CHAPTER 153: FAMILY FIRESTORM
As she lay on her bed, Diana reached for her phone and called her husband.
He picked up on the very first ring.
"Hey, treasure," Diana said softly.
"How are you and our daughter?" James asked. His tone was calm, too calm. Like he was trying hard to suppress something.
"We're good. You?"
"I'm okay," he replied.
A short silence fell between them.
James wished more than anything that he could be there with her right now.
"Diana," he called out her name like a whispered prayer.
Her heart skipped. "Is everything okay?" she asked quickly.
James wanted to tell her everything about the plans his relative was scheming with Cassandra, about the danger circling her like vultures. But even he didn't know the full details. All he could do was protect her, in his own way.
She didn't ask for this life, this danger.
She deserved peace.
He wanted to glue her to his side 24/7, just so he could breathe knowing she was safe. But he couldn't do that. She had her own life to live.
So, instead of burdening her with half-truths, he said, "Nothing much. I'm just glad to hear you're safe and sound. That's all."
But Diana could hear it. Something in his voice—something strained. Still, she didn't press. If he didn't want to talk about it now, she would wait until he was ready.
"Did Grandma settle in fine?" he asked, steering the conversation elsewhere.
"Yes, she did. My parents were so welcoming that she had no choice but to settle in fine."
James smiled faintly and nodded. "That's good to hear."
"I'm still at work," he added. "Have some things to finish before heading home."
"Home?" Diana repeated. "You have a home there?"
"We have a home here," James replied.
Diana grinned into the phone. "Is it like our house here in the U.K.?"
"It's better, baby. Why? You want to come see it?"
Diana huffed. "Never mind, I asked."
James chuckled quietly. "Alright then. Take care of yourself for me, baby."
"I will. And… I love you," Diana whispered.
But there was no return of those three words.
All she got was:
"Goodnight."
Diana sighed and ended the call. She didn't want to overthink it. So, she turned over and headed straight to sleep.
Meanwhile, James stared at the call screen for a long time. He felt a little bad.
He wanted the next time he told her "I love you" to be face to face.
Some moments were just worth the wait.
***************************************
A few days earlier…
A fuming Belle stormed into the Higgins household, her voice ringing through the house.
"MOM! MOM!" she yelled again, making the entire household come running.
Harold, on seeing his niece's swollen face, jumped up in alarm.
"What the hell happened to your face?!"
"Well, is it not that your bastard of a son?!" Belle flared, unable to keep it in.
Jasmine rushed to her daughter, holding her as Belle burst into sobs in her arms.
Margaux stepped forward, her tone calm but firm.
"Belle, tell us what happened clearly."
Belle sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.
"I walked into the mall with Philip," she began.
Everyone knew who she meant. The name alone told them everything—he was the man she'd been dating for a while now.
"While we were there, we bumped into Diana. She was shopping for a suit. So of course, I kindly asked her if she was buying a suit for another man instead of my cousin, who is supposed to be her husband. And the next thing I got was a slap. Right across the face. No warning."
"What?!" Jasmine gasped. "You mean Diana slapped you?!"
"Yes, Mom, she did! And when Philip tried to defend me, James appeared from nowhere and broke his limbs."
Everyone in the room shuddered at that, Harold was not excluded.
"And even after that," Belle continued with teary eyes, "Diana still slapped me twice. She made me kneel in front of her husband and apologize!"
"How dare that bitch!" Jasmine exploded. "Because she has James by her side, she feels untouchable? How dare her?!"
Her face twisted with rage, and she wasn't alone. Every family member in that room wore a similar expression; fury, shock, disgust.
Belle, watching their reactions, felt satisfaction swell inside her but of course, she didn't show it.
"Harold, I think your son and his wife have taken it too far this time," Roberta exclaimed, visibly fuming.
"How dare he! What even makes him think he's extraordinary? He's no different from a dog who's been fed scraps for fifteen years by us! Yes! If not for your kindness, he would've been nothing."
"He wouldn't even have become the man he is today," Margaux chipped in bitterly.
Harold placed both hands on his head as the headache he'd been suppressing began to surface. He turned to leave when his wife's sharp voice halted him.
"Well, Harold, are you seriously not going to do something about this?" Jessica challenged, arms folded. "You can't just walk out on us like this! Your niece came to you with something this serious, and all you can do is walk away?"
Harold didn't respond. He kept walking till he reached his room. Once inside, behind closed doors, he picked up his phone and made a call.
The voice on the other end answered instantly.
"Hello Dad!"
"Daryl… I think it's time for you to come back home."
"Why all of a sudden?" his son asked. "Do you really think now is the right time to make my identity known?"
"Now couldn't be better, son," Harold replied, his tone heavy. "Something urgent has come up. Someone is beginning to stir trouble for the family. And it's also time I hand the company over to capable hands. I trust by now, your training is done?"
"Almost," Daryl responded. "But even if it's not, I'll wrap it up fast. I'll be in England by next week."
"Good. See you then."
Harold ended the call and sat heavily on the bed, letting out a long sigh.
Daryl was his trump card against the so-called mighty James.
It was as if he had known this day would come that the tension between them would boil over. So he had prepared quietly, in the shadows.
For James to lay a finger on his niece meant only one thing: war had been declared. And what made it worse was that James knew exactly what he was doing and did it anyway.
Harold wasn't going to let that go. Not this time.
He would make James pay for every humiliation he had caused him over the years both past and present.
For taking his precious wife.
For turning her against him.
For making him look powerless in his own family.
He was going to make James regret every single action…
And this time, he would strike where it hurt the most.