Chapter 27 She Is a Puzzle
Royce's POV
I looked at her.
That face, a mess of sweat and cheap makeup. That ridiculous wig thrown on the ground, revealing jet-black roots underneath.
She wanted to break off the engagement.
The thought amused me.
Break off the engagement?
And then what? Go back to my boring life of endless dinners and meetings?
Deal with those wooden beauties my grandmother sets me up with—the ones whose heads are empty except for thoughts of family background and designer bags?
No.
For the first time in my life, I had an actor who wouldn't stick to the script.
A woman who knew first aid, could fight, and used the crudest disguises to hide her sharpest claws.
A woman who could design jewelry with "soul," and who could calmly watch my grandmother have a heart attack while wearing clown makeup at a party.
She was a puzzle.
And I loved solving puzzles.
"Break off the engagement?" I slowly repeated her words, one by one, then laughed. "No."
I saw the fire in her eyes flare up.
"Why?" she asked through gritted teeth, her voice full of suppressed rage.
"You clearly hate me! Don't you want to get rid of me?"
"Hate you?" I stepped forward, leaning down close to her face—close enough to see the marks where she'd wiped off makeup, and catch that unique scent of hers, strange and damn alluring.
"No, I don't hate you at all. In fact, you're the most interesting person I've met in over twenty years. Selena Hart, or should I call you Astraea?"
I saw her pupils contract sharply.
"You think this is what? A game you can quit whenever you want?"
I raised my hand, gently brushing my fingertips across her disheveled cheek, feeling her body instantly stiffen.
"You're the one who barged into my world with your terrible acting. Now the game has started, and I make the rules."
"You're insane!"
She tried to push me away, but I grabbed her wrist.
She was strong, but against absolute strength, her struggle was useless.
"The engagement stays. From today on, you'll play your role—my fiancée. A fiancée who's deeply in love with me and does everything I say."
"Dream on!"
"Oh, I'm not dreaming."
I released her and stepped back, adjusting my cuffs.
"You can refuse to cooperate. But here's the thing—the Hart family's precious daughter, the enigmatic designer Astraea, can apparently drop a grown man without breaking a sweat... What do you think would happen if this little tidbit found its way to Mr. Arnault? Or to those clients who've bought into your whole ethereal artist mystique?"
I saw the color drain from her face instantly.
I'd won.
I'd found her weakness.
She might not care about reputation, but she cared about her "work," about the mystique she'd built around "Astraea."
"What exactly do you want?" I could hear both anger and helplessness in her voice.
"What do I want?"
I smiled, genuinely smiled.
"I just want to see how many surprises a lioness disguised as a sheep can bring me."
I turned and pulled open the fire door handle.
"I'll be in touch soon."
I glanced back at her. "Next time we meet, I hope you've figured out which face you're going to show me."
With that, I closed the door, leaving her alone in that dim stairwell.
I felt great.
This hunt had just begun.Selena's POV
The heavy fire door slammed shut in front of me, cutting off his last smiling gaze.
I stared at that closed door, my mind involuntarily replaying Royce's provocative smile as he watched me.
That bastard!
A damn arrogant, conceited, self-centered bastard!
Besides that idol-worthy face and his family's billions, he had absolutely nothing going for him!
Since the day I returned to the Hart family, everything had been under my control.
The Kateson family, the Cater family, Myrdal, Taisia... each of them was like a chess piece on my board, moving step by step toward destruction according to my plan.
But Royce Sterling—he was an accident.
He was an uncontrolled meteor that suddenly crashed into my chessboard, throwing everything into chaos.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down.
Can't panic.
Times like this require the most calm.
He wants to play games?
He thinks that because he's found my weakness, I'll just obediently listen?
He's underestimating me.
I pulled out my phone and called Anna.
"Miss?"
"Anna, I need you to investigate someone. Royce Sterling. I want everything on him—every detail from childhood to now, don't miss anything. Also, tell our people in Europe they can proceed to the next step. It's time to make a move on Cater Group too."
"Yes, Miss."
I hung up and stood up from the floor, straightening my disheveled clothes.
My makeup was completely ruined. I just roughly wiped it with the back of my hand and walked out of the stairwell.
Royce, you think this is your game?
No.
Now it's mine.
Taisia's POV
Selena, the Hart family, Jonathan... they all threw me out like garbage.
They think they've won?
Now even the only place I could turn to has shut me out.
That bastard Jonathan can kick me out, but what about Mr. and Mrs. Hart?
They raised me for twenty years! Even if I were a dog, there should be some feelings, right?
They were just intimidated by Jonathan before.
Yes, that must be it.
If I go beg them again, if I look pitiful enough, Mrs. Hart will definitely soften.
She always softens.
My eyes swept over the broken stones and dead branches piled in the corner nearby.
I bit my lip, picked up a sharp-edged stone, and without hesitation scratched several cuts on my arm. Then I grabbed dead branches from the ground and rubbed them against my cheeks and neck, creating patches of red, swollen marks. I even deliberately hit my forehead, creating a purple bruise.
Pain shot through me, but I smiled even more crazily. This was pitiful enough. This would make them soften.
I got up from the ground and, ignoring my dirt-covered, wounded, miserable appearance, rushed toward the farm gate once more.
"Let me in! I need to see Mr. and Mrs. Hart!"
I frantically pounded on the cold iron gate, screaming into the intercom. "Mom! Dad! It's me! Taisia! You can't abandon me!"
Several bodyguards in black suits stood expressionlessly behind the gate like statues, completely ignoring my existence.
"Get lost!" A cold voice came through the intercom—Jonathan.
"No! I want to see my parents! You have no right to kick me out!" I cried out, my voice breaking.
"They don't want to see you."
"You're lying! I don't believe you! Let them talk to me!"
The intercom went silent.
I thought he'd hung up, and was about to despair when another voice came on—Mr. Hart.
"Taisia, go back."
"Dad!"
Great! He'd softened! He would definitely help me.