The night air in the villa was heavy with perfume and bitterness, clinging to the velvet drapes and polished marble floors. Clarissa sat before her vanity, brushing her glossy chestnut hair in long, deliberate strokes, each pull harsher than the last. The silver-backed brush caught in her curls, but she yanked it through with more force, as if each tug was a punishment for the reflection staring back at her.Her reflection shimmered in the mirror, beautiful, flawless, but burning with controlled rage.“She thinks she’s clever,” Clarissa muttered under her breath, snapping the brush down onto the table so hard that the crystal perfume bottles trembled. “Running off, hiding, and then resurfacing in New York of all places, beside a billionaire. It’s laughable. Absolutely laughable.”Behind her, the faint sound of liquid pouring broke the silence. Cynthia, poised like royalty on the chaise lounge, swirled red wine in a crystal glass, her manicured nails gleaming in the lamplight. She lift
The morning sun poured over the glass towers of Jaxon Corp, painting their silver edges in gold. The city thrummed with life below, cars streaming in endless ribbons, horns blaring impatiently, and voices blending into the symphony of another Monday morning. From the outside, the skyscraper looked untouchable, an impenetrable fortress of power.But inside, Isabella knew shadows walked with her.Her steps clicked softly against the polished marble of the lobby, steady and deliberate, as if each movement were a silent declaration. She wasn’t the same woman who had walked into this place months ago, uncertain, fragile, too easily shaken by Helena’s venomous tongue. She had been tested. And she had bled. But she had also grown stronger.She adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder, her gaze fixed on the elevator doors as if they were the gateway to a battlefield.Because that’s what this place had become.She knew Helena would be waiting. She always was, like a spider lurking at the
The visitor’s words lingered like smoke long after she left. Even after the door had clicked shut, the air in the lavish parlor seemed to hum with the poison she’d brought inside.Cynthia’s hand trembled around the stem of her wineglass. The crystal caught the glow of the chandelier, scattering fragments of gold and red across the table. For a moment, her jaw clenched as if she might restrain herself. Then..Crack.She slammed the glass down so hard the rim split, a jagged edge glinting like a blade.“How dare she!” Cynthia voice pitched high, tremulous with fury. “How dare that… that girl crawl her way back into the world we burned her out of?”Her chest rose and fell in ragged heaves. In her mind, the name, Isabella, was acid on her tongue.Clarissa was already pacing. She moved like a caged animal across the Persian rug, her heels cutting into the pattern with sharp clicks. Her arms folded, then unfolded, her nails biting into her own palms.“She was supposed to be nothing,” Claris
The celebration carried on late into the night. The grand dining hall smelled of roasted meat and rich red wine, mingled with the faint smoky undertone of the candles burning in their crystal holders. Laughter echoed under the golden chandelier as the servants cleared the plates, leaving only fruits, nuts, and endless bottles of wine scattered across the long oak table.Clarissa sat at the head, her cheeks flushed with drink, swirling her glass lazily as Cynthia retold an embellished story of their latest triumph. Every chuckle and exaggerated sigh came with the self-assured confidence of women who believed the world bent in their favor.Just as Clarissa tipped the bottle to refill her glass, the butler cleared his throat at the door.“Madam,” he said carefully, “you have… a visitor.”Both women frowned. It was nearly midnight.Cynthia leaned forward. “Who is it?”The butler adjusted his cuffs. “An acquaintance from New York. She said she’s an old friend of yours, madam.”Clarissa rai
The dining room glowed in soft golden light, the chandeliers above scattering tiny fragments of brilliance across polished marble floors. Expensive silverware clinked against crystal and loud indulgent laughter, spilled into the night like champagne foaming over the lip of a glass.Clarissa lifted her own glass high, her manicured fingers gleaming with pale polish. The ring on her hand caught a candle’s flame, throwing sparks of gold across the room.“To freedom,” she declared, her voice rich with triumph.The servants lining the walls stood stiff and silent, their eyes averted. They had heard this toast before, word for word, and knew better than to betray what they thought of it.Cynthia, seated at the other end of the long mahogany table, smirked and raised her own wine. Her glass touched Clarissa’s with a sharp, ringing chime.“To freedom,” she echoed, the corner of her mouth tilting up. Then, with deliberate relish, she added, “And to the girl who made it possible.”Her daughter’
The next week felt… off.It started with a misfiled report that Isabella knew she hadn’t touched. Then an email that mysteriously never reached Damian, though she’d sent it herself. By the third “mistake,” whispered comments began to trickle through the department.“She’s slipping.”“Maybe she’s not as competent as everyone thought.”“She’s pretty, but that only gets you so far.”Every word dug into her like a thorn. Isabella’s stomach twisted, but she forced herself to keep her head down. She began triple-checking everything she sent out, rereading even the most routine memos until her eyes burned. But still, the doubt lingered in the air , an invisible fog around her.And Helena lingered too. Always nearby. Always watching with that too-perfect smile that never reached her eyes. She didn’t need to lift a finger to poison a room; her presence was enough to make Isabella second-guess herself.By Wednesday, Isabella caught her red-handed.She had stepped away from her desk only briefly