Chapter 131 Chapter 131
Chapter 131 Chapter 131
Veda’s POV
The penthouse was thick with the scent of expensive candles and the faint metallic tang of lingering blood from the last failure. I stood near the grand fireplace, swirling a glass of aged whiskey, my silk robe clinging to my body like a second skin. Indira lounged on the velvet couch, legs crossed elegantly, her sharp eyes reflecting the same simmering hatred that burned in my chest. We had been waiting.
The door finally opened. The two hefty men I had sent on the latest mission stepped inside, heads lowered, bodies tense. They knew better than to speak first.
I didn’t give them the chance to explain.
“Tell me she’s dead,” I said coldly, already knowing the answer from their defeated postures.
The taller one cleared his throat. “Ma’am… the hit-and-run didn’t work. She swerved at the last second. Another car took the impact. Greer is still alive.”
Rage exploded through me like a bomb.
I slammed the whiskey glass down so hard it cracked. “Failed again?! How many times must I tolerate your incompetence?!” My voice rose into a furious scream that echoed off the walls. “I wanted her gone! I wanted to hear that her body was crushed, bleeding out on the road, that the little bitch who stole my husband was finally erased from this earth!”
I stormed toward them, snatching the gun from the holster of the nearest man. Without hesitation, I pointed it at the one who had spoken and pulled the trigger.
The gunshot rang out sharply. His body jerked violently and collapsed onto the marble floor, blood spreading in a dark pool. Indira didn’t even flinch. The remaining man stared in horror, frozen in place.
I lowered the gun, breathing heavily, my chest heaving with pure, unfiltered fury. “I pay you fortunes and you bring me nothing but disappointment after disappointment. First the break-in, now this pathetic attempt. Greer is still alive. Still breathing. Still smiling in public. Still fucking Calder like she has any right to him. It disgusts me!”
Indira stood up gracefully, her heels clicking as she approached the surviving man. “You’re lucky Aunty Veda only shot one of you tonight. But your luck is running out.”
The man stammered apologies, but I cut him off with a sharp wave of my hand. “Get that body out of here and leave. If you fail me one more time, I will make sure your entire family joins him.”
He dragged his dead partner away, leaving a smeared trail of blood. The door closed behind him with a heavy finality.
Indira turned to me, her expression dark and determined. “Aunty, enough of these useless men. Let me handle this personally. I will eliminate Greer myself. No middlemen. No traces. No mistakes this time. I promise you, she will be gone soon. I will make it slow if you want. I will make her suffer for everything she’s taken from you… from us.”
Her vow sent a cold, satisfying thrill through my veins. Indira had her own deep hatred for Greer, the public humiliation, the lost opportunities, the way my daughter had risen so quickly. If anyone could finish this cleanly, it was her.
“Do it,” I said, my voice low and venomous. “Make sure she never sees another sunrise. I want her success crushed. Her brand, destroyed. Her life ended.”
We were still discussing the details when the doorbell rang again. Security escorted Calder’s lawyer into the room — a slick, arrogant man carrying a thick envelope. He looked slightly uncomfortable at the sight of the fresh blood smear on the floor but maintained his professional mask.
“Mrs. Rhys,” he began formally. “Mr. Calder Rhys has sent the final divorce papers. He insists you sign them immediately. The terms are generous, but he will not tolerate further delays.”
I snatched the envelope from his hands and ripped it open, scanning the documents with growing disgust. Divorce. The word felt like poison.
I laughed bitterly, the sound sharp and unhinged. “He thinks he can discard me like this? After marrying me? Because of that cheap little whore Greer?”
The lawyer remained calm. “It is important that you sign, Mrs. Rhys. Mr. Rhys will not take this lightly if you refuse.”
I stepped closer to him, eyes blazing. “Tell Calder he is married to me forever. No matter what. Some homewrecking slut will not be the reason I divorce him. I am Veda Rhys. That name, that status, it belongs to me. He will not take it away!”
Indira moved beside me, arms crossed. “You heard her clearly. Now get out.”
The lawyer tried once more. “Mrs. Rhys, this course of action—”
“Kick him out!” I screamed.
Indira grabbed his arm firmly and dragged him toward the door. He protested, but she shoved him outside without ceremony and slammed the door in his face.
The divorce papers remained on the table. I stared at them for a long moment, then picked them up with shaking hands. With a scream of pure hatred, I tore them into tiny pieces; ripping, shredding, destroying every page that dared suggest I should leave my husband.
I threw the shredded remains into the warm fireplace. The flames eagerly consumed them, curling the paper into black ash that rose up the chimney.
“Good riddance,” I whispered, watching them burn.
Indira stood beside me, a dark, satisfied smile curving her lips. “He will regret ever trying to leave you, Aunty. And when Greer is gone, he’ll have no choice but to come back to you.”
I poured us both fresh drinks, the anger slowly settling into a cold, dangerous resolve. Greer thought she could take my life from me, my husband, my status, my peace of mind. But I would destroy her first.
The Royal Business Ball was approaching. Her new store was opening soon. She was getting nominations and praise she didn’t deserve.
None of it would matter when she was dead.
Indira raised her glass. “To Greer’s end.”
I clinked mine against hers, eyes gleaming with lethal promise. “To her end.”
As the fire crackled, devouring the last scraps of the divorce papers, I felt a dark calm wash over me. This war was personal now.
And I intended to win it at any cost.