Argument
I leaned against the wall outside Mrs. Isolde’s room, rubbing my temples. The last few hours had been a whirlwind of panic and relief. She was stable, but the thought of how close we’d come made my stomach twist.
Then I heard voices approaching—sharp, authoritative, and unmistakably Vaughn.
“Where is she?” a woman demanded, her voice cold and clipped.
“She’s still in the room,” another voice said, softer but no less commanding.
I turned to see Rowan’s family walking down the corridor like a storm, their presence unmistakable. His mother led the charge, her heels clicking sharply against the tile floor, followed closely by his father and grandfather. Even from a distance, their expressions were grim.
My heart sank.
“There she is,” his mother said the moment she spotted me. Her eyes narrowed, and she marched straight toward me, her perfectly manicured finger pointed accusingly. “You.”
I straightened, crossing my arms to steady myself. “Mrs. Vaughn.”
“What have you done?” she snapped, stopping just short of my personal space.
“Excuse me?” I said, frowning.
“You’re responsible for this,” she said, her voice rising. “Mother’s collapse. Her fainting spell. You were supposed to be looking after her!”
I blinked, taken aback. “I am looking after her. She’s stable and recovering well. If you want to be angry at someone, maybe direct it at whoever has been stressing her out or skipping family check-ins.”
Her eyes blazed, but Rowan’s father cut in before she could respond. “This is not the time for petty blame games.”
“Blame games?” she said, turning to her husband. “She’s been in charge of Mother’s care, and now she collapses? That’s negligence, Edward. Pure and simple.”
I clenched my fists, my voice firm but calm. “With all due respect, Mrs. Vaughn, I’ve done everything in my power to ensure Mrs. Isolde’s health and well-being. She fainted because of low blood pressure and not eating. It wasn’t neglect—it was a medical issue.”
“Convenient,” she sneered. “For you, I mean.”
“Charlotte,” Rowan’s grandfather said, his voice low and authoritative. “Enough.”
But she ignored him, stepping closer. “We’ve tolerated you for far too long. First the scandal with Rowan, and now this. You’re a liability, and I think it’s time you stepped down.”
“Stepped down?” I repeated, my voice rising slightly. “This isn’t a job I’m doing for status or money. I’m here because I care about Mrs. Isolde, something you clearly don’t understand.”
“How dare you,” she hissed, her face flushing.
“I dare because it’s the truth,” I shot back. “If you want to fire me, go ahead, but Mrs. Isolde is the one who asked me to be here. And last time I checked, it’s her opinion that matters, not yours.”
“Enough!” Rowan’s grandfather barked, his cane tapping against the floor. “This is neither the time nor place for this nonsense.”
“But Father—” Charlotte began, but he silenced her with a glare.
“Let the girl speak,” he said, his sharp eyes fixed on me. “You say Mother wanted you here. Why?”
“Because she trusts me,” I said, my voice steady. “And because she knows I’ll put her health first, even when her own family doesn’t.”
The tension in the hallway was palpable. Charlotte opened her mouth to argue, but the hospital door behind us opened, and Rowan stepped out.
His gaze swept over the scene, lingering on my tense stance and his mother’s angry expression. “What’s going on?” he asked, his voice calm but with an edge.
“Your mother wants to fire me,” I said bluntly, not bothering to sugarcoat it.
Rowan frowned, turning to his mother. “Is that true?”
“Rowan, this woman—”
“Is the reason Grandmother is stable right now,” Rowan cut in, his tone firm. “If you want to blame someone, maybe take a look at yourselves and how often you’ve ignored her needs.”
His mother’s face flushed, her mouth opening and closing without a word.
“She’s fine, by the way,” Rowan continued, looking directly at me. “The doctors said she’ll make a full recovery.”
I nodded, relieved but still on edge. “That’s good to hear.”
“You’re not firing her,” Rowan said, his voice leaving no room for argument. “If anyone gets to make decisions about Grandmother’s care, it’s Grandmother herself.”
His mother glared at him, her jaw tightening. “You’re making a spectacle of yourself, Rowan. First, you humiliate this family by calling off your engagement, and now you’re defending—”
“Enough,” Rowan interrupted, his tone sharp. “I’m not a child you can lecture, Mother.”
His father, Edward, stepped forward, his face dark with anger. “Then stop acting like one,” he said, his voice low but cold. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done to this family’s reputation? Calling off your engagement with Gigi wasn’t just a personal decision—it was a business disaster. And now you’re seen gallivanting around with—”
“Careful,” Rowan warned, his gaze narrowing.
“With a woman from nowhere,” Edward continued, his voice rising. “You’ve embarrassed this family, Rowan. You’re a disgrace.”
Rowan’s fists clenched at his sides, but his voice remained steady. “I won’t apologize for making decisions that are right for me. And I won’t let you turn this into some cheap scandal to deflect from your own failings as a father.”
Edward’s face reddened. “Failings? My only failing was giving you too much freedom. Letting you run wild, thinking you could do whatever you wanted without consequence.”
“I’m not running wild,” Rowan said, his voice rising slightly. “I’m taking control of my life, something you’ve tried to dictate for far too long.”
“You don’t even remember your own life, Rowan,” Edward snapped. “And yet here you are, throwing away the only stability you have. Gigi was good for you. She was good for this family.”
“Gigi was good for your business connections,” Rowan shot back. “She wasn’t good for me.”
Edward scoffed, shaking his head. “You’re selfish. You’re throwing away everything we’ve worked for because you can’t control your whims.”
“This isn’t about whims,” Rowan said, stepping closer to his father. “It’s about me being an adult and making my own decisions. You might not like them, but you don’t get to dictate my life anymore.”
“You think you’re an adult?” Edward sneered. “Adults take responsibility for their actions, Rowan. Adults don’t embarrass their families by kissing some woman on a balcony while their fiancée is left in the dark.”
“I don’t have a fiancée anymore,” Rowan said coldly. “And I won’t let you or anyone else use that as leverage against me. I called off the engagement because it was the right thing to do—for both of us.”
“Right for you,” Edward corrected. “You didn’t think about the consequences for anyone else.”
Rowan laughed bitterly, running a hand through his hair. “Consequences? You’re so concerned about consequences when all you’ve ever cared about is appearances. Tell me, Father, when was the last time you actually cared about what I wanted?”
Edward opened his mouth to respond, but Rowan cut him off. “No, don’t bother. I already know the answer. Never.”
“Rowan,” his grandfather said, stepping between them. His voice was calmer but no less commanding. “This isn’t the time to air personal grievances. Your behavior has been reckless, yes, but there’s still a chance to fix things.”
Rowan’s gaze flicked to his grandfather, his jaw tight. “I don’t need to fix anything. I’m not some broken piece of your perfect puzzle. I’m done living for this family’s approval.”
“You think you can just walk away from us?” Edward demanded. “You’d be nothing without this family, without what we’ve built for you.”
“I’d rather be nothing than a puppet,” Rowan said, his voice hard. “I’m not going to be controlled by you anymore. Not by you, not by Mother, not by anyone.”
The room fell into a tense silence, the weight of Rowan’s words settling heavily.
“You’re making a mistake,” Edward said finally, his tone low and dangerous.
“No,” Rowan said, his gaze unwavering. “I’m finally doing what
’s right—for me.”
Without another word, he turned and walked down the hallway, leaving his stunned family behind.
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