Seeing Israel walk in, Skyler demanded, "Israel, when did this happen? Did you really get a woman pregnant and force her to have an abortion?"


    Skyler had known nothing about this. Even Jonathan looked shocked; he''d clearly had no idea Israel was capable of such a thing.


    Israel looked utterly defeated. "Dad, Jonathan, I was set up by that woman. How could I possibly take responsibility for someone like her? And who knew she''d get pregnant after just one time? A maniptive woman from a family that''s not even in our league-how could I marry her, let alone let her have my child?"


    When Israel found out about the pregnancy, he had been so consumed by rage that he''d immediately dragged her to the clinic. It was only when she threatened to release a video of their encounter and take him down with her that he realized the magnitude of his mistake. Panicked, he had run to Coleman and Aurora for help. When Coleman heard what had happened, he was furious at Israel''s impulsiveness. If the woman had nned this, she would have been fully prepared. Israel had practically handed her the ammunition she needed.


    Skyler mmed his hand on the table. "You fool! There are a hundred ways to solve a problem, and you chose the stupidest one!"


    Israel hung his head. "I... I was just so angry at the time."


    Ignoring him, Jonathan turned to Coleman and Aurora. "Didn''t you two handle this? What happened? Why is she suddenlying forward now?"


    Aurora frowned. "Her family is a far cry from ours, but she''s cunning. If I hadn''t gone to Leonard for help back then, this news would have been released a long time ago."


    "Coleman, didn''t you resolve this?" Jonathan pressed. "What does she want?"


    "It''s simple," Coleman replied. "She wants to marry into the Williams family. Israel is one of the most eligible bachelors in our circle; countless women want to marry him."


    "And you couldn''t handle her?" Jonathan asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice.


    Coleman sighed softly. "At the time, when she saw she couldn''t get the story out, she seemed to give up. We gave her somepensation. I have no idea why this is happening now."


    Suddenly, Israel''s voice cut through the tension, seething with rage.


    "It has to be Ste! It''s got to be her!"


    Jonathan was silent for a moment. "Do you have proof?"


    "What more proof do I need?" Israel shot back. Who else holds a grudge against us and would pull a stunt like this right now? It has to be Stel Maybe she didn''t have the


    power before, but she definitely does now!"


    Aurora considered this for a few seconds. "If Ste is behind this, then it wasn''t a spur-of-the-moment decision. She must have been gathering this evidence for a


    while."


    Skyler looked at Israel suspiciously. "Israel, did you do something to provoke Star again?"


    After spending so much time with Ste, Skyler hade to


    understand her a little. She wouldn''t release something this damaging unless she had been pushed too for After all, a hit to the Williams family''s reputation would cause the


    would affect her as well.


    Israel''s eyes darted away. "It was just... that day I told her to pay for the car. She couldn''t afford it, so she came up with this nasty little scheme. Women are the worst, truly vicious!"


    Just as Skyler was about to say more, his phone rang. The call was brief, but by the time he hung up, his face was grim.


    "That was the Chapman family," he announced to the room. "They''re canceling the marriage arrangement with Israel for the time being."


    Jonathan and


    Israel had been in


    discussions with the Chapmans about a potential match for their daughter. Israel''s original intended match had been Florrie Watson the sofe heiress of the Watson family.