She Slapped Me on Live TV, Then I Buried Her Family

Chloe Ashford, the spoiled princess of the Ashford dynasty—they call her the human lie detector. Lie to her face, and she snaps and slaps you across the face. And somehow, she's always right. When Chloe was barely two, her mother, Vivian, lost her baby after being secretly drugged. Little Chloe could barely walk, but she toddled over to her father's mistress. She grabbed the woman by the hair and smacked her over and over with her tiny hand. "Bad lady! Baby killer!" That was the first time people started whispering. The kid could smell a lie. Then, at eight, she did it again. This time, it happened at a dinner hosted by the Blackwoods—the most powerful family on the East Coast. That night, Richard Blackwood himself was there. So was his wife, Eleanor. And his favorite mistress was there too—the mother of his only son, Ethan. Chloe marched right up to the mistress and slapped her clean across the face. "Liar! You were sleeping with a bodyguard before you ever crawled into Mr. Blackwood's bed!" Within a week, the mistress was dead. Officially, an accidental overdose. Nobody bought it. But nobody said a word, either. Eleanor took the dead woman's little boy and raised him as her own. That boy grew up to be Ethan Blackwood, heir to the family empire. As for Chloe Ashford? Untouchable. Nobody wanted to cross the girl who could expose your darkest secret with one slap. Until today. Ethan's engagement gala. Eleanor wants a bride she can control. Chloe is her top pick. And me? I'm Charlotte Hastings, daughter of Eleanor's biggest obstacle. My father is Richard's right hand—the only man in the family Eleanor can't touch. I walked in tonight as Ethan's other choice for a bride. Cameras everywhere. Half of Manhattan watching live. Chloe hasn't slapped anyone in years. But now she's storming straight at me, hand raised. "YOU! America's golden girl? Please. You've been passed around by half the city!" The room goes dead silent. One slap, and my name is gone. Too bad I'm not the easy target they think I am. --- Fine when she plays her little games with other girls. But coming after me? On live TV? The slap was coming down when Daisy jumped in and caught her wrist mid-swing. Chloe yanked twice, couldn't break free, and out of pure humiliation whipped her other hand across Daisy's face. "I'm an Ashford, you cheap little assistant! You dare put your hands on me?" Daisy took the hit and didn't let go. Her eyes went red. "My lady is Mr. Blackwood's right hand's daughter! Mr. Blackwood himself has praised her character in front of the entire family. You don't get to smear her just because you're throwing a tantrum!" Chloe snorted. "You gonna use Mr. Blackwood to scare me? He knows about my thing. That dinner years ago—" "Chloe, shut up!" The second the old scandal was mentioned, Vivian—Chloe's mother—went white. She rushed forward, stopping in front of Richard and Eleanor. "Sir. Ma'am. My daughter didn't mean to drag Miss Hastings into this. She's just—she's had this condition since she was a baby. She can't stand a lie. Every time the staff argues at home, she settles it, and she's never once been wrong. Maybe it just misfired today. Let me take her home before she ruins the gala." A chill ran down my spine. Because what she just said? That wasn't an apology. That was another headline waiting to happen. Chloe's a walking polygraph. She does everything on instinct. That dinner years ago proved it. So whatever she said today must be true, too. The room erupted in whispers. Even Richard and Eleanor looked grim. If I don't clean this up right now, I lose everything. My name. My father's name. The entire Hastings reputation—gone. And once the other families hear this, my father won't be able to protect us anymore. I stepped forward, keeping my back straight. "Sir. Ma'am. My family's name is on the line. Give me a chance to prove myself." "If Miss Ashford is telling the truth, I'll take whatever comes next. So will my family." Silence. Then Eleanor's voice cut through the room, cool as ice. "Every liar swears they're innocent, honey." Translation: don't waste your breath, sweetheart. My heart shot up into my throat. Then, thank God—Richard's deep voice cut her off. It was low, cold, and final. "I've praised the Hastings girl myself. I'll give her a chance." ---

"Thank you, sir." I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, stood up, and walked straight over to the Ashfords. Vivian pushed her behind her and forced a smile. "So sorry, Miss Hastings. She's just a kid running her mouth. A woman of your standing—please, don't stoop to her level." Oh, we're playing that game. "Anybody accused of what she just accused me of would fight back," I said, my voice flat. "Drop the sweet act. Otherwise, people are going to think the Hastings are the bullies here." Her face froze. She hadn't expected me to fight back. Then Chloe shoved her way out from behind her mother, tears in her eyes, screaming at me. "Miss Hastings! If you've got a problem, take it up with me. Leave my mom out of it!" "If you weren't such a lying slut, my condition wouldn't have kicked in!" Just like that—I'm the villain again. The society wives around us started nodding. "Vivian is just protecting her daughter. But that kind of behavior from Miss Hastings? Clearly, her father raised her wrong. "And she's supposed to marry the Blackwood heir?" My nails cut into my palms. My father is Richard's right hand. He's spent his whole life protecting this family. And now his name is being dragged through the mud because of me? Absolutely not. I stared her dead in the eye. Cold. Steady. "Miss Ashford says I'm not a virgin. Fine. Bring in Eleanor's private physician and have me examined right here." Chloe fired back instantly. "Please. There's a hundred ways to fake a medical exam these days. Hymen surgery is a Google search away." I nodded. Blank face. "So there's no way I can ever prove myself. Got it." Chloe paused, bit her lip, and started letting the tears roll—the perfect little wounded damsel in her thousand-dollar dress. "I'm not out to get you. I just can't stand a liar." The room went quiet. A smug smile tugged at Eleanor's lips. "Miss Hastings. Anything else to say?" I looked down. "No, ma'am." "Then—" Meredith, Eleanor's personal assistant, suddenly stepped forward. "Eleanor, I have a—crude suggestion. It might help Miss Hastings clear her name." "Oh? Let's hear it." "Medical exams can be faked. But a woman's body can't lie. Bring in a man who knows his way around women. Let him spend one night with Miss Hastings, and he'll know the truth." The entire room gasped. A few guests exchanged uneasy looks. Someone even snickered behind a cocktail napkin. "Well, that's genius. Prove she's clean by making her dirty. Who'd marry her after that? Guess her daddy will have to hand her off to some guy from the projects." Another woman shook her head. "A girl's reputation is everything. Once it's ruined, no decent man will want her." Eleanor looked at me, putting on her best sympathetic-mother act. "Here's an idea. I have a cousin on the Ellsworth side of the family. He's never held down a real job, already has three ex-wives and a string of girlfriends. Bit of a playboy, but he can settle this quickly." "Marry him, and I'll personally make sure you're taken care of down the road." Daisy's hand was shaking on my sleeve. "Miss, don't. They're backing you into a corner. Don't you dare say yes." I patted her hand. Then I spoke, calm as ever. "Thank you, ma'am. But no." Eleanor stared at me. Waited to see if I'd flinch. I didn't. Her face dropped. "Fine. You want to do this the hard way? Even if you take the fall alone, the Hastings family will still pay for covering it up. Security—" I lifted my chin and looked her straight in the eye. "Eleanor. Slow your roll." ---

"You can't prove your innocence—stop wasting our time!" I pointed straight at Chloe. "What if she can't prove she's telling the truth either?" Chloe's mother dropped to her knees again, wailing. "My daughter's gift is real! You can't drag her through this circus! It's been documented for years. Half of New York has seen it for themselves!" I ignored her, and let my eyes sweep the room. "If it's so real, why is she scared to prove it in front of Mr. Blackwood? Let's settle this today. Then next time she opens her mouth, nobody will have to argue with her." The crowd around us started nodding slowly. Fair point. A little test never hurt anyone. Otherwise, what? She gets to decide who's lying and who's telling the truth with one slap? Eleanor slammed her palm down on the arm of her chair. The diamonds on her bracelet rattled. "This is about *you*, Miss Hastings. Don't drag other people in!" "The Hastings girl has a point." Richard's voice. Sudden. Final. Eleanor's face twitched. She opened her mouth to push back—too late. "Test her." I turned to Chloe, who now looked like she was about to throw up. I smiled sweetly. "So, Chloe. What did I eat for breakfast? How much cash is in my purse? What perfume am I wearing?" Chloe's eyes flicked sideways. Then, robotic: "You had—a green smoothie. Cash, cash…" She stopped. Something clicked in her head. She dug in. "I'm a lie detector, not a mind reader! How would I know what you had for breakfast?!" Bingo. I smiled and repeated her, word for word. "Just a lie detector. Not a mind reader. Doesn't know what I ate for breakfast." "So what?!" "So nothing. Just establishing the ground rules of your little gift, sweetheart." I locked eyes with her. Smile gone. "I had oatmeal this morning." Chloe blinked. Confused. "I brought a handkerchief in my purse." Nothing. "Huh. She didn't slap me. Must be true, then." Now Chloe caught up. She flushed red. "That's because you weren't lying!" I went on. "My handkerchief has small roses embroidered on it." Her eyes flashed. She lunged, hand raised, straight for my face. "Liar! Your handkerchief has lavender sprigs on it!" Fast. Vicious. Daisy jumped to block her, but the slap sailed right past her shoulder and cracked across my cheek. My head snapped sideways. Skin burned instantly. Chloe wound up for another one. Daisy tackled her, taking three, four hits to the face without flinching. I rushed in to pull them apart and nearly caught nails to the eye. Richard's face darkened. His chief of security snapped his fingers. "In front of Mr. Blackwood—get yourselves together! Separate them, now!" I finally got Daisy back to my side. Dabbed at her split lip with a tissue. My chest ached. Daisy shook her head, tears in her eyes, staring at my swollen cheek. "Miss, I'm so sorry." Chloe rubbed her wrist, smug as hell. "Sorry, Charlotte. Told you—I can't help it. Somebody lies, I gotta shut them up. She had it coming." Daisy turned around, glaring at her, and said out of nowhere: "I love daisies." Chloe's eyebrow shot up. She sneered. "Bullshit! Your name's Daisy, but the flower you actually love is tulips!" She wound up to charge again. One glance at Richard's face and Eleanor cut in fast, silky-smooth. "Enough, Miss Ashford. Behave yourself. You're in front of Mr. Blackwood." ---