CHAPTER 179: STONE STEPS AND SOFT VICTORIES
She was eating slowly, minding her own business, when the door burst open and Vanessa walked in holding a ridiculously large bouquet of flowers, shouting at the top of her lungs:
"Good news! Good news! Good news!"
Diana raised her brows, meeting her grin with a generous smile of her own. "Okay, what's the good news, Vani, since you had the guts to greet me like that first?"
Vanessa chuckled as she dropped the bouquet and took a seat beside her bedside, her grin refusing to fade.
"First news on the list," she said dramatically, "we no longer have investors, Di."
Diana's brows furrowed in confusion. "What happened to them? Did they all leave?"
"Well…" Vanessa began, her voice trailing with mischief. "Something funny happened that day. They came to the establishment. Apparently, they had planned a meeting, one you and I clearly weren't informed about. They stormed in, loud and dramatic, with armed bodyguards and their egos strapped to their chests. They were shouting at the top of their lungs, saying you'd been ignoring their calls and messages. Said they came to cause a ruckus until you came out."
Diana's jaw dropped slightly. "What?!"
"Girl, I was shocked too! I didn't know what to do. If I left them alone, they might have started smashing things. So I picked up my phone and called someone."
"Who did you call Vani?" Diana asked warily, narrowing her eyes.
"Angelo," Vanessa said shamelessly, folding her arms with a smirk. "Angelo. Diana. And you should be thanking me. Within an hour, he was at the building, well-dressed, calm, deadly with a full team of his own men and the police."
"Without much back-and-forth, the officers arrested the investors for causing a public disturbance and trying to incite violence. And guess what?" Vanessa leaned in, lowering her voice with a grin. "Right there in their cell, with their pride stripped and their sweat dripping, they relinquished their rights and claims to D.A.L.F Catering Company."
"Of course, it came with a settlement from Stone Group," Vanessa added quickly, "but the point is: they're gone, Di. You don't owe them anything anymore. You're free. Completely."
Diana sat frozen, the spoon halfway to her mouth. "Wait… James did that?"
Vanessa smiled knowingly. "I didn't say it. But you did."
Diana's heart pounded in her chest, her eyes misting over. He hadn't even said a word. He just... fixed it.
He handled it, quietly, fiercely, like always.
And somehow, knowing that shook her even more than the chaos ever did.
"The news spread like wildfire, sparking another wave of commotion across the media space. But what made it worse or better, depending on how you saw it—was what happened next."
"Stone Group's PR team released a statement later that day announcing that they were now the sole investors of D.A.L.F Catering Company.'
"What?!" Diana screamed, almost knocking over her cup. "Stone Group did what?"
"Yeah, I know, right?" Vanessa nodded, eyes shining, clearly still giddy.
Monica chuckled softly and nudged Diana playfully by the side. "See, Di? I told you. That man still really cares about you. Don't lose hope yet."
Diana turned to Monica, her eyes already brimming with tears. "I know, right… it's so clear," she whispered shakily. "And I've done nothing but cause him stress… dragged his name through the mud just because he's attached to me. The one thing he asked of me, the one thing..." her voice broke, "I couldn't even give him."
"Hey, don't think like that for one moment," Monica cut in gently but firmly, her voice soft with conviction. "Never think that way again, Diana. We're going to set things right, I promise you."
Diana nodded slowly and sniffed, then turned to Vanessa. "Finish the story, Vani."
Vanessa grinned and continued. "After the PR info dropped, the entire internet exploded. Everyone was talking about it. But here's where it gets really crazy, within just a few hours, all the old stories and headlines about your scandal? Gone. Vanished. Wiped completely off the internet like they never existed. And that's still not all. Later that night, Stone Group released another statement."
"They said the CEO himself would address the issue of the recent happenings in the next three days."
Vanessa squealed and reached for Diana's hand. "Di… we've never had more orders than we did in the past 48 hours. Never. It's like the world can't get enough of D.A.L.F Catering now."
Diana's cheeks flushed as she blinked in amazement. "Monica was just telling me the same thing," she said, glancing at her. "She said business has been booming for the girls too."
"Di…" Monica said suddenly, a quiet reflectiveness in her tone. "All we had to do was trust them. Trust their love. Their instincts. Instead, we acted on our own and made foolish decisions... No wonder their pride was wounded."
Diana gave her a teary smile. "Monica, are you trying to make me cry and regret everything again?"
Monica sighed and smiled sadly. She leaned closer and gently rocked her. "It's alright, babe. We're here now. That's what matters."
"Oh, and one more thing," Vanessa said suddenly, perking up like she'd just remembered something important. "The second gown that was brought to you at the party, the one you changed into? Beatrice said I should let you know it was from your husband too."
Diana's eyes widened. "What?" she whispered.
The gown that made her feel like a queen… the one that fit so perfectly it felt like it was stitched straight from her skin. That gown had come from James?
Of course it did.
No wonder it fit like a second skin. No wonder she'd felt… seen.
She placed her hand softly on her chest as the weight of it all sank in again. Her throat tightened, and her eyes brimmed with tears she couldn't hold back. That single gesture somehow hurt more than anything else. Because he still cared. Deeply.
Vanessa noticed the shift and reached across, gently squeezing Diana's hand. "Don't worry, Di. We're all here for you… even when it feels like the rest of the world isn't."
Diana nodded slowly as she looked at the two women beside her. What would she have done without her girls?
After a while, they moved to lighter topics, talking through fresh plans for their businesses, laughing softly as they made arrangements over video calls with the other girls. It wasn't the same as old times, but it was enough for now.
When the calls ended, Monica and Vanessa stood up to leave. They each hugged Diana tightly, showering her with soft kisses and quiet encouragements before walking out of the hospital room.
Now alone in the quiet, Diana sank deeper into the hospital bed. The room suddenly felt too wide, the silence almost overwhelming. Her mind circled around the same thought, what next?
What step should she take regarding James?
But no matter how long she sat in thought, her mind came up blank. The hurt, the guilt, the pressure, it was all too heavy.
With a deep sigh, she curled into herself and drifted into sleep, unsure what tomorrow would bring.