Chapter 63
Chapter 63
Annabel strolled forward at a leisurely pace.
Lillian held out an open box with a pair of heels inside. “Annabel, do you like them? The them.”
moment I saw these, I thought of you. I just knew you’d love
Annabe! glanced at the shoes but didn’t take them. “No thanks, I’ll pass. But I appreciate the thought.”
Lillian’s smile didn’t falter as she tried to push the box into Annabel’s hands. “Annabel, it’s just a little something from me. Don’t tell me you don’t like ? Or are you saying my gift isn’t good enough for you?”
Annabel sidestepped her attempt and replied bluntly, “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
Lillian’s smile froze, and Victor’s face darkened when he was about to lose his temper. But before he could say anything, Annabel’s voice rang out again. “Shoes you’ve already worn? Sorry, I don’t do hand–me–downs.”
The sharp remark made Lillian’s face flush red. She bit her lip but stayed silent, knowing that since Annabel had given her the USB drive, she likely had a backup copy.
Without another glance, Annabel turned and headed upstairs.
“Annabel, there’s a rumor going around that the red diamond is with you. Is it true?” Before she entered, someone stopped her.
‘How does the news spread so fast? Why am I the last to know?‘ she wondered.
Annabel turned around and saw Charles walking toward her, his shameless smirk matched by the hand he extended. “The red diamond isn’t safe with you. Let me hold onto it for you. Also, how do you know Black Fox?”
Annabel let out a cold laugh. “And who do you think you are? You think it’d be safer with you?”
Charles hadn’t expected his probing to work. So, the red diamond really was with Annabel.
As Annabel placed her hand on the doorknob, ready to enter, Charles’s hand moved faster than his brain, grabbing her wrist. “Annab-”
Before Charles could finish, an irritated female voice cut him off. “What are you two doing?”
Charles immediately released Annabel and stepped back several paces.
Annabel, however, remained calm, her expression indifferent as she watched Beatrice storm over, her face full of anger.
Once Beatrice stood in front of Annabel, she replaced her anger with her usual fake concern and said earnestly, “Annabel, I know what you’re thinking, but Charles is married to Lillian now. You need to know your boundaries.”
Annabel stared at Beatrice for a long moment before turning to Charles, her voice icy and deliberate. “Then, Charles, I suggest you stay far away from me. Don’t come near me again.”
After a pause, Annabel turned back to Beatrice. “At least I have standards, unlike her. Not everyone gets a free pass with me.”
The moment those words left her mouth, both Beatrice’s and Charles’s faces darkened. It was clear who she was referring to.
Beatrice frowned in displeasure. “Annabel, you-
Annabel turned the doorknob, stepped inside, and slammed the door shut with a resounding bang, cutting off their nonsense. What a waste of time.
But as Annabel closed the door, she suddenly remembered something. She opened it again, sneered at Charles, and said, “I don’t know anything about any red diamond.”
Chapter 63
Before Charles could respond, Annabel slammed the door shut again, this time with even more forta.
Both of them, having been snubbed, wore grim expressions, their brows furrowed tightly.
Beatrice was the first to speak. She didn’t care about any red diamond nonsense and instead gave Charles a pointed reminder. Lillian is smart and capable, and as a granddaughter of the White family, her future is limitless. Now that you’re married to her, Charles, you should stay devoted and not entertain any other thoughts.”
Charles, who wanted both the red diamond and the White family’s assets, immediately responded, “Don’t worry, Mrs. White, I’ll make sure to treat Lie well.”
“Oh, by the way, when are you planning your honeymoon trip?” Beatrice asked.
“After Lillian’s past her first trimester,” Charles replied.
Beatrice nodded in agreement, seemingly satisfied with the answer.
But Charles wasn’t one to stay passive. He quickly shifted the topic, asking, “So what about the White family’s shares?”
They didn’t linger outside Annabel’s door. As they walked toward the staircase, their voices dropped to a whisper.
Beatrice lowered her voice, saying, “As long as Annabel doesn’t get her hands on them, every last share of the White family will go to Lillian
Charles curved his lips into a sly smile. “We’ll see about that.”
Annabel returned to her room, ready to dig into how Charles had found out about the red diamond in her possession, when her phone lit up with a call from an unknown number.
“Miss White, I don’t care where you got the red diamond. I’m offering 300 million, hand it over.” The voice on the other end was clearly altered with a voice changer, an obvious attempt to conceal their identity.
Annabel was taken aback by the offer. ‘300 million for a cut–up piece? What would a complete one, three times the size, be worth?‘ she wondered.
With these thoughts swirling in her mind, she replied calmly, “Sorry, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Never heard of a red diamond.”
The caller’s distorted voice grew sharp with anger. “Miss White, do you think I’d come to you without knowing anything? Keep playing dumb, and you’ll regret it someday.”
Annabel chuckled lightly. “If regret’s what you’re waiting for, let’s talk when it happens.”
Without giving the caller another chance to speak, she ended the call with a decisive click.
The phone rang again within seconds, but this time it was Mason.
“Annabel, the results are in for the red diamond.” Mason’s voice crackled with excitement, barely able to contain himself. “It’s the real deal.”
Annabel’s voice remained calm. “Got it. But I need you to look into something for me. Who’s been spreading rumors that I have the red diamond? And it seems my identity as Black Fox might’ve been exposed.”
Mason’s tone shifted, his concern evident. “Did something happen? Is someone causing trouble for you?”
Annabel brushed off his worry with a vague reply/”You could say that.”
Her mind was already racing, trying to figure out who could’ve leaked the information about the red diamond. Aside from Mason, there was only one other person who knew.
‘Could it have been Jonathan? No, that doesn’t add up. That night, Jonathan had only suspected it. He hasn’t confirmed anything, she wondered. ‘With his personality, he’d never spread rumors about something he wasn’t sure of.‘
12.30 Sun,
un
733
Chapter 63
Annabel didn’t realize just how much she trusted Jonathan’s integrity. After hanging up on Mason, she tried to trace the mysterious caller’s number
As expected, after a whole day of searching, she found nothing.
A nagging sense of unease settled over her, as if trouble was just around the corner. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the red diamond would stir up chaos, perhaps even bring her significant danger.
Annabel grew more and more frustrated the longer she thought about it. Finally, she
sed her phone aside and headed to the bathroom.
Even as the warm water poured over her, her mind kept circling back to the same thought. The red diarhond she had in her old life was a fake.
‘So where’s the real one back then?‘ she wondered.
That night, her dreams were filled with scenes from her old life. It wasn’t just remembering; it felt like she was living through it all over again.
Eventually, the pain in the dream jolted her awake.
The sky outside was a dim blue, and the clock read 5:30 AM. Unable to fall back asleep, she got up, changed into workout clothes, and went downstars
for a run.
At this hour, the villa district was eerily quiet, with barely a soul in sight. The farther she ran, the fewer surveillance cameras there were.
When she reached the farthest point by the lake, Annabel stopped to catch her breath. That’s when she noticed a man in black approaching her. He wore a mask and a hat, and his every step seemed deliberate, as if he had a clear goal.
Her instincts screamed at her to move, and she tried to step aside, but the man quickened his pace. Suddenly, he pulled a knife from his coat and lunged
at her.
Annabel’s body reacted on its own. Her leg shot out in a sharp kick, aiming directly at the knife as she frowned.
Clang. The knife clattered to the ground. The man’s eyes flashed with surprise, but he quickly retaliated, aiming a kick at her.
He wasn’t an amateur. His moves were sharp and precise, forcing Annabel to block and counter. The two exchanged blows, neither gaining the upper hand.
Just as the stalemate dragged on, a sharp scream pierced the air behind her. “Ah.”
Annabel instinctively glanced back, and when she turned around, the man in black was already retreating into the shadows.
AD
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.