Chapter 213 Deals Behind Bars

Chapter 213 Deals Behind Bars
Three days before Piper entered the prison to speak with Scarlett, Elsa had already decided that she was going to use her.
The idea had come naturally.
Scarlett hated Piper.
Elsa hated Piper.
That was enough.
She did not care about Scarlett’s confession, Irene’s investigation, or whatever mystery Piper had convinced herself she needed to solve. Those things only mattered because they had given Piper another reason to stand above everyone else.
Everywhere Elsa looked, Piper was becoming the centre of attention.
Even those who had once doubted her were starting to see her differently.
Elsa couldn’t stand it.
Piper had embarrassed her, and taken away the control she once had. Now she was walking around as though she had won.
Elsa wanted to change that.
And Scarlett was the one person who understood what Piper was capable of.
The prison was not somewhere Elsa wanted to be.
But Elsa also knew something else.
People like Scarlett were dangerous even when they had nothing left.
The officer escorted her into the visitation room and unlocked the door before leaving.
Scarlett was already seated on the other side of the table.
She looked nothing like the helpless prisoner Elsa expected. She looked calm and comfortable
Elsa sat down, placing her crutch beside her chair.
Scarlett studied her silently.
“You’re Elsa,” Scarlett said.
Elsa’s expression changed slightly. “You know who I am?”
“I know enough.”
The answer irritated Elsa. She had come expecting to control the conversation, not feel like she was being examined.
“I’m not here to waste time,” Elsa said as she leaned back. “We both have a problem.”
Scarlett’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“And that problem is?”
Elsa didn’t hesitate.
“Piper.”
For a moment, silence filled the room.
Then Scarlett leaned back laughing. “That is an interesting way to start a conversation.”
Elsa ignored the reaction.
“You hate her. I hate her. So instead of pretending we’re strangers, we can admit we want the same thing.”
Scarlett watched her carefully.
“And what exactly do you think I want?”
“To see her fall.”
The confidence in Elsa’s voice was almost amusing. Scarlett had spent years studying people, and Elsa was not difficult to understand.
Her anger was obvious.
Her pride was even more obvious.
“You came all the way here because you believe I can help you hurt Piper,” Scarlett said.
Elsa didn’t deny it. “You know her better than anyone.”
A faint smile appeared on Scarlett’s face. “No. I know what she is capable of.”
“That’s exactly why I’m here.” Elsa leaned forward slightly. “Piper acts like she’s always right. She walks around pretending she’s saving everyone, but people like that always have something they’re hiding.”
Scarlett could see the obsession behind Elsa’s words. It was personal.
“What do you want from me?” Scarlett asked.
“Information.” The answer came quickly. “Something I can use.”
Scarlett looked at her for several seconds. “You think I would simply hand you a way to hurt someone?”
Elsa gave a small scoff. “You don’t like her either.”
“That doesn’t mean I like you.” 
The blunt response caught Elsa off guard for a moment. “I didn’t come here to become your friend,” Elsa said.
“Good,” Scarlett replied calmly. “Because that would have been disappointing.”
Elsa ignored the insult. “I know you’re angry at Piper and that makes us useful to each other.”
Scarlett almost smiled.
Elsa genuinely believed she was negotiating from a position of strength.
She didn’t realise she had walked into the room and revealed exactly what Scarlett needed to know.
“You’re very certain Piper is your enemy,” Scarlett said.
“She is.”
Scarlett tilted her head slightly. “People often become obsessed with destroying what they believe took something from them.”
Elsa’s fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
“I’m not obsessed.”
Scarlett said nothing but the silence itself was enough of a response.
Elsa looked away briefly before returning her attention to Scarlett. “Are you going to help me or not?”
Scarlett studied her.
A woman driven by anger.
A woman who believed revenge made her powerful.
Scarlett knew exactly what kind of damage someone like Elsa could cause.
So she decided to give her just enough.
“She trusts people too easily,” Scarlett finally said.
Elsa tapped her nail on the table's edge, “Explain.”
Scarlett folded her hands on the table.
“Piper believes she can separate good people from bad ones. She thinks if someone has a reason for what they do, she can understand them.”
“And?”
“And that makes her predictable.”
Elsa listened carefully as Scarlett continued.
“She has a habit of searching for the best in people, even when they have already shown her who they are. For example Cecil.” 
Elsa hissed loudly, she hated Cecil for slapping her almost as much as she hated Piper.
“She thinks she can save everyone,” Elsa said.
Scarlett nodded slightly. “That is one of her weaknesses.”
Elsa tapped her fingers against the table.
“What else?”
Scarlett paused thinking about how much to reveal.
“Piper’s biggest strength is also what makes her vulnerable because once she believes she has found the truth, she follows it without thinking about who gets hurt along the way.”
Elsa considered that.
It wasn’t just an emotional weakness.
It was something she could use.
Piper was so determined to uncover secrets and expose lies that she often forgot the consequences.
“Her friends,” Elsa said slowly.
Scarlett’s eyes moved toward her.
“Exactly.”
Elsa smiled.
“So if she believes someone she trusts betrayed her…”
“She will question everything.”
The room went quiet.
Elsa finally felt like she had actually gained something.
A weakness.
A way to make Piper doubt herself.
“You really do hate her,” Elsa said.
Scarlett’s expression remained calm.
“I dislike what she represents,” Scarlett said, her mind drifting to Irene.
“That sounds like hate.”
“Call it whatever you want child.”
Scarlett kept her eyes on the empty chair across from her for several long moments before finally looking toward the door.
“Do you have a pen?” She asked Elsa who looked confused at her questions.
Pulling out a sticky note and a glitter pen, she handed it to Scarlett who scribbled something in seconds.
“I thought you said you had nothing left.”
A small smile spread across Scarlett’s face. “I never said that.” She slid the note across the table. “His number.”
Elsa looked down at the paper before lifting her eyes back to Scarlett.
“Who is he?”
“Someone useful to me for a very long time.” Scarlett leaned back in her chair. “He doesn't work for you. He works for whoever gives him a reason to.”
Elsa turned the paper over.
“So why would he listen to me?”
“Because he'll know I sent you.”
Scarlett's expression remained calm. “If you're serious about making Piper's life miserable, call him. If he decides you're worth listening to, he'll answer.”
Elsa folded the paper and slipped it into her pocket before reaching for her crutch.
“I already know where to start.”
Later that evening, Elsa sat alone on her canopy bed, the folded piece of paper resting in her lap. She unfolded it, stared at the number for a moment, then dialled.
The phone rang twice before a calm voice answered.
“Yes?”
Elsa skipped the introductions.
“Scarlett gave me your number.”
A brief silence followed.
“I know.”
A satisfied smile crossed Elsa's face.
“Good. Then listen carefully.”
She rose from the bed and made her way to the window overlooking the estate.
“I don't want Piper harmed.”
The man said nothing.
“Not yet,” Elsa added. “For now, watch her. Learn where she goes, who she meets, and what she's hiding.”
“I understand.”
Elsa's smile slowly widened.
“When I decide it's time…”
She rested a hand against the cold glass.
“I'll tell you exactly what I want done.”
“I'll be waiting.”
The line went dead.