Chapter 170
Chapter 170
Victoria
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The Lion’s Den was buzzing with its usual night crowd: young professionals winding down after work, clutching overpriced cocktails and laughing too loudly at jokes that weren’t funny. I nursed my gin and tonic. The ice had long melted, making the drink almost tasteless–just like my mood.
“You’re looking particularly murderous tonight,” Penelope said, sliding into the booth across from me. Her hair was perfect as always, not a strand out of place despite the humid evening. “Bad day at the office?”
“Bad week,” I corrected, watching as she signaled the waiter. “Bad month, Bad year, actually.”
“Vodka martini, extra dirty,” she ordered before turning back to me. “Let me guess, still stewing over your cousin and his little marketing wife?”
I shot her a withering look. “Your counteroffer idea was a complete waste, just as I suspected.”
“It was worth trying,” Penelope replied with a casual shrug, but I caught the flash of irritation in her eyes. She hated failing as much as I did.
The waiter returned with her martini, three olives pierced by a toothpick. Penelope plucked one off and popped it into her mouth before continuing.
“We’ve got so many options still on the table,” she said, leaning forward. “The Thompson account was just one approach. I have connections at several publications who’d love to run more stories about the gold–digging marketing exec who seduced her way to the top.”
“That angle might actually be working,” I admitted, swirling what remained of my drink. “I had lunch with my grandfather yesterday, and he mentioned seeing the article. He played it off, but I could tell it planted a seed of doubt.”
“Really?” Penelope brightened, taking a long sip of her martini. “Do tell.”
“He asked how Alexander and Olivia seemed at the last family dinner.” I smiled, remembering the moment. “He’s questioning it.”
“Why do you think this marriage is fake anyway?” Penelope asked, her perfectly shaped eyebrows drawing together. “I mean, I want it to be fake because I want Alexander back, but what makes you so sure?”
I laughed, the sound sharp in the noisy bar. “You really think my cousin, who’s never committed to a woman for longer than it takes milk to expire, suddenly fell madly in love with some random employee right after being told he needs to marry to keep control of the company? Please.”
“When you put it that way…”
“Even if they are genuinely in love, which I doubt, it doesn’t matter,” I continued, leaning closer. “I just need to create enough friction to break them apart. Once the board sees Alexander can’t maintain a stable marriage, they’ll question his commitment to everything else. And then…” I trailed off, taking a final sip of my watered- down drink.
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Chapter 170
“And then you get the controlling power,” Penelope finished, her lips curving into a smile.
“Exactly” I reached into my designer handbag and pulled out my phone. “Look at these.”
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I handed her the phone and opened it to my photo gallery. The first image showed Olivia sitting at a bar, laughing at something James Westbrook was saying.
“When was this?” Penelope asked, zooming in on the picture.
“A couple of weeks ago at O’Malley’s. My source says they talked for nearly an hour.”
Penelope swiped to the next photo. Olivia and James were at a café table, coffee mugs between them. She was leaning forward slightly, an attentive expression on her face.
“I think something’s going on between them,” I said. “James has always had a thing for poaching other men’s women, especially Alexander’s.”
Penelope studied the images again, then shook her head. “I don’t see it, Victoria. They’re just talking. There’s no sexual tension, no furtive touching.” She handed the phone back to me. “Trust me, I know what it looks like when people are sneaking around. This isn’t it.”
“You don’t think she looks a little too interested in what he’s saying?” I asked, scrutinizing the café photo again.
“She looks like someone having a business conversation,” Penelope replied flatly. “Your desperation is showing.”
I locked my phone with an irritated snap. “Fine. Maybe you’re right about the photos. But there’s something off about their marriage, and I’m going to figure out what it is.”
“We need to plan something big,” Penelope said, finishing her martini and signaling for another. “Something that will really test their relationship.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” I agreed, a slow smile spreading across my face. “And I might have just the thing.”
Penelope leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with interest. “I’m listening.”
“It’s a two–pronged approach,” I began, lowering my voice. “First, we need to-”
The waiter appeared with Penelope’s fresh martini, cutting me off. I waited impatiently as she thanked him, watching his eyes linger appreciatively on her cleavage before he moved away.
“As I was saying,” I continued once he was out of earshot, “we need to create tension from both sides. Public and private.”
“Go on.”
“Alexander has always had a weakness for beautiful women throwing themselves at him. Old habits die hard, right?”
Penelope nodded, a predatory smile forming. “I’m more than happy to test that theory.”
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Chapter 170
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95 vouchers
“I bet you are,” I remarked dryly. “But we need to be strategic about this. The goal isn’t just to seduce him; it’s to create doubt in Olivia’s mind about his fidelity.”
“And what about her side of things? Those photos of James didn’t exactly scream ‘affair in progress.”
I drummed my manicured nails against the table, thinking. “That’s where we need to get creative. What would make a newlywed wife vulnerable?”
“Insecurity,” Penelope said immediately. “Make her doubt herself and her place in Alexander’s world.”
“Exactly. And nothing breeds insecurity like feeling out of place.” I paused, taking a sip of my fresh drink that had appeared without my noticing. “What if we created a situation where Olivia was completely out of her depth? Surrounded by people who make her feel like she doesn’t belong?”
“Like a charity gala where she doesn’t know anyone?” Penelope suggested. “Or a business conference where she’s the only non–executive?”
“Better,” I said, my mind racing with possibilities. “What about the Aspen trip?”
Penelope’s eyes widened. “The annual Carter winter retreat? That’s perfect! Three days trapped in a mountain lodge with the entire family and all their judgmental friends.”
“Not to mention the skiing, which I’m willing to bet our little marketing executive has never done,” I added, feeling genuinely excited for the first time in weeks. “She’ll be falling on her ass while the rest of us gracefully navigate black diamond runs.”
“And Alexander hates looking bad in front of his family,” Penelope added, her eyes gleaming. “He’ll be embarrassed by her, and she’ll feel it.”
“Meanwhile, you’ll be there looking fabulous, reminding him of what he gave up,” I continued, the plan taking shape between us. “And I’ll make sure James is invited too, to create some additional tension.”
“It’s delicious,” Penelope declared, raising her glass. “To the Aspen plan.”
I clinked my glass against hers. “And to the downfall of the Carter marriage.”
We both drained our drinks, the alcohol burning pleasantly on the way down. I slammed my empty glass on the table with more force than necessary, feeling a surge of spiteful energy.
“We need something stronger than this weak shit,” I declared, signaling the bartender. “And we need a fucking concrete plan that will blow up in their perfect little faces.”
“What are you thinking?” Penelope leaned forward, eyes gleaming with interest. The bartender approached, and I ordered two tequila shots without consulting her.
“Not just articles and business sabotage.” I tapped my manicured nails against the table. “We need to create real chaos between them. Something that makes one of them snap.”
The tequila arrived, and Penelope raised an eyebrow but didn’t protest. We clinked the small glasses together and threw back the shots in unison. I grimaced at the burn but welcomed the immediate head rush.
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Chapter 170
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Voucheri
“Jesus, that’s strong.” Penelope muttered, shaking her head slightly. “But I like where your head’s at. What kind of chaos did you have in mind?”
I ordered another round before answering. “We need to target their insecurities. His Playboy history, her feeling out of place in our world.”
“So tell me, what exactly do you have in mind?”
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