Madison gnashed her teeth, glaring daggers. Catherine smiled coyly and slowly stood up from the sofa.

"Wait, where are you going?" Madison asked.

​​

"If you want my help, you're going to have to do as I ask," Catherine said coolly. "But if you're still too proud, you can fix your problems by yourself."

"Fine," Madison huffed.

Catherine smiled and sat back down on the sofa. She had no intention of helping Madison with anything, but she was burning with curiosity. Why was Madison being forced to marry Adam? What had happened between them since the attempted assault a few nights ago?

"Adam has come to my bedroom the last three nights," Madison said. "Though I'm sure you already know that."

"Really?" Catherine asked, feigning surprise. "You and Adam are sleeping together? I never took him for your type—he doesn't have a rich enough family for you, does he?"

"Don't be vile," Madison snapped. "We haven't slept together."

"Oh, let me guess, you two were just talking all night innocently?" Catherine asked.

Madison's eyes flashed again, but she took a deep breath. "No," she hissed. "He broke into my room. The first time he attacked me but suddenly stopped. The second time he drugged my water, and I passed out. And the third time, he must have drugged me again because I woke to find us in bed together."

"In bed together?" Catherine asked. "Sue, it sounds like you slept together. But that's hardly a reason to get married—unless he was really that good in bed?"

"My parents saw us, you little bitch," Madison snapped.

"Language, language," Catherine replied, smiling coyly. "If you insult me again, you're on your own with this mess."

"Sorry," Madison said, her mouth puckering as if the word was sour. "Well, somehow, he ended up in my bed. My parents came in and saw us together in bed—naked—and they freaked out."

Catherine snickered, "You were naked in bed together, but you didn't have sex? I find that very hard to believe."

"I swear it's true," Madison fumed. "I would never let him touch me—he's hideous."

"Oh Madison," Catherine said. "That's no way to talk about your future husband."

Madison rose from the couch as if to lunge, but the bodyguards grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her back into a sitting position. She glared at Catherine and curled her hands into small, useless fists.

"So," Catherine said. "I can imagine Lawson and Melanie were unhappy to find you in bed with a man, but you're a legal adult. Besides, they must realize by now that their daughter is a slut."

"If it was just that, they'd let it go," Madison said.

"This is getting tiresome," Catherine said. "Tell me the story or leave me alone. I don't have time to play twenty questions with you."

"He has pictures," Madison said. "Pictures of me. Sexy ones. Do you understand now?"

Catherine leaned back on the sofa, enjoying herself, "I'm afraid I don't. You'll have to explain better."

"While I was drugged and unconscious, he managed to take a bunch of naked pictures of me," Madison said. "And that's not all. He hacked into my ex's cloud and found a video we recorded together."

"A video, Madison?" Catherine asked.

Madison sighed, "Of me and my ex having sex."

"Oh Madison," Catherine sighed dramatically. "You recorded a sex tape? I thought you knew better than that."

"Adam says he'll post the photos and the tapes online if my parents don't give him twenty million pounds by the end of next week," Madison said.

"Your parents do seem a bit short on cash," Catherine said. "You know, they still owe me my money. I suppose you're here to ask me to forgive their debts so they can pay off Adam?"

"I'm not finished," Madison huffed. "There's more. My parents refused the money, so Adam gave them another choice—he asked for my hand in marriage. They accepted the offer immediately. I begged them, but they're too angry about what happened—they won't listen to me."

Catherine sighed. She had enjoyed the story, but she was getting tired of talking to Madison. She yawned dramatically and looked at her wedding ring.

"Frankly, Madison, I fail to see how any of this involves me," she said. "It sounds like you've made some very bad choices, and now you're trying to avoid the consequences."

"If you deny responsibility, fine," Madison snapped. "I know that you and Sean ordered Adam to do this, and I know that you helped him hack my ex's account. He's not smart enough to do that on his own. But this does involve you. If these photos get out, it will look bad for you too."

"And just how will it be bad for me?" Catherine asked. "It's not my naked body caught on tape, is it?"

"We're family," Madison said. "If there's a scandal, it'll affect you too."

"That's where you're wrong," Catherine said. "We're not family. Not anymore."

"Just because you're angry with my parents doesn't mean you can turn your back on us," Madison said. "When your father died, my parents took you in and raised you as their own. I was your sister! How could you do this to me?"

"Your family used me for my inheritance and auctioned me off as soon as I was useless to them," she said. "As for you, you asked Adam to rape Sophia and me. We may have our differences, but something like that is completely unforgivable."

"You did the same to me," Madison shouted. "You had Adam rape me too! I bet you and your husband watched like the sick bastards you are. I hope he enjoyed it too because we both know I'm twice the woman you are. In fact, he must be disappointed in his choice after seeing me."

Catherine listened calmly to Madison's angry ravings. Her cousin's eyes were wild with rage, and mouth was practically rabid—a fleck of spit flew from her lips as she screamed. She looked truly unhinged.

"First of all, I stopped him from raping you," she said. "Because I'm a better woman than you, and I'd never do something so twisted and cruel no matter how awful a person you are. Second of all, your obsession with Sean is growing old. You need to move on, Madison. He's not interested in you. I'm sure if it were up to him, he'd forget you ever existed, and I suggest you forget about him. Your new husband won't want you chasing after another man, will he?"

"I'll get you both for this," Madison wailed. "You'll rot in jail."

"Hmm," Catherine said. "I'd be careful if I were you. You do realize how crazy you sound, don't you? The police are more likely to lock you in a mental ward than they are to come after Sean."

"I'll prove you're behind it," Madison hissed.

"Alright," she said. "Good luck with that. See you at the wedding."