The Perfect Revenge のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 51 - チャプター 60

SKYLAThe weight of the moment pressed heavily in my chest like a vice the moment I stepped inside the conference room, the air thick with awkward tension. Xavier was already there, pacing slowly, his back turned towards me, his hands clutched tightly behind him. His usual composed facade had cracked, just as mine had in the past few days. But there was something new – a certain coldness, a distance between us that hadn’t been there before.I could feel it. I could feel the invisible wall between us growing taller and taller. Brick by brick.He didn’t glance in my direction when I entered, though I knew he was aware of my presence. The silence stretched on, thick and suffocating, like we were both waiting for the other to speak first. But it wasn’t just silence; it was the calm before the storm.“I’m sorry,” I said finally, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. They weren’t the words I wanted to say, but they were all I could ma

SKYLAThe package came just a little bit after midnight. I should’ve been asleep, but I just couldn’t stop replaying the conversation I had with Carl. His voice still caused my heart rate to spike up. His words like ice water trickling down the back of my neck. I sat on my couch, legs tucked beneath me, and a cold cup of what was supposed to be hot chocolate tea forgotten on the coffee table.When the knock came, I froze. My whole body shut down on its own accord. The knock came once. It was a sharp rap followed by utter silence.After a long while, I moved towards the door cautiously, peeking through the peephole. No one was there, only the box, plain and square, sitting like a veiled threat on my welcome mat.I didn’t need a return address to know who sent it. Her perfume still lingered in the air like a bad omen.Tanya.I carried the box gingerly inside, ensuring I bolted my door twice before I set the box on the kitche

SKYLAWhen I was younger, I used to think memory was a choice – something you could just pack into a suitcase and shove into the attic, but I was wrong. Very wrong.The past didn’t wait for permission before it broke in like a thief in the night, forcing you to remember memories you wish would just shrivel up and die. It definitely didn’t wait for permission before it broke in like a storm.The day already started according to how Charlie and I had planned, going over every draft and flash drive. Over encrypted calls and flash drive, Xavier had managed to lay his hands on. We were already laying the groundwork for infiltrating into Carl’s hidden servers, and I was also prepping to attend a so-called fake “Team bonding” in air quotes. A soiree Tanya had arranged. No doubt, another trap dressed in lipstick and booze.The soft ring of my phone jolted me from the daze I was in, Xavier’s name flashed across my screen like lightning.I felt my hands go clammy, dread pooling in the pit o

CHAPTER FIFTY EIGHT; SHATTERPOINTSKYLAI didn't go home immediately after the gala, I wandered the streets of Manhattan for a while, heels in one hand as I trudged through streets after street, using the still night as my cover that clung onto my dresslike an unwanted second skin. The buzz of the city lights, the blur of strangers laughing, honking, rushing past me - it all felt distant, it felt like background noises to me. Like I was moving through someone else's dreams or nightmares.By the time my idle leg carried me to Ed's place, exhaustion had already settled over my bones like a bleak blanket.He didn't me any question when i rang the buzzer at 1:13a.m.He just opened the door gingerly and stepped aside."Kitchen?" he asked softly, tugging on the sleeves of his hoodie. "I made you some of that chamomile crap that you pretend to like."I blinked at the sudden sting in my eyes and followed him inside the all too familiar apartment. The apartment was dim, warm, quiet - the

SKYLAThe world looked different from the top floor of the Anderson building, the floor to ceiling windows stretched across the building like glass jaws waiting to snap shut. The city below looked small compared to the towering building. It looked fragile, even. But tonight, I wasn't here to admire the view. I was here to take the monster's throne - if only for a moment. Carl Andersons private shareholder meeting wasn't on any official calendar. No press. No digital trail. No assistants allowed. Just the major players, hand picked for their silence, and thirst for more power, for control. And me.The invitation came with no warning, just a message in a white envelope, delivered by one of Carl men. "Wear power, look the part." And so I did. I wore power.Clad in dark navy suit. Hair pinned tight. a little bit of powder, and a dab of lipgloss. and the fire in my eyes. Charlie had helped me rig a discreet recorder under my blazer - barely the size of a coin. "You'll have ten hours o