Chapter 19

Ricky stood frozen, taken aback for a moment before disgust twisted his features. "How dare you talk about your own sister that way? Apologze to Dayna right now!"

Without so much as a word, Amelia let out a scornful laugh. She retrieved her phone and held it up for Ricky,playing a video of Dayna and Jaxton caught in the act.

The sound echoed through the living roomn-male gasps tangled with a woman's breathless moans, the volume cranked so loud that it made the walls seem to vibrate.

A look of terror overtook Dayna. Her voice shook as she said, "Dad, please, you have to let me explain.This isn't what it looks like."

She had never expected Amelia to have such a damning video. Anxiety crashed over her in waves.

Watching Dayna's panic, Amelia felt a cold satisfaction settle in her chest.

Now,her sister would know how it felt to be betrayed by the one close to her. "What's left to explain, Dayna?

Want to tell us it's not you in the video? You are not the one who has slept with Jaxton?"

"That's enough, Amelia!"

Tears spilled down Dayna's cheeks as she lunged for the phone, desperate to stop the humiliation, but Amelia was prepared for her move and held the phone easily out of reach.

The scene left Ricky's face shadowed with fury, his glare switching between Dayna and Janessa.

Wasting no time, Janessa hurried to smooth things over. "Don't listen to her, darling. Amelia is just stirring up trouble. There's obviously some misunderstanding. You know Dayna-she's always been innocent. She would never do such a thing."

As she spoke, Janessa shot Dayna a meaningful look, silently urging her to feign innocence.

Dayna picked up on her meaning instantly. Through tears,she launched into her plea. "Dad, please-it's not what you think. If anyone's to blame, it's my sister. I didn't know if she was truly with someone else, but she was always picking fights with Jaxton. That night, Jaxton was drunk; he thought I was her..."

"Dayna, do you honestly believe that story yourself?" Amelia said.

Dayna ignored Amelia and said to Ricky, "Dad, you can't possibly think I'd do something so shameless,right?"

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and for a moment, Ricky's rigid expression softened, though suspicion still clouded his gaze."Is what you said the truth? Jaxton mistook you for Amelia, and that's why he slept with you?"

"If you don't trust me, call Jaxton yourself to ask him about the matter. For Amelia's sake, I was planning to forget the whole thing ever happened," Dayna said.

Janessa didn't miss a beat, stepping in with watery eyes. "Amelia, as your stepmother, I must point out-Dayna has always protected you. Yet you, as her elder sister, only look for ways to bring her harm. Isn't that a bit heartless?"

Their words left Amelia's face colder than before.

Without acknowledging either woman, she turned to Ricky. "That footage was recorded by a reporter in a hotel. If Dayna's so blameless, why was she even there in the firstplace? Even if Jaxton was as drunk as she claimed, what about her? A man that drunk can't do anything, and in the video, Dayna's the one taking charge.She-"

"That's enough!" Ricky exclaimed, cutting her off with a sharp glare. "This isn't your sister's fault. Put the blame where it belongs-on Jaxton. In the end, this happened because you never truly won his heart, not after all this time."

Stillness swept through the living room. Relief flickered across Dayna's and Janessa's faces after they heard Ricky's words.

Any lingering connection Amelia felt toward her father disappeared at that moment.

"You are always like this, taking her side over mine,"Amelia said, her voice stripped of emotion. All her life, whenever trouble brewed between Dayna and her, Ricky's support for Dayna never wavered-Dayna could do no wrong in his eyes.

With that, Amelia gathered her things and went upstairs, her face expressionless.

A flicker of unease crossed Dayna's features, but Janessa nudged her on. So, she said, "Dad, I'm telling the truth. I can call Jaxton right now, if you'd like-"

"Shut up!" Pain lanced through Ricky's back, forcing him to swallow his frustration. Once he recovered slightly, his attention fixed on Dayna. "Are you ready to be honest now?"

Ricky's voice was calmn, but Dayna could feel the storm brewing beneath his composed demeanor.Meeting his cold gaze, she couldn't help but shiver.

Before she could speak, Janessa tried to smooth things over."Darling,this is all just-"

"I wasn't talking to you." Ricky's interruption was colder than ice."Let her answer for herself. Or are you about to tell me you've known about this all along?"

Ricky shook off Janessa's hand, fixing a fierce gaze on her.

He had chosen not to press the issue of the video in front of Amelia, unwilling to give her the satisfaction of witnessing his frustration. But he wasn't easily fooled; a single glance of the video was enough for him to confirm what had really happened.

Janessa, cornered by Ricky's questions, let her strength drain away and dropped to her knees. Dayna instinctively walked to help her up, but Janessa's quick glance held her back.

Kneeling there, Janessa caught a faint softening in Ricky's hardened expression.

"The footage is real, but don't blame Dayna. Jaxton's the one who pursued her. Dayna has never been anything but innocent. She really had no choice..." Janessa immediately directed blame to Jaxton, casting Dayna as the victim.

Watching Ricky's anger melt away, Janessa tested the waters with a suggestion. "Darling, you know Amelia's loyalty to this family is questionable. Even if she marries Jaxton, there's no guarantee she'll support us. But Dayna is different; she would never betray you. Dayna and Amelia both bear the Flynn name,so why not let Dayna get married to Jaxton?"

"Don't talk nonsense," Ricky retorted, shutting her idea down at once. "Don't let me hear you suggest such a thing again. The engagement between Amelia and Jaxton will not change."

Those words crushed any hope Janessa had been harboring, leaving Dayna crestfallen as well.

Emboldened by desperation, Dayna stepped forward, her voice trembling. "Dad, Jaxton doesn't even care for my sister. His heart belongs to me. Why can't he end things with her and choose me instead? If I were the one engaged to Jaxton, I'd do everything to support our family."

As she spoke, Dayna worried that Ricky might get angry. But seeing him remain silent and not showing any anger,she felt encouraged. "Dad, don't you love me the most? Support me on this, please."

Ricky's voice grew weary. "Dayna, things aren't as simple as you want to believe. Even if I agree to this,you'd have to convince Jaxton to leave your sister for you. And that's probably not going to happen."