No More Picking Up His Pieces Chapter 09

No More Picking Up His Pieces Chapter 09: I’m Done Playing Along

After Arabella spoke, silence settled over the street. Even the wind seemed to go still.

Maxwell’s face darkened. “I didn’t choose.”

Arabella nodded. “Right. You didn’t.”

She gave him a faint smile. “You just put her embarrassment first, the Kingston family’s reputation second, and me last. Then you turned around and asked if I was done making a scene.”

Daisy stood off to the side, her face pale. She bit her lip, looking as if she had been the one wronged. “Ms. Wayne, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?” Arabella cut in without even looking at her. “You wore my bridal jewelry set, wrapped yourself in my husband’s coat, and now you’re standing here calling it a misunderstanding?”

Daisy’s eyes immediately welled with tears. “I wasn’t trying to take anything from you.”

Arabella finally turned to her. “You weren’t?”

She let out a short laugh. “Daisy, do you think I’m blind, or do you think I’m stupid?”

“You had the bridal jewelry set brought backstage. You posted that Instagram story yourself. You wrote that sweet little caption thanking the Kingston family for letting you share their spotlight.”

“After all that, you’re still trying to play innocent?”

Daisy’s face grew paler with every word, and she instinctively looked to Maxwell for help.

Maxwell’s expression tightened. “Enough.”

Arabella turned to him, her eyes going completely cold. “Enough? Are you saying I’ve said enough, or she’s put on enough of an act?”

Maxwell looked at her, his voice low and strained. “Do you have to do this in the middle of the street?”

Arabella’s anger drained out of her all at once, not because he had talked her down, but because she was tired.

She had thought that since Maxwell had chased her all the way here, he might at least say one decent thing.

But even now, all he saw was the scene she was making, the Kingston family’s image, and the mess he had to clean up. She still came last.

Arabella nodded. “Fine.” With that, she turned to leave.

Maxwell immediately reached for her. “Arabella.”

She jerked her arm free. “Don’t touch me.”

Her movement knocked his hand aside with enough force to scrape the back of it, right over the bite mark she had left there earlier.

Daisy looked startled and took half a step forward. “Maxwell, are you okay?”

Arabella stopped. When she saw the concern on Daisy’s face, she actually laughed. “You two really are perfect for each other.”

Maxwell’s expression changed. “Arabella.”

She ignored him, opened the car door, and got in.

Maxwell strode over and braced one hand against the door. “Get out.”

Arabella sat in the driver’s seat and turned her head toward him. “Mr. Kingston, do you have nothing better to do today?”

“I said get out.”

“No.”

He stared at her, barely holding back his anger.

Daisy stood nearby, pale and soft-spoken. “Maxwell, don’t pressure Ms. Wayne. She’s upset right now.”

Arabella leaned back in the driver’s seat and laughed. “Daisy.”

Daisy froze at the sound of her name.

Arabella looked at her and spoke slowly. “Say his name one more time, and I’ll post the backstage video.”

Daisy’s face went white at that warning.

Maxwell’s eyes darkened. “Arabella, stop this.”

The warning in his voice only drained the last of Arabella’s patience. She lowered her head, locked the car door, and stepped on the gas.

Maxwell had no choice but to pull his hand back.

As the car pulled away, Arabella saw Maxwell still standing there in the rearview mirror, Daisy beside him. The sight made her stomach turn, and she looked away almost immediately.

—

As soon as Arabella returned to the workshop and shut the door, Brooke rushed over. “Arabella, what happened?”

Arabella tossed the car keys onto the table. “Nothing good.”

“What about Mr. Kingston?”

“He was with Daisy. They looked like a perfect match.”

Brooke’s face scrunched in disgust. “I knew it.”

She spun in place, furious. “What the hell is wrong with that man? He looks normal enough most of the time, but the second it actually matters, he throws you under the bus and protects someone else.”

Arabella had been expressionless, but at that, she suddenly laughed. “That’s actually a pretty good summary.”

“It’s not a summary. It’s the truth. He has serious issues.” After cursing him out, Brooke paused and looked at her carefully. “Arabella, are you okay?”

Arabella didn’t answer. She walked to the restoration bench and began gathering the scattered drafts, her movements quick and steady.

After a few seconds, she said, “Brooke.”

Brooke immediately looked up. “Yeah?”

“Give me Charlotte’s number.”

Brooke froze. “Now?”

“Now.”

“What are you going to do?”

Arabella glanced at her. Her eyes were no longer red, and the calm on her face made her seem even colder than before. “Sue them.”

A chill ran down Brooke’s back. This time, she had a distinct feeling everything was about to blow up.

—

An hour later, the small conference table in the workshop was covered with documents.

There were the restoration authorization form, the restoration log, before-and-after photos, archived videos, work records, payment records, the original restoration quote, and screenshots of Kingston Group’s promotional copy for the treasure loan exhibition.

Charlotte Davis, Arabella’s attorney, had known her since before her marriage. She was in her thirties, with short hair and a sharp, efficient air.

When Charlotte walked in and saw the table, she raised an eyebrow. “How long have you been putting this file together?”

Arabella pushed the last photo toward her. “Three years.”

Charlotte gave a short laugh. “So you didn’t just start protecting yourself from the Kingston family today.”

Arabella lowered her eyes and didn’t answer. She had never thought things would come to this.

At first, she had kept those records only out of professional habit. In the end, every single one of them had turned into evidence she could use to fight back.

Charlotte read quickly, and the more she read, the fainter her smile became. At last, she pulled out the restoration authorization form and tapped it against the table. “This is the strongest piece.”

“The bridal jewelry set was authorized as a private Kingston wedding piece and was expressly not meant for public display.”

“By calling it a treasure loan exhibition, they’re not just cutting you out of the attribution. They’re misrepresenting the authorization itself and trying to pass your restoration work off as part of Kingston Group’s own collection.”

Arabella looked at her. “Can we sue?”

Charlotte looked up. “Are you asking whether we have a case, or whether we can make Kingston Group hurt?”

Arabella paused. “Both.”

Charlotte smiled. “Then yes.”

She sorted the materials into two piles. “This pile goes with the demand letter. We’ll focus on attribution rights, copyright, and ownership of the restoration work.

“The other pile stays ready. If they push back or make this worse, we move straight into IP infringement and unauthorized commercial use.”

Brooke was fired up. “Arabella, hit them hard.”

Arabella didn’t smile. She only looked at the two piles of documents, then suddenly asked, “What if Maxwell steps in himself?”

Charlotte paused and looked up at her. “Are you afraid you won’t be able to go through with it?”

Arabella was quiet for two seconds. Then she shook her head lightly. “No. I’m afraid I’ll fold.”

Charlotte studied her for a moment, then understood.

The most dangerous part for Arabella right now wasn’t whether she still loved Maxwell. It was that she knew exactly what kind of man he was.

If he truly backed down, coaxed her properly, and softened even a little, Arabella might still waver.

But that was the problem. Even now, Maxwell still hadn’t learned how to back down. He only knew how to force her to.

Charlotte closed the file. “If you’re afraid you’ll go soft, then don’t see him.”

“I’ll send the documents. I’ll handle the process. You only need to remember one thing: from the moment you left the Kingston mansion, this stopped being a fight between husband and wife.

“This is about protecting your rights against Kingston Group and reclaiming your reputation from the Kingston family. You can deal with the man later. Get your name back first.”

Arabella looked at her, then suddenly nodded. “Okay.”

—

Near midnight, Brooke sat off to the side with her laptop in her arms, yawning so often she could barely keep her eyes open.

Arabella still hadn’t slept. She sat by the window with her phone in hand, staring at the message thread for a long time.

Maxwell hadn’t sent a single message.

It wasn’t hard to guess why. He was probably busy dealing with Daisy, the trending list, and the Kingston family’s reputation. Arabella was not on that list.

Her phone suddenly buzzed. It wasn’t Maxwell. It was Charlotte.

[The letter has been sent. Maxwell and Kingston Group Legal have both been copied.]

A screenshot of the document was attached below, its title clearly visible: [Demand Letter Regarding Attribution Rights and IP Infringement in the Bridal Jewelry Set Restoration]

Arabella stared at those words, and the weight in her chest eased slightly. For the first time that night, she felt as if she could finally breathe.

She had just set down her phone when a heavy bang sounded outside the door, as if someone had kicked it hard.

Brooke jolted upright. “Arabella.”

Arabella looked toward the door.

The next second, Maxwell’s hoarse, restrained voice came from outside. “Arabella. Open the door.”