All Chapters of The Villainess's Reckoning: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Nathan Carter froze in stunned disbelief for a moment.The next second, he quickly forced a flattering smile and took both of my hands in his."Honey, did I say something wrong just now and upset you?"If you're unhappy, then hit or yell at me. Just don't bottle it up, okay?"His voice was gentle, his posture humble.He sounded exactly as he always did when he was trying to calm me down.But now, as I stared at the endless stream of floating comments scrolling before my eyes, a chill spread through my entire body.[Wait, this isn't right. If this crazy woman pushes the male lead away, how is she supposed to get HIV?][I'm still waiting to see the villainess get sick, lose her baby, and die a miserable death. The plot isn't going off the rails, is it?][Relax. The male lead hasn't even met the love of his life yet! Once he does, he'd give up everything, even his life, to save her. Does a psycho like this woman really deserve him?]"Honey?"I pulled my hands away.Instead of throwing one

The location Vivian sent me led to a private restaurant in the city center.By the time I arrived, the door to the private dining room was slightly ajar.Voices drifted out from inside."Vivian, who would've thought we studied under the same professor? What a small world."Nathan's tone was warm and friendly, completely different from the man who had called me a crazy woman in front of his friends the night before."I've been working on a new university project lately, and we're looking for promising young talent. Would you like to hear more about it?"Vivian's voice remained calm."Tell me more about it, Nathan."A flicker of satisfaction crossed Nathan's eyes as he began describing the project's prospects and resources in detail.Vivian nodded along politely the entire time.A few minutes later, once the discussion was over, she picked up her bag and stood."Nathan, I'll think about the project and get back to you."Nathan clearly hadn't expected her to leave so soon."The food hasn'

The white test report fluttered through the air before drifting down onto the bed of red roses Nathan had so carefully prepared.The vivid red of the roses clashed sharply with the white report.Nathan seemed to freeze in place. Still kneeling on one knee, he remained locked in position while the ring box trembled in his hand."Honey, what are you doing?"He forced out a smile that looked worse than a grimace and reached for the hem of my dress."Is this because I've been too busy lately? Because I haven't spent enough time with you? You're joking with me, right?"Behind me, Nathan's mother let out a piercing scream and rushed forward to snatch up the report.The moment she read it, her vision seemed to go dark. She nearly collapsed into the rose bushes."HIV... positive?"Her shrill voice shattered the peaceful atmosphere of the garden."Nathan, what is the meaning of this?!"The floating comments exploded, so dense they almost obscured Nathan's pale face.[HERE WE GO!!! The scumbag

Nathan's mother's voice came through the phone, sharp with hatred, every word laced with a threat."You've done so many terrible things. Aren't you afraid at all? Do you really think the Hart family can protect you forever?"A soft laugh escaped me.I leaned against the wall and replied in a tone devoid of emotion."Actually, they can. Not only can they protect me for the rest of my life, they can bankrupt your entire family too."Mrs. Carter, your son is rotting away in a hospital bed, and you're still digging up the past? If you have that much free time, you should be thinking about how to salvage what's left of your family's reputation."I thought you were smarter than this. Do you know what happened to the last person who threatened me? Let's just say death would've been the easier outcome.""You—!"She was so furious she could barely get the words out.I couldn't be bothered listening any longer.I hung up.The so-called shameful thing she was referring to was nothing more than wh

I ended the call, my fingertips cold against the phone.On the other end, the correctional officer sounded genuinely shaken."Ms. Hart, he's completely lost his mind. One minute he's talking about killing you, the next he's begging for your forgiveness. Yesterday he even attacked one of the guards.""Handle him according to procedure. There's no need for special treatment."I was about to hang up when he hurriedly added, "We just got word from the infirmary. His condition took a sudden turn for the worse. They've transferred him to the hospital."He's demanding to see you one last time. If you refuse..."I leaned against the cold wall and suddenly laughed."Why wouldn't I go?"The floating comments exploded.[WAIT, I'M STILL PROCESSING THIS. What kind of insane plot twist is this? Did the scumbag actually castrate himself?!][Karma. Pure karma. Everything he did to Quinn came right back around.][He wants to see Quinn? Please tell me he's not planning to disgust her one last time.][Oh