CHAPTER 10

Selene's POV

I slammed the door behind me, my heels hitting sharply against the floors of the penthouse. The nurse’s voice still echoed in my ears: "It didn’t work." Of course it didn’t. Amanda James was too damn cautious. Too smart. But not smart enough to stay away from Ryan.

With a scream of frustration, I swept my hand across the console table, knocking over a vase of fresh white orchids. The glass shattered against the floor, a thousand glittering shards flying across the room like my splintered patience.

"Stupid, useless girl!" I shouted, pacing in tight circles as rage bubbled in my chest.

She was supposed to have done one simple thing. One tiny, inconspicuous task. But no—Amanda was still standing tall, smug, untouchable. Still walking around with that self-righteous glow like she was better than the rest of us. Like she belonged in Ryan’s world more than I did.

I grabbed my phone with shaking fingers and dialed the nurse’s number.

She picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"

"You incompetent little rat," I snapped, venom dripping from every word. "You told me it would be handled. You promised. And now I hear she’s still walking around like she owns the damn hospital?"

"I—I tried," the nurse stammered. "There were too many patients, and security was everywhere—"

"Oh please," I hissed. "Don’t insult me with your pathetic excuses. Do you think I won’t burn your entire career to the ground? I own you. Do you understand me? If you so much as blink wrong, I’ll leak every single lie on your resume, every malpractice whisper, every cover-up you’ve tried to bury. I will destroy you."

She fell silent. I could hear her breathing on the other end.

"You’ll do exactly what I say," I continued, voice low and ice-cold. "You’ll spike her drink. And if she so much as suspects anything, you’ll make her think she’s going crazy. Mix it up, play subtle, whatever it takes but do not let her catch on."

"Y-yes, ma’am," she whispered.

"And if you fail me again..."

I let the sentence hang. Threats were always more terrifying when they didn’t need to be finished.

"I understand," she choked out.

"Good. You’ll have my results before midnight."

I hung up and stood still, the silence of the penthouse deafening around me. My reflection stared back at me from the glossy black cabinet doors—flawless, controlled, perfect.

But my hands were still shaking.

I poured myself a drink with unsteady fingers, the ice cubes clinking against the glass as I brought it to my lips.

Amanda James.

She was the root of every problem. The reason Ryan no longer looked at me the same. The reason my name was no longer enough. She had crawled her way out of the gutter and dared to stand on equal ground with me.

But not for long.

I opened my laptop and began flooding the hospital’s name across every social platform I could find. Every forum, every recommendation page, every "mommy" group. I used fake accounts to glorify the hospital, to recommend Amanda as the best doctor in Seattle.

More patients. More pressure. More mistakes.

She’d be too busy to watch her child. Too overwhelmed to notice what I was really planning.

Let her crumble beneath the weight of her own success. Let the cracks start to show.

By tomorrow, Amanda James would either be too broken to function or completely discredited.

Ryan would see who the real problem was.

And once he did, he’d have no choice but to come back to me.

Let her be brilliant. Let her be noble. It didn’t matter.

Because in the end, I always get what I want.

And I would ruin Amanda utterly.

---

Just as I was about to refill my glass, my phone buzzed again.

Unknown Number.

My brow furrowed. I never took unknown calls. But something in my gut told me to answer.

"Who is this?" I demanded.

A pause. Then a low, distorted voice filtered through the line. "You’re playing a dangerous game, Selene."

I stiffened. "Excuse me?"

"Keep pushing Amanda... and you might find yourself buried beneath the same empire you’re trying to climb."

My fingers tightened around the phone. "Who the hell is this?"

No answer. Just silence. I was about to hang up when the voice returned, smoother now. Colder. Calculated.

"Let’s not waste time, Selene. You want Ryan. I want Amanda. You remove yourself from the battlefield, and I’ll take care of the rest."

My breath caught. "You’re serious? You’d handle Amanda?"

"In a way that benefits us both. She’s your obstacle. She’s my obsession. You keep your hands clean, and you get your prize."

I narrowed my eyes at the quiet promise. "And if I refuse?"

"Then you’ll be left cleaning up ashes yours included. You’ve drawn too much attention. One misstep, and it’s all over."

I glanced around the room. Was I being watched?

"So what’s the deal exactly?"

"Stay away from Amanda. Stop interfering. Let me take it from here. In return, I’ll make Amanda stay away from your precious ryan. And ryan will come crawling back to you. He always does when he’s grieving."

The cruelty in his tone made my spine straighten.

"You’re a monster," I whispered.

"Takes one to know one, darling. Think about it. You have until midnight. I’ll call again."

The line went dead.

I stared at the phone, a twisted mix of fear and fascination stirring in my chest. Whoever he was, he was very confident.