Chapter 9 - Margaret Strikes BackMargaret refused to surrender quietly.
Her attorneys launched a counterattack.
They accused Ava of psychological instability.
They questioned Lena's credibility.
They claimed the recordings had been manipulated.
They suggested Ethan was trying to seize control of the family fortune.
For forty-eight hours, the media exploded.
Headlines appeared across Seattle.
STERLING FAMILY WAR TURNS UGLY.
Ava watched the coverage from her bedroom.
Every cruel headline reopened old wounds.
Ethan found her crying.
"I'm sorry."
She shook her head.
"I don't want to hide."
He sat beside her.
"Then we don't."
The next morning, Ava gave her statement.
She didn't speak about money.
She spoke about fear.
About waking up unable to move.
About trusting the woman who brought flowers to her hospital room.
And about realizing that kindness had been an act.
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Her final words became the sentence repeated across every news channel:
"I am not the woman Margaret tried to create."
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