INICIAR SESIÓNBefore we went in, Drake filled me in on everything Tricia had confessed to him.It turned out she'd been infatuated with both Drake and Scott since she was a kid. But of course, what she really loved was the Preston family fortune.She knew Drake was too clever, so she targeted Scott instead. And her first step was to eliminate me.Thus, she used her position at the company to whisper poison in Scott's ear day after day. That idiot actually believed I was the kind of person who would stand by and watch someone die."Tricia had to kill you to become Scott's rightful wife," Drake said.I nodded slightly, feeling the bitter injustice of it all for Nicky to have died because of such a scheming, venomous person.I had barely reached the door when I heard the two inside wildly screaming at each other."Scott, you worthless coward! You did it, and now you won't own up to it? What does your killing of Nicky have to do with me?""If it weren't for your instigation, I never would have g
Tricia was left speechless by Drake's question. She never imagined he could uncover all of this.One by one, the off-road vehicles drove away.I lay on the stretcher inside the ambulance, my mind filled with the look in Nicky's eyes before she died.The second those blades came hurtling toward us, something in me died. Ever since Nicky died in my arms, I hadn't had anything left to live for in this world.Just when I thought I might as well let myself slip away into sleep, a familiar voice echoed beside my ear."Arlene, live for the both of us, okay?"I snapped my eyes open and began gasping violently for air. I couldn't die yet—I had to live, for Nicky's sake.Drake had been in the ambulance the entire time. He immediately called for the doctor."What's wrong with her? Is she alright?"The doctor frantically checked my heart rate and, after finishing the examination, let out a sigh of relief."The patient is out of danger now. All she needs is to rest and recover in the hosp
Drake wasted no words. He strode over and delivered a backhand slap so fierce that Tricia immediately dared not speak another word.Scott, disregarding everything else, scrambled to his feet and placed himself between the two."Drake, have you lost your mind? This is Tricia we're talking about!"Drake grabbed him by the hair and forced him to look at Nicky's now-cleaned face. "Take a good look. Is this a lunatic?"I refused to let go of Nicky's hand. She was such a wonderful person, and now I'd never get to go shopping with her again or sit around trash-talking and spilling tea.Tears streamed down my face.Scott, having seen Nicky's face clearly, was stupefied."No! Impossible!"He suddenly knelt beside Nicky and pulled up her sleeve. There it was—the butterfly tattoo, identical to the one on his own wrist."I didn't kill Nicky! It was her! Arlene secretly swapped them! She's the one who killed Nicky!"He pointed at me, eyes bulging as if they would split apart.Drake stepp
What greeted Scott was a swift kick to the chest.Drake never imagined that merely a month away on business could lead to something so catastrophic.He ordered his men to pull both Nicky and me out immediately. Then, he slammed Scott's head against the ground and dragged him over to see Nicky's mutilated body."Take a good look at who you killed!"Scott was still in a daze. "Arlene and Lola. Drake, why are you hitting me?" he asked in confusion.The fury in Drake's eyes was almost tangible."Are you blind?"Bewildered, Scott retorted, "Drake, you grew up with Tricia too. Arlene's the reason Jimmy is dead. He's the only family Tricia's ever had growing up! I was avenging Tricia! And Lola had the nerve to impersonate Nicky."Nicky's probably at Happyland right now, waiting to watch the fireworks. How could it possibly be her? I shot through this imposter who tried to pass herself off as Nicky. Sure pays off that I went out of my way to learn knife throwing."I lay weakly on th
"Arlene!" Nicky, already sent up to safety by me, saw me swallowed by the sand and jumped down after me without a second thought. Using her one remaining arm, she dug me out of the sand and forced me upright so I wouldn't suffocate.I knew this couldn't go on. I no longer had the strength to climb back to that slope. "Nicky, I'm definitely not going to make it. Use me as your shield. You survive this and go find Drake, understand?" Drake Preston was the true power behind the Preston family. With him around, he would surely clear my name.Nicky wrapped her one arm tightly around me."No, Arlene. If we die, we die together. I never want to see that animal Scott again!"Even injured, I was still stronger than a pampered heiress who had grown up in luxury and now had a severed arm. Ignoring her struggles, I bound her tightly with rope.If it came down to just one of making it out alive, then I was going to make sure it was her!Seeing the desperation in my eyes, Nicky stopped f
I watched as the nozzle on the spray can opened automatically and began dispersing mist in all directions."Scott, do you have any idea how much concentrated pepper extract I put in there?"Scott frowned slightly. But before he could answer, the ten bodyguards at the cliff edge suddenly collapsed to the ground, convulsing uncontrollably. Two of them even tumbled straight off the edge.On the video call, Scott—who had been brimming with arrogance just moments ago—suddenly started coughing violently.Tricia's smile vanished as well."Scott, why did those bodyguards pass out?"Seizing the opportunity, I quickly began climbing upward with Nicky. Ten years of mountaineering experience kept the ascent from being too grueling.But then Scott's furious voice erupted from the phone. "Arlene, aren't you getting a little too full of yourself?"The video feed on my phone shook.Scott grabbed a cup from the car and used it to cover my pepper spray. Then, he picked up a military shovel from







