Chapter 298

Natalie's POV

What had once been a beautiful face was now a nightmare. The right cheek was deeply sunken, as if a chunk of flesh had been carved away. A grotesque purple-red scar ran from her left temple, across the corner of her eye, all the way down to her chin, twisting her lips into a permanent half-smile. Her skin had a waxy, unhealthy sheen, covered with scars of various sizes—some still red and angry, others faded to white, weaving together into a horrifying web.

But what shocked me most were her eyes. Those blue eyes I'd seen countless times on social media and in magazines. Despite the deformed skin surrounding them, the color and shape were unmistakable.

"Ivy...Ivy Wilson?" I was so shocked I could barely speak, feeling like I was seeing a ghost. "But you...you were supposed to be..."

"Dead?" Ivy finished for me, her distorted lips twisting into a terrible smile. "Missing, presumed dead. That happens when someone stabs you and pushes you off a yacht into the Atlantic."

"Who...who would want to kill you?" I asked, my voice trembling.

Ivy let out a cold laugh, the sound like nails on a chalkboard, making my skin crawl. "Cole Grayson, who else?"

"Cole?" I backed away another step, my back pressed against the wall as if it could offer some protection. "But why? How could he be so vicious?"

"Why?" Hatred burned in Ivy's eyes, looking especially terrifying in the dim light. "All for that bitch Lucy. He wanted revenge for her. He thought I would keep coming after Lucy. He was right, of course, but he should have made sure I was actually dead before dumping me in the ocean."

"How did you—"

"Survive?" Ivy took a step forward. "A fishing boat found me. I was barely alive, spent months in hospitals." She raised a scarred hand, slowly touching her face. "The seawater and rocks did this. Doctors say with more surgeries, it might improve, but I'll never be the same."

I couldn't look away, staring at her disfigured face with a mixture of horror and fascination. Is this what Cole is capable of? Is this what awaits me? A chill ran down my spine.

"I've been watching you, Natalie," Ivy continued, her voice weak but threatening. "Watching you work with Cole, betray Ethan, try to destroy Alpine Group. Now I'm watching you run like a coward."

She knew everything. She'd been observing from the shadows. The thought made my blood run cold.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, my voice faint with fear, feeling like a mouse cornered by a snake.

"Let's discuss this somewhere more private," Ivy replied, gesturing toward a black sedan waiting at the end of the alley. The windows were tinted black, making it impossible to see inside. "Unless you'd prefer to wait here for Alpine Group's security team. I believe they'll be here in about twenty minutes."

---

The dim lighting of the restaurant's private booth cast shadows across the table as I sat across from Ivy, who still loosely covered her face with the scarf, her sunglasses resting on the table.

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked after ordering drinks, my fingers nervously fidgeting with the napkin.

"Because we share a common enemy," Ivy answered, her eyes glittering dangerously in the candlelight. "Lucy Owen. Or should I say Lucy Laurent now?"

"She took everything from me," Ivy hissed, her scarred fingers gripping her water glass so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Ethan was MINE. The Storm family was MINE. My future, my face, my life—she destroyed it all."

There was something maniacally obsessive in her tone that made me shiver. The woman before me had been completely consumed by hatred.

"And that bastard Cole. He used both of us," Ivy continued, leaning forward, her voice low. "Then discarded us when we became inconvenient. But his time will come. For now, I'm focused on Lucy."

"What exactly are you planning?" I asked cautiously, both afraid and curious.

"An alliance," Ivy said simply. "I can help you escape the consequences of your actions at Alpine Group. I still have resources, connections nobody knows about. In exchange, you help me destroy Lucy Owen."

"Destroy her? You mean..." My voice trailed off, afraid to say the word.

Ivy's lips twisted into a terrible smile. "I can help you get rid of Lucy Owen. All you need to do is get her alone. I'll handle the rest."

I studied the disfigured woman across from me. There was a manic gleam in her eyes, a dangerous quality I'd never seen before. But as I thought about Lucy Owen, that perfect woman who always came out on top, a vicious jealousy and hatred rose within me.

Why does she get everything while I lose it all? She doesn't deserve that life!

"And if I refuse?" I asked tentatively.

"Then I'll anonymously report your activities at Alpine Group to the FBI," Ivy said coldly. "I imagine they'd be very interested in corporate espionage and financial fraud."

My phone vibrated again—those damn auditors.

I have no choice left.

"Do we have a deal?" Ivy asked, raising her champagne glass with an arched eyebrow.

I stared at her for a long moment. Lucy Owen ruined my career. She and her husband left me with nothing. Maybe it's time she knew what it feels like to lose everything.

A dark resolve formed in my heart. I picked up my glass, my hatred overriding any moral qualms.

"To Lucy Owen's destruction," I said, clinking my glass against Ivy's.