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Charlotte slipped out of her parents‘ house at six in the morning.
Usually at this hour, her dad would be out on his morning jog and her mom busy preparing breakfast. Today they were both still asleep, having stayed up until after 2 AM–practically pulling an all–nighter by their standards.
She left a sticky note on the refrigerator.
After disguising herself to exit the complex, she hailed an Uber to Summer’s apartment.
When Summer opened the door, the dark circles under her eyes told the story of a sleepless night.
“Is Issac even fucking human anymore?” she spat. “He’s a goddamn monster! No–calling him a monster is being too generous!”
“And that bitch Evelyn and his witch of a mother–they’re absolute garbage! Lower than animals!”
Since receiving Charlotte’s call in the early hours detailing the previous night’s events, Summer had been seething with rage, practically ready to tear them all to shreds with her bare hands.
While Summer was visibly fuming, Charlotte remained eerily calm.
After stepping inside, she switched to house slippers and asked, “Got anything in the fridge? I’ll whip up some breakfast.”
Summer stared at her in disbelief. “…You seriously have an appetite right now?”
Charlotte draped her coat over a chair, then pushed her nearly volcanic friend onto the sofa.
“Starving ourselves over those pieces of trash isn’t worth it,” she reasoned. “We need fuel if we’re going to destroy them properly.”
She started to pull her hand away.
“Hold up…” Summer grabbed her wrist, examining it closely. Two deep red marks where the bindings had cut almost to blood were clearly visible. She shuddered with disgust. “They tied you up like that–they really weren’t planning to leave you any way out, were they?”
“Nope,” Charlotte responded with a hollow smile. “Not a single escape route.”
“I can understand Evelyn being a vindictive bitch, but Issac…” Summer’s voice caught in her throat. “Even if he doesn’t love you anymore, he could just end things cleanly. Why go nuclear like this? You were together for eight fucking years! To do something this cruel for some woman he’s known for five minutes… I just can’t wrap my head around it.”
“He’d set himself on fire if his new plaything asked him to.”
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“But he was frantically searching for you before, acting like he still gave a damn!”
Gave a damn? Ha…
“Did you know he’s announcing his engagement to Evelyn tonight?” Charlotte asked.
“WHAT?!” Summer’s head snapped around so fast it could have caused whiplash. “You two aren’t even divorced yet! Wait a second…” A disturbing thought formed in her mind. “Do you think he already knew you tricked him into signing the divorce papers?”
Charlotte pressed her lips together. “I’ve considered that possibility.”
Summer continued thinking aloud, “What if they orchestrated this whole thing? His mother keeping you placated while he deliberately pushed your buttons to make sure you’d want out. Once the divorce and settlement agreements took effect, he could dump you without paying a cent.”
“If you didn’t play along, they’d threaten to leak the videos. To keep them from going public, you’d have no choice but to swallow the bitter pill. This way, he and Little Miss Perfect could ride off into the sunset without any loose ends.”
“This man is fucking terrifying…”
Charlotte sank into contemplation.
Was that really what happened?
Replaying Issac’s behavior and Evelyn’s words from last night, she noticed inconsistencies in this theory.
“Summer, I need your help with a few things.”
Summer, her mind consumed with righteous fury and visions of vengeance against the cheating bastard and his mistress, replied emphatically, “Name it. I’d walk through hellfire for you!”
***
7:00 PM. Peninsula Hotel Ballroom.
Spectacular crystal chandeliers, soft classical music, and Manhattan’s elite in designer evening wear–the scene was straight out of a Vanity Fair spread, with champagne flowing and social currencies being exchanged.
Tonight’s charity gala was Amanda Jones’s pet project.
She had invited half of New York’s upper crust, with special attention to the Grantham family, who s full force to support the event.
ed up in
The warmth between the two families wasn’t subtle–anyone with half a brain could read the writing on the wall.
Evelyn had been glued to Issac’s arm since they arrived, obsessively checking her phone every few minutes.
What the hell were those guys doing? No calls, no video, no updates. What went wrong?
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Had they failed? Impossible–they had Charlotte drugged and on the bed. If they’d failed, Charlotte would have stormed in by now seeking revenge. Unless… had they accidentally killed her and were now in hiding?
She pouted like a child denied candy,
How disappointing. Death would ruin all the fun–infecting that nobody with HIV so she’d suffer for years would have been so much more satisfying.
Amanda glided over to them. “Evelyn, darling, come meet some people who are dying to know you.”
With a picture–perfect smile, she led Evelyn away, lowering her voice as they walked. “Did everything go as planned? Did she sign the compensation agreement?”
Evelyn froze momentarily, then answered with manufactured confidence, “Of course. I’ll bring you the agreement tomorrow.”
“Brilliant! You clever girl,” Amanda’s face lit up with triumph.
“It was nothing really. Just a little scheme to help you out, which was totally my pleasure.”
“Such a good girl. Soon you’ll be calling me something else.”
“I can start right now… Mother~”
They exchanged conspiratorial smiles.
Evelyn thought smugly: That pathetic bitch is probably dead anyway, so who cares about some stupid agreement?
Issac, having escaped several tedious conversations, stepped out to the balcony for some air.
He lit a cigarette and made a call. “She’s still at her parents‘ place? Hasn’t left at all? Fine, keep me posted.”
He hung up with a deepening frown, finished his cigarette, and returned to the ballroom.
“Issac, help me decide which one looks better,” Evelyn bounced over with an auction catalog. “Mrs. Linnderman donated this absolutely incredible pink diamond set–the design is so unique! And Mrs. Liu’s ring is gorgeous too…”
“They’re fine,” Issac replied dismissively, barely glancing at the catalog.
His eyes had already moved away when something registered. His expression darkened as he looked back.
That pink diamond set looked disturbingly familiar…
“Let me see that catalog.”
“Sure!” Evelyn happily handed it over, mistaking his interest for engagement with her choices.
Issac turned to the page featuring the pink diamonds.
His frown deepened as he studied it. There was no mistake–this was the complete pink diamond set he had
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personally commissioned in Italy for their anniversary last year. One of a kind, the only set in the world.
How the hell had it ended up in Mrs. Linnderman’s possession?
He couldn’t help connecting this to those empty closets in their dressing room.
“We have the same taste! I love this pink diamond set too. Mrs. Linnderman is practically ancient, it’s completely wasted on her,” Evelyn prattled on, completely missing his thunderous expression.
Issac couldn’t very well confront Mrs. Linnderman with the catalog in the middle of the gala. He snapped a photo and tried to send it to Charlotte, only to discover she had blocked him.
He tried calling her… blocked there too.
A cold feeling of dread spread through him. “Enjoy yourself. I need to leave.”
“What?” Evelyn was momentarily stunned and quickly latched onto his arm. “You can’t leave! Tonight is crucial for
us.”
“Crucial how?” Issac’s confusion deepened.
At that moment, Amanda took the stage as the evening’s hostess. “Before we begin our charity auction, I have a special announcement to make.” She exchanged a meaningful glance with Mrs. Grantham in the audience, then continued with barely contained excitement, “My son Issac Wood will soon be engaged to Miss Evelyn Grantham of the distinguished Grantham family. Tonight, I will personally bid on the most exquisite piece of jewelry as a welcoming gift for my future daughter–in–law.”
Congratulatory applause rippled through the ballroom.
All eyes turned to Issac and Evelyn as well–wishes crescendoed around them.
The Grantham and Wood families beamed with satisfaction.
Evelyn was practically hyperventilating with excitement…
Only Issac stood frozen in disbelief, his mind short–circuiting.
When the hell had he ever said he would marry Evelyn? This was complete insanity!
At the entrance to the ballroom.
A woman in a blood–red sheer gown with a dramatic train stood perfectly still, her long hair case obsidian, her makeup striking yet ice–cold.
g like liquid
Her tall, slender figure moved with lethal grace into the room, the sheer train of her dress and two crimson ribbons wrapped around her wrists floating behind her like a mist of blood.
She was devastatingly beautiful.
So beautiful that every socialite in the room seemed to fade to grayscale in comparison.
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So beautiful… and radiating pure, murderous intent.
“Charlotte Whitmore!”
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Chapter 41
