Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Lucia POV
My heart pounds so hard I'm sure everyone can hear it. This is the moment I've been preparing for, but nothing could have made me ready for the reality of it.
"Good evening," David says when he reaches me. His voice is the same, warm and charming. The voice that whispered lies in my ear. "I don't believe we've met. David Rodriguez."
He extends his hand, and I stare at it for a moment. The same hand that touched me with false tenderness. The same hand that signed documents stealing my inheritance. The same hand that wrote the letter that destroyed my world.
"Isabella Valen," I say, taking his hand. His skin feels cold against mine. The same hand that touched me with false tenderness. The same hand that signed documents stealing my inheritance.
My stomach lurches when our skin makes contact. Part of me wants to scream, to claw his eyes out, to tell him exactly who I am and watch the horror dawn on his face.
But I smile instead. That's what she would do. Isabella. The woman I built in fire and rage.
"Pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is entirely mine." He holds my hand a moment longer than necessary, and I have to fight not to pull away. "Are you enjoying the evening?"
"Very much. It's wonderful to see so many people committed to worthy causes."
"Indeed." His eyes never leave my face. "I'm sorry, but you look so familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"
The question hangs in the air between us like a blade. Does he recognize something? Some echo of the girl he left bleeding?
"I don't think so," I say with Isabella's cool smile. "I've been living abroad for several years. I only just returned to the city."
"Ah, that explains it." But he's still studying my face, like he's trying to solve a puzzle. "What brings you back?"
"Business opportunities. My family has interests here that need attention."
"Family business. How wonderful. What industry?"
I let my smile grow a little sharper. "Investments. We specialize in taking control of undervalued assets."
Something flickers in his eyes at the word 'control,' but he recovers quickly. "Fascinating. Perhaps we should discuss it sometime. I'm always interested in new opportunities."
Of course he is. David has always been drawn to money and power like a moth to flame.
"Perhaps we should," I agree. "Though I should warn you... I can be quite ruthless when it comes to business."
He laughs, a sound that used to make my heart flutter. Now it makes my stomach turn.
"I like a woman who knows what she wants," he says. "Here's my card. I do hope you'll call."
I take the business card, printed on expensive paper with raised lettering. David Rodriguez, CEO, Rodriguez Enterprises. Built with my money. My family's legacy.
"I'll be in touch," I promise.
"I certainly hope so." He glances back toward Yvonne, who's watching us with poorly hidden curiosity. "I should get back to my wife, but it was truly a pleasure meeting you, Isabella."
My wife. The words taste like acid in the air.
"The pleasure was mine, David."
He walks away, and I watch him go. Every step he takes is paid for with my inheritance. Every breath he draws is stolen from the life I should have had.
But he doesn't know that.
He has no idea he just shook hands with a ghost.
I glance back toward Yvonne, and my blood turns to ice. She's not laughing anymore. She's watching me with sharp, calculating eyes. Her head tilts slightly as she studies my face, like she's trying to solve a puzzle.
Yvonne always knew when I was lying. Even as children, she could see right through my pretenses. Will she see through this one too?
Our eyes meet across the room, and for a terrifying moment, I see something flicker in her expression. Recognition? Suspicion?
Then she smiles and raises her champagne glass in a small toast. But the smile doesn't reach her eyes.
"How do you feel?" Salome asks when she reaches my side.
I touch the spot on my hand where David's skin met mine. It still feels contaminated.
"Terrified," I admit. "Yvonne was watching me. She looked... suspicious."
"Good," Salome says. "Let her be suspicious. Suspicious people make mistakes."
"Empty," I say honestly. "I thought I'd feel more. Anger, satisfaction, something. But there's just... nothing."
"That's good. Emotion makes you sloppy. What you felt just now, that emptiness... that's power."
I look across the room at David and Yvonne. They're back to their conversation, probably discussing which of my properties to sell next. They have no idea their world is about to end.
"When do we start destroying them?"
Salome's smile is beautiful and terrible. "My dear girl, we already have."
"What do you mean?"
"You just gave David Rodriguez your business card. He's going to call you, isn't he?"
I look down at the card in my hand. Isabella Valen, Valen Industries. A number that will put him directly in touch with me.
"Yes. He's interested in business opportunities."
"Perfect. Because Isabella Valen is about to become very interested in Rodriguez Enterprises." Her eyes glitter with anticipation. "Rodriguez Enterprises has a dirty little secret buried in their Singapore contracts. Something that could destroy them completely."
"What kind of secret?"
"The kind that sends people to prison for twenty years." She takes my arm and guides me toward the exit. "But we're not going to expose it yet. First, we're going to make David fall in love with you."
The words hit me like ice water. "What?"
"He's already attracted to you. We're going to let him think he's seducing another wealthy woman. Let him believe he can manipulate you the same way he manipulated Lucia." Her smile turns predatory. "And when he's completely hooked, when he thinks he's found his next mark, we'll pull the rug out from under him."
Understanding washes over me like cold water. "We're going to make him think he can steal from me too."
"Exactly. And when he tries, when he shows his true nature, we'll have him on fraud charges, embezzlement, conspiracy, everything we need to bury him forever."
"And then?"
"Then we show him what happens when you try to steal from a Valen."
As we leave the ballroom, I catch one last glimpse of David and Yvonne. They're laughing about something, champagne glasses raised in a toast to their continued success.
They have no idea they just celebrated their last happy moment.