Chapter 172
Sierra freezes while my chest tightens with disbelief.
“I didn’t! I wasn’t even in the house until this afternoon,” she says, calm but tense, her voice steady with anger.
Brook sneers, taking a couple of steps down, her presence like a live wire. “You’re lying. If it I hadn’t been quick enough, I would have fallen down the stairs and gotten hurt p>
“Brook-“I growl, but she cuts me off.
“No! She needs to leave now, Noah. You need to kick her out!” Her eyes flash toward me. “What if next time she does something worse? I told you she’s here to take Chloe’s place and you didn’t believe me p>
“Are you fucking serious right now?” Sierra asks through clenched teeth.
“Yes” Brook fires back. “You even told me you’re going to win the kids over and then kick me out of their lives”
“You lying bitch!” Sierra moves, but Brook is already moving down the stairs to avoid her.
“See, Noah!” she all but screams. “She’s fucking crazy. You should kick her out right this minute… She’s been spreading rumors in the house that she’s going to be the next Mrs. Wood and that everyone should respect her or they’ll be fired p>
I stare at Brook, my anger rising. I fell for fucking lies last time, but not today. I know there are rumors, but none of them were spread by Sierra… and as for the firing, I’m the one that gave the order that anyone who disrespects her will be fired.
Sierra steps forward, shoulders squared. “And why would I leave? Because you say so?” Her voice is sharp, measured, and in that instant, I realize how much fire she’s been bottling up. “I’ll leave when he decides. You are no one to order me around Brook p>
Brook’s hands twitch before she looks at me, her eyes wet and pleading. “Are you just going to stand there and watch? She tried to push me down the stairs earlier, Noah. Someone this vicious shouldn’t be allowed the kids. What if ”
None of us see it coming. Before anyone can react, Sierra moves and gives a shove. Brook stumbles backward, tripping over the edge of the steps. She lands on the shallow stairs, barely hurt, but the thud echoes.
My gaze moves between Sierra and Brook, while I feel torn. Brook isn’t hurt and I know she’s lying, but pushing her?
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Brook screams, clutching her arm as she rises.
Sierra steps closer, her gaze cold and unflinching. “If I’m going to be blamed for something I didn’t do, I might as well do it first p>
The words hang in the air. I freeze, a thousand conflicting emotions colliding in my chest and a hint of something I can’t name. Power? Defiance? The girl standing in front of me is not the Sierra I knew. She is unyielding and untouchable, and I feel both awe and uncomfortable.
Brook glares at her, furious, but it’s Sierra’s calmness that unnerves me most. Her eyes meet mine for a fraction of a second, as if she’s silently challenging me.
I glance at the stairs, at Brook still shaking with anger and at Sierra standing firm. My heart pounds, my chest is tight, and I realize I’ve been avoiding her for weeks, but seeing her like this, standing her ground, makes me feel both helpless and responsible.
Sierra’s gaze flicks back to Brook, then to me, her expression challenging. It’s impossible to ignore.
Brook snarls, but there’s hesitation now, and I realize she underestimated Sierra. I painfully realize that maybe I underestimated her too.
Sierra doesn’t move, and her voice is steady when she finally speaks again. “I will not be intimidated. Not by you. Not by anyone p>
I swallow hard, my hands still gripping the railing. I want to intervene, to restore order, to assert control but the truth is, I’ve already lost it. This moment, this confrontation, it’s a mirror of the chaos inside me. Guilt for Chloe. Confusion over new and old feelings. Frustration that I’ve let the situation escalate this far. And an undeniable, terrible worry that things will get worse.
Brook snarls again, stepping toward Sierra. “You p>
I finally speak, voice sharp but restrained. “Brook! Enough p>
And without saying anything more, Sierra turns around and climbs back up the stairs, before she disappears down the corridor. 1