
After all, she had just made it through a major surgery.
"Who said Sienna actually has to be the one in the bed? We just need a decoy."
"Sienna needs total peace and quiet
to recover. If we leave Beatrice
she won't get her
FindNovel.net
of
"We'll transfer her to another room, and then..."
Claire didn't need to finish the sentence; Karla already knew exactly how to execute the plan.
She gave Claire a thumbs-up. "Brilliant. We'll do it your way."
"If you have some free time, care to star in our little show?"
She was asking Claire to act as Sienna's stand-in.
Since she only had to fool Beatrice, the risk was non-existent, and Claire agreed without hesitation.
She didn't want Karla stressing over such a trivial matter anyway.