Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Devil wears Red Lipstick: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

Jude’s POVI take another burning gulp, the whiskey carving fire down my throat, before slamming the glassonto the counter a little too hard. The sound rings like an accusation.“Jesus, Jude.”I turn, slow, annoyed, and find Martin standing there, his expression halfway between worried and exasperated. “Don’t you think you’re spiraling?” he asks.“I don’t need your judgment, Martin,” I sneer, voice rough, sharp edges softened only by the alcohol. “I need answers.”He raises a brow, shrugs out of his coat with that maddening calm of his, and slides into the chair opposite me, like he’s settling into a game of chess. He unbuttons the coat one button at a time, deliberate, unhurried, while I’m sitting here vibrating with fury.“On what?” he asks, casual. “Marion’s mystery… or Ivy’s plans?”I lean back, swirling the amber liquid in my glass, studying the way it catches the dim light.“Both.”Martin lets out a dry chuckle. “Let’s start with Ivy, then. I can’t find anything. Nothing.

Marion's POVI pace the length of my office, bare feet silent against the carpet. My head buzzes like a hornet trapped in a jar, and the pressure behind my eyes builds until I halfexpect them to burst. The nosebleeds are worse, twice a day now, sometimes more. I’ve learned to keep tissues in every drawer, every pocket.But I have to admit I am a little excited. Watching Ivy's plans come crushing down has probably been the best part of my week, but still…I don’t have the time or the energy for new responsibilities. Not when I’m this close to dismantling Richard’s carefully built illusion. Not when Emma is already teetering at the edge of doubt, ready to fall into my hands. Not when Reid’s safety depends on every calculated move I make.A knock, soft, polite, cuts through my thoughts.The door cracks open, and Jacob’s silver head pokes through. “Congratulations, Marion,” he says before stepping inside, his voice equal parts wry and amused.I sigh, whispering a thank you that so

Jude’s POV“—to be continued,” Marion tells Jacob, then turns like she’s about to leave.“Marion—” I blurt, quickly setting Ivy down on the sofa.She shrieks, “Jude!” like I’ve abandoned her to the wolves, but I don’t turn.I can’t, not when Marion is walking away, not when she might think there’s anything betweenme and Ivy.I run after her.“Hey,” I call out.She stops. Slowly, she lifts her face, her eyes finding mine.Oh God.I drown.Just one look and I’m gone, my breath caught, like maybe if I hold it long enough, I can trap thismoment, keep her gaze on me forever.“Don’t let me interrupt you two,” she says with that half-smile.At me first, then at Ivy. Her tone slices, light but sharp enough to cut.“It seems you two had a wild night.”I can’t tell if she’s angry, amused, or if she doesn’t care at all. And somehow that’s worse.“It’s not what you think,” I start, stepping forward, desperate.“I don’t care, Jude. Goodnight.” She mutters it like a dismissal, then turns away.I

Marion’s POVThe smell of stale coffee and paper hits me the second I push my office door open.The blinds are half-drawn, the city’s morning light spilling in just enough to reveal Martin hunched over my desk like a vulture, files and photographs fanned out everywhere.His tie is gone, his shirt sleeves are rolled, and there are dark crescents under his eyes.“Have you been here the whole night?” I ask, leaning on the doorframe.“Pretty much,” he mutters, eyes glued to the mess in front of him.“Oh.” I slip inside, trying to mask the pang of guilt with a casual quip. “Ambitious.”He smirks without humor.Jacob takes the seat across from him, while I circle around and lower myself into the chair opposite Martin. My gaze flickers across the mountain of papers. “What have you found?”“There’s a lot.” Martin pushes a few photographs and a stack of papers across the desk. “Schedules. Sightings. Every rumor Jude’s ever sparked in the last two years. Whoever accused him has to be in here. Th

Jude’s POVThe moment my shoes hit the ground, the sound echoes like a warning bell through the empty halls. quiet. polished. Nothing out of place.But my grandfather’s phone call last night still rattles in my chest like a loaded gun.I can’t afford distraction. Not now, not when I’ve spent months piecing together a plan no one, not Marion, not Jacob, not even Martin, can know about.Especially not Marion.My hands slip into my pockets, fingers brushing against the folded note I keep there.A gift I am sure she will love.I push open the double doors to the lounge, and voices hush like candles snuffed out. Three pairs of eyes snap to me.Viv, Ivy, and Elenore.Ivy springs up like a cat, smile stretched too wide. “Bae, you’re back!” She rushes me, perfume hitting me in the face before her arms wrap around my neck.I freeze. Her warmth is suffocating, especially under Viv’s razor-sharp stare. Slowly, carefully, I peel Ivy off me.“Ivy, you need to stop this,” I mutter, voice low but fir