Chapter 7 Sabrina Fridman
Olivia was an old face around here, a childhood buddy of Brianna’s, and their past was nothing short of a nightmare.
Their feud had kicked off ages ago and had only gotten more intense as the years went by.
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When Sabrina saw Olivia’s red–hot fury, she couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle.
“What are you laughing at?” Olivia snapped, her irritation. sky–high, like a pressure cooker about to blow.
Sabrina noticed the barely–leashed anger in Olivia’s body language and didn’t hold back her thoughts.
Still the same dumb little brat, throwing a hissy fit over nothing. Pitiful.
She just had to rub salt in the wound. “You, always stuck in second place, got the time to butt into our business?
“Instead of sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, maybe you should hit the books and finally ditch that ‘runner–up‘ tag.”
Olivia flared up at the insult; being called “second place” was her weak spot, and it really set her off.
But then, as memories of the forum gossip came back to her,
Chapter 7 Sabrina Fridman
some of her anger fizzled out.
Olivia sneered, relishing the thought, “Sabrina, after all the low–down things you’ve done, you’ve been booted out of the Sterling family.
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“It won’t be long before you’re kicked out of school. I can’t wait. to see how long you can keep that smile on your face then.”
She believed now that the Sterling family’s support was gone, Sabrina’s bravado was about to be put to the test..
As Olivia ranted on, Sabrina just kept that calm smile on her face.
“Even without the Sterling family, I’m still me. And as for getting expelled, that’s just wishful thinking on your part.”
Without the Sterling family breathing down my neck, I’ll be in a much better place.
In my past life, I gave up everything for them, never thinking about myself.
I never cared about kudos or achievements; all I wanted was a tiny bit of that so–called family bond that was hardly there.
But no matter how hard I tried, one little pout from Brianna and she got whatever she wanted.
What’s fair about that?
Chapter 7 Sabrina Fridman
This time, I’m going for my reputation and my success.
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Outside, the midday sun was beating down like a hammer, but inside Theodore’s office at Fridman Group, it was as cold as ice.
Theodore lost it. He started hurling stuff off his desk like a madman, sending papers flying everywhere.
His face was a mask of pure rage.
“How the hell do the Sterling family think they can get away with this?”
He’d always thought he was tough as nails, but Matthew had taken things to a whole new level–sending an eleven–year–old girl to Chihiro Island.
He had previously believed the Sterling family was merely relocating her abroad, blissfully unaware of the truth until he noticed the child’s distressed state during their last meal. Otherwise, he would have never known.
Chihiro Island was a place no one spoke of lightly, filled with corruption and violence.
It represented a hell for the innocent, a paradise for the affluent where illegal transactions thrived.
Very few emerged unscathed, and the idea of a child surviving such an ordeal terrified him.
Theodore couldn’t fathom how Sabrina had escaped.
Chapter 7 Sabrina Fridmant
Even he, an adult, felt fear just thinking about it.
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Julian had never witnessed Theodore lose his temper like this before and found himself cursing the Sterling family under his breath as he pressed on with his report.
“Ms. Fridman managed to escape at fourteen, but we can’t find any info on her after that.”
Pausing to consider, Julian added, “It’s possible someone erased her traces from her years abroad.”
Theodore nodded slowly. “True. If someone really went to the lengths of covering up Rina’s life overseas, uncovering it would be challenging.
“Alright, you can go now.”
Once Julian left, Theodore moved to the floor–to–ceiling window. and lit a cigarette, lost in thought.
Theodore had grown up in a dysfunctional family and never had any intentions of tying the knot or starting a family of his own.
So when Sabrina unexpectedly waltzed into his life, it set off a whirlwind of emotions inside him..
At first, he was as skeptical as a cat in a dog pound about her claims. But once the paternity test came back positive, confirming she was his flesh and blood, he found it hard to swallow this bitter pill. He had to force himself to face a reality
Chapter 7 Sabrina Fridman
he’d never even dreamed of.
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It was only then that Theodore truly realized the huge debt he owed this girl.
He’d brought her into the world, but he’d failed to be her shield.
When school let out at five, Sabrina was on the lookout for
the Fridman family car when she spotted that familiar black
Phantom.
“Quit looking. The driver’s not here today,” Theodore called out, striding towards her with long, purposeful steps.
Sabrina’s eyes widened in surprise as he got closer.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her but not showing a hint of suspicion on the outside.
Sure, he’d taken her out to dinner once, but she didn’t believe Theodore was here to pick her up from school.
Sabrina knew only too well how dead set he was against having her as his daughter when they first crossed paths.
“The driver got caught up in something, and I just happened to be available,” he replied. For a split–second, he tensed up, then deliberately averted his eyes.
Sabrina nodded, not questioning his words.
Once they were settled in the car, Theodore broke the silence.
Chapter 7 Sabrina Fridman
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“We’ll go through the proper channels to officially reinstate our relationship later.”
He’d planned this beforehand.
Sabrina stopped what she was doing, taken aback by this sudden
turn of events.
“Why all of a sudden?” she blurted out.
She clearly remembered how reluctant he’d been when they first
mel.
Theodore, aware that she still held onto that initial awkward encounter, felt a twinge of remorse.
“I didn’t know how to come to terms with the fact that you’re my daughter at first,” he said, groping for the right words.
Sabrina got what he meant.
“Do you want to change your name?” he asked tentatively, thinking about how she might feel about her time with the Sterling family.
Sabrina shook her head.
She’d gone by that name her whole life and wasn’t keen on changing it.
Theodore assumed she still felt some attachment to the Sterling family and didn’t press further.
Chapter 7 Sabrina Fridman
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As they arrived at their destination, Theodore quickly processed a series of official documents. Everything went smoothly.
She was no longer Sabrina Sterling.
Now, she was Sabrina Fridman.
After completing the paperwork, Sabrina thought they would head straight back to the Fridman Villa, but instead, Theodore drove them to a shopping mall.
“Aren’t we going home?” she asked, puzzled.
“Buy you some proper clothes,” Theodore replied, glancing at what she was wearing with a slight frown.
For a moment, Sabrina felt the sting of his unspoken judgment.
She looked down at her faded sweatshirt and jeans, feeling a bit shabby.
In the clothing store, Theodore just waved his hand and splurged on a whole bunch of new stuff without batting an eye.
Sabrina didn’t even have to try anything on, which made the whole shopping spree a breeze.
She stole a sidelong look at him, thinking that this take–charge attitude was so Theodore.
They hit one store after another, and Sabrina found herself
Chapter 7 Sabrina Fridman
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getting into the groove of it, even though she winced every now and then at the thought of how much this was costing him.
All that dough… I can only dream of having that kind of cash for myself. I’d be over the moon.
When she was with the Sterling family, all she’d cared about was showing Brianna the door. She’d never given a second thought to making money or planning for the future. With Hailey, Brianna’s mom, being as stingy as they came, she didn’t even have a thousand dollars to her name.
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