Chapter 90
Simon showed no surprise. After a beat he merely answered, “All right. Let me drive you home.”
Elena did not refuse his offer this time.
When Elena stepped through the door, Annabelle was still awake. A spark of excitement flickered in Annabelle’s eyes, but when she saw who had come in, that spark turned into startled confusion.
Annabelle gave her sister a once–over, then smiled with feigned sweetness. “Sister, you’re finally home. It’s so late–we were woJust when she thought her life would be ruined here tonight, the weight on her body vanished. A powerful hand seized Calvin Zane by the collar and hurled him to the floor–bang!
Calvin shrieked, “W–who–who the hell… Mr. Whitmore, please! Have mercy, ah!”
Simon Whitmore looked like a beast unleashed, murderous fire blazing in his eyes. His fists pounded Calvin’s arm again and again until bone cracked, the room echoing with nothing but ragged, inhuman screams.
“Out,” Simon snarled.
Calvin scrambled on all fours and fled the suite.
Elena crouched in a tight ball on the carpet, her eyes huge with terror.
Simon knelt in front of her, his hand half–raised to smooth her disheveled hair.
Elena flinched backward, voice trembling. “Don’t touch me… please, stay away.”
His chest tightened. “All right,” Simon said softly. “I won’t touch you.”
He sat beside her in silence, keeping her company on the floor. After a long while, her breathing steadied; she hugged her knees and buried her face against them.
Only then did Simon shrug off his jacket and drape it over her shoulders, scoop her into his arms, and carry her out of the suite. He took her to a guest room on the upper floor.
Still cradled in his coat, Elena lifted her head and murmured, “Thank you. May I take a shower?”
“I’ll draw it for you,” Simon replied and headed straight into the bathroom.
When she emerged, wrapped in a towel, Simon was standing at the window, a cigarette between his fingers; at the sight of her he crushed it out immediately.
Elena managed an awkward smile. “I’m sorry you always have to see me at my worst, Young Master Whitmore.”
Simon frowned and gestured to the chair by the desk. “Sit. I have something to show you.”
She obeyed, confusion flickering in her eyes,
Simon produced a USB flash drive. “You’ve been squeezed from every side these last few days. Grace is merely a pawn; there’s a mastermind behind her.”
Of course Elena knew–the mastermind was Annabelle.
“Annabelle Bennett is ruthless, Elena You have to strike back.”
He met her gaze, plugged the drive into the laptop, and opened a video file.
Elena stared at the screen, eyes widening in shock.
Chapter 891
Moans of shame filled the speakers; on–screen, a drugged Annabelle writhed atop a stranger, begging for his touch.
Suddenly she remembered how, after that night, Simon had dropped by claiming he’d left something in her room—he had prepared this long ago.
Simon removed the drive and placed it before her. “If someone hurts you
once, I expect you to pay them back tenfold.
Elena pressed her lips together and stared at the tiny device for a long while.
Elena thought,
‘If this footage goes public, Annabelle’s shining reputation will shatter, and she’ll never again parade as the Bennett family’s flawless princess.
‘For Annabelle, that humiliation would be crushing–but compared with the torment I’ve endured this past year, it’s
nothing.
‘I was cast aside, tormented, and degraded for more than a year while she basked in applause.
‘It isn’t enough–nowhere near enough.
‘Every cell in my body screams for justice whenever I remember the pain I’ve suffered.‘
Elena vowed to take revenge with her own hands; it wasn’t enough for Annabelle to be reviled by everyone–Annabelle had to taste, one by one, every ounce of suffering Elena had endured.
After a long silence, Elena pushed the flash drive back across the table.
“Thank you, Simon,” Elena said evenly. “I do intend to settle the score, but I refuse to use a weapon like this–I will not become what she is.”
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Chapter 90
rried sick! None of us could sleep until you returned. Where on earth did you go?”
Elena regarded her coldly, a faint curve lifting her lips. “Is that real concern, or are you just waiting for the show to start?”
Annabelle blinked innocently. “I don’t understand what you mean. Oh, right–Sister, I heard the moment you arrived at the company today, the project you handle was halted by the Whitmore Group. Did you do something to offend them?”
Seeing Elena return unscathed, Annabelle’s frustration simmered; she began searching for any mud she could sling.
Elena asked coolly, “Heard? From whom?”
Annabelle chirped, “From your Director Grace!”
Elena narrowed her eyes. “You’ve never been involved in the company–how would you even know Director Grace?”
Annabelle faltered, panic flashing across her gaze, then recovered her composure and laughed. “Sister, Director Grace happens to be a fan of mine. She knows me, we get along well–why wouldn’t she tell me a few things?”
Elena went on, “Did she also mention that, because of the project, Simon Whitmore summoned her to Whitmore Group- yet left her standing all day in the freezing snow without seeing her?”
Annabelle’s brows knotted. “What?”
Elena added, “And she didn’t tell you that tonight Calvin Zane from the Whitmore side and I had dinner at Westhaven Clubhouse? You don’t know that either?”
The sharp edge in Elena’s stare seemed to pull Annabelle forward by invisible threads; for a moment Annabelle’s mind
turned hazy.
“Maybe she kept quiet because it would make her look bad,” Annabelle muttered.
Elena stepped closer, her voice low. “Sister Annie, didn’t you just claim you had no idea where I went? How is it you suddenly know I dined with Calvin Zane?”
Annabelle blinked in panic. “I…”
That wretch Elena–how dare she set a trap for me!‘
Julian barked, “Elena Bennett, what’s your problem? Annie stayed up all night worried about you and kept the whole family awake until you walked in. Is this how you repay your sister’s concern?”
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Chapter 90
Elena kept her gaze fixed on Annabelle. “Funny–I didn’t see worry, only shock. Annabelle, are you surprised I made it home unharmed?”
Lawrence snapped, “That’s enough, Elena! Surprised you’re safe? What, do you think we’d prefer something happened to you? Stop twisting everything. We owe you nothing!”
Elena leaned in until only Annabelle could hear and murmured, “Don’t fool yourself, Annie. Karma is coming, and every wound I’ve suffered will be repaid–twice–by you.”
Straightening, she added clearly, “Better not let strangers slander your elder sister and have you rush to convict me.”
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.