Rising From Ashes: The Lost MC Princess

KALIA TERRY'S POV:

The moment Caleb's words fell, the bar plunged into a dead silence. Even the background rock music seemed to have been cut off.

Every eye in the room was fixed on Devin, watching the emotions play across his face: shock, disbelief, and finally, a profound, soul-crushing humiliation.

His lips moved, but no sound came out. The marriage he was so proud of, his ladder to the top, had just become a public joke.

I could see his chest heaving violently beneath his Sterling Knights cut, as if he were about to explode.

He whipped his head around to face Blair, his eyes stripped of any affection, leaving only the cold fire of betrayal and fury.

Blair's face was a blank canvas, her mind seemingly shut down.

Martha was the first to recover, trying to do damage control. "That's a lie! Who are you to slander the president's daughter?"

But Caleb wasn't looking at her. He lifted the delicate "B" pendant from his pocket, then tapped his phone. A video began to play.

On the screen, Blair was curled over Caleb on rumpled sheets, her loose silk robe slipping off one shoulder.

She was laughing low in her throat as she fastened the identical necklace around his neck, her lips brushing his ear."You have no idea how exhausting it is—smiling at all those people, it gets really boring when they constantly bow and try to please me every day. The only one who knows what I really want. You're my secret. My reward. So stay close. Stay quiet."

She kissed him then, slow and deliberate, her fingers still curled around the pendant.Someone near the bar recognized the necklace instantly—Blair had posted the custom design on her social media, calling it one of a kind.

The room went dead silent. Devin stared at the screen, his face ashen, his fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.

Blair finally broke. A sharp, piercing cry escaped her lips, not of explanation, but of pure, unadulterated despair.

She didn't lunge for Caleb. Instead, she flew at me like a madwoman. "It was you! You did this! You bitch, I'm going to kill you!"

Vince moved with fluid grace, stepping in front of me and easily blocking her frantic attack.

Devin remained frozen, a statue of stone. He didn't help Blair, didn't question Caleb. He was simply drowning in his own public shame.

A patched member of the Sterling Knights, publicly cuckolded. In the MC world, it was the ultimate disgrace.

I stepped out from behind Vince, ignoring Blair's venomous glare.

I walked to an empty table, sat down, and calmly pulled a small notebook and a pen from my pocket.

My action drew everyone's attention.

I opened the notebook and looked up at Devin. His eyes were hollow, his soul seemingly ripped from his body.

"Devin," I said, my voice just loud enough for him to hear. "Since the personal matters are settled, let's talk business."

"First item: the Harley down payment, $6,400. With an 8% annual interest rate over three years, the total comes to approximately $8,060," I spoke as I wrote, the pen scratching against the paper.

My words were like a bucket of ice water, jolting Devin out of his numb humiliation. He snapped his head up, his eyes bloodshot.

"You..." he rasped.

Blair stopped struggling, staring at me in disbelief. She couldn't comprehend why I was calculating money at a time like this.

A flicker of fear crossed Martha's eyes. She was finally realizing I wasn't a woman who could be easily dismissed.

"Second item: the loan shark, $5,000. The interest on that was high. After two years, it's now at eleven thousand dollars," I continued, my pen moving steadily.

"Third item: lawyer fees, twelve thousand dollars. We'll call that one even, no interest."

With every figure I announced, Devin's face grew more strained. This was a fortune to him.

"I won't charge you for the emotional damages and... the other things." I closed the notebook and looked at him. "The total is thirty-one thousand and sixty dollars."

"I'll give you three days. I expect to see the money then."

I stood up, ready to leave.

Blair erupted again. "You'll get nothing!" she screamed, pointing at me. "Not a single cent! I'll have you killed!"

I paused and looked back at her, my eyes cold. "Will you? Let's see what happens first: you having me killed, or me letting the entire town of Charming know that the Sterling Knights' future son-in-law is a kept man and a fraud."

My words hit their mark. For an MC, reputation was sometimes more valuable than life itself.