Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele

Chapter 128 (Cordelia]

As soon as the decision is made to fight, we all get to work. It's a big job, but together, maybe we can face this problem and find a way to come out on top again.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

After discussing our situation and breaking it down into parts, we all go off on our separate paths to work. towards a resolution.

Atlas contacts his legal team. He made a deal with the Bryants to help free Sydney, but having her then go straight to live TV and verbally attack the Greyson and Steele families goes against their good-faith agreements. The Bryants might fight it, but Atlas' attorneys are better.

Tilly is using the full weight of the Matilda Madison name and calling all of her contacts, including several of Steele Industry's vendors. "None of the money came from her family funds," she explains over and over again. "She's clean of her family's crimes. Cordelia Louise has, and will always have my continued support.

Meanwhile, Clark is busy on his laptop making a montage of my creation process. He has more footage than I expected and he confesses that he was recording me LONG before we hired him. "I...I might have been watching over you for a while," he confesses. "I worry." Atlas pulls me aside to tell me the rest of the truth, that Clark had been the one behind all the messages. He's too embarrassed to tell you," Atlas confides. "Let him keep his secret."

I nod in understanding. Clark has a good heart, but he doesn't always think things all the way through.

When we came back out into the main room, Clark showed me a montage that not only shows all my hard work but also some of my successes and more heroic moments from the Fashion Expo. "You make me look like some kind of superhero," I laugh. "Good," he replies. "That is exactly what we need. The public needs to fall in love with you, Cordy. They need to see you the way your family sees you."

He then shows me another montage, one that is alot less flattering. It reveals all of Sydney's sins, including images of her being arrested and mugshots from her time in jail.

"No," I shake my head. "We want to rise above the slander, we don't want to create any."

"But it isn't slander if it's true," Clark argues. "She is guilty of all of this."

"Yes," I agree with him. "But let's be better than this. Let's show the world that the Steele family can rise above the gossip without creating bad gossip of our own."

Atlas nods in agreement, pulling me in close for a quick kiss between phone calls, pride shining in his eyes.

It is nice, having my family and friends surrounding me with love and solidarity. Atlas by my side, Tilly happily snuggled next to Clark. Even though the world threatens to burn all around us, this feels like a perfect moment.

My job is to look through the burned scraps of everything I was able to salvage. The emerald comb is sitting on top, smiling, I set it aside. It needs a bit of polishing to remove the tarnish from the fire, but it is

otherwise unscathed.

Sighing, I'm sorting through my paperwork when my phone starts to vibrate violently on the tabletop, rattling the glasses. Scooping it up, I flip it open to find my mother's number blinking on the screen. She must have seen the interview too.

"Hi Mom," I answer brightly. "How are you?"

"Cordelia," My mother shouts so loudly through the phone that my eardrums hurt. "You need to leave Atlas alone! Now!"