Chapter 94 Scandalous Heiress
Veronica's POV:
When I came face to face with Chase in the corridor outside the ballroom, I literally wanted to slap him.
He stood there, looking every bit the elite, and had the audacity to smile at me like we were old friends meeting at a pleasant social gathering.
"Veronica," he said, his tone filled with false concern. "I've been worried about you. Are you alright? I heard about your... episode. The blackout."
Of course, he'd heard. Everyone had heard. My father had made sure the story spread through elite circles... though naturally, he'd spun it as a substance abuse problem rather than stress-induced rage.
"I saw that you are still with the Ashford brothers," Chase continued, stepping closer. His cologne was good, but it was overpowering me and made my stomach turn. "You shouldn't trust them, Veronica. They're using you. Their father has his own agenda, and you're just a pawn in whatever game..."
"Stop gaslighting me!" I shouted, not caring that several people in the corridor turned to stare. "After everything you did... the cheating, the lies, the manipulation, that fake engagement party designed to humiliate me... you dare to act as if you care about me?"
"I do care about you, Veronica," Chase said, and the frightening part was he actually sounded sincere. "I think about you all the time. Believe it or not."
I felt like I wanted to smack my head against the wall. How could he stand there and say those things with a straight face?
How could he possibly act this well? Because he used to spike my drinks so that he could fuck around with other girls. He'd ignored my emotional needs several times when we were in relationship like I'd been worth nothing.
And that is why it stung in my heart to see the way he acted like he had committed no sin. The audacity of him!
"Don't you dare speak to me that way," I hissed, my hands clenching into fists. "Never again. All thanks to your chaotic schemes that you pulled recently to get back at me... Laura Bellamy now sees me as her mortal enemy. She's marrying Max just to get revenge on me for something you did!"
Chase's expression shifted immediately, genuine concern flashing across his face. "Wait, Laura... did something to you? Are you hurt?" He reached out to touch my shoulder. "What did she say? Did she threaten you? You can tell me anything baby. After all, you are still my Baby, despite everything that happened between us..."
I slapped him.
My palm connected with his cheek with a sharp crack that echoed in the corridor. Several gasps came from the onlookers, but I didn't care about others watching anymore. I was that angry at Chase.
"Stay away from me!" I shouted, and I was shaking with rage and adrenaline. " Stay away from my father! Stay away from the Ashfords! Or else... I swear to god, I will definitely find a way to get back at you. "
Chase smiled.
He showed not a grimace of pain from the slap I'd given him. And he wasn't embarrassed that I'd struck him in front of several elites.
Chase was just smiling at me, sadistically, giving me a knowing look that it didn't affect him at all.
"Or else what will you do?" he asked, in a mocking tone. " What can you even do? Tell me, Veronica. What power do you actually have here? I saw how other elites treated you. You know what they call you behind your back... One old lady just pointed at you and said' That Scandalous Heiress. "
He took a step closer, and I backed up against the wall feeling heavy in my heart. People really talk this badly behind my back?
"I know that very soon, Max is going to announce his engagement to Laura," Chase continued, his smile widening. "One Ashford brother is down to support you. Gone."
He chuckled, and the sound was genuinely manic... in a way that made fear spike through my anger.
"And very soon, the other brother will leave you too," he said. "They'll both realize you're not worth the trouble you bring. The family drama, the scandal, the chaos that comes with your baggage is not everyone can handle. And you'll have nowhere else to go but back into my arms. Won't you?"
I stared at him, my heart pounding, and suddenly something clicked into place. Something about the way he was looking at me... not with love, not even with genuine desire. He looked at me like he wanted to possess me. With Obsession. His need went far beyond normal emotion.
"Why are you so obsessed with me, Chase?" I asked, calmer but more pointed. "This can't be love. This isn't what love looks like. Is it the money you're looking for? My father's business connections? Tell me what you really want."
Chase's smile lessened slightly, and for just a moment, I saw something desperate flash in his eyes.
"You don't understand," he said quietly.
"Just tell me what it is," I pressed. "Because, from where I'm standing, you've destroyed any chance we had at happiness together. You cheated, lied, manipulated, hurt me in every way possible. So why? Why do you keep coming back? Why can't you just let me go?"
Chase was quiet for a long moment.
"Because you're mine," he finally said, in a psycho like tone. "You were always supposed to be mine. That was the deal. That was the arrangement. And I don't care what I have to do to make sure it happens."
"What deal?" I asked, my blood running cold. "What arrangement?"
But Chase just smiled again, shaking his head.
"Ask your father," he said. "Ask him why he's so desperate for us to be together. Ask him what promises were made. What debts need to be paid... "
He straightened his jacket, the perfect mask of the charming heir sliding back into place.
"You'll come back to me, Veronica," he said with absolute certainty. "Not because you want to. But because you won't have any other choice. The Ashfords will abandon you. Your father will force the issue. And I'll be waiting."