Chapter 14
The sweetness on Lynette’s face shattered instantly. She staggered backward, knocking over the champagne glass on the coffee table.
Shards of broken glass were scattered across the floor.
“Jas?” she shrieked. “You two are still thinking about her?”
She lunged at Timothy without warning, nails clawing straight for his face. “What’s so great about her?
She never loved either of you! She’s done with you and left! I’m the only one still here-”
However, he caught her wrist effortlessly, gripping it with enough force to make her cry out in pain. Leaning in close, he whispered in a way that made her blood run cold.
“Don’t overestimate yourself. Did you think any of those sweet words were real? We were just playing with
you.”
Matthew, too, walked over, his figure towering over her. “If I’m being honest, you can’t even hold a candle
to her.”
That line stabbed straight into Lynette’s heart like a scorched blade. She suddenly fell silent, and the wildness in her eyes was slowly replaced by something far more dangerous-a terrifying calm.
“I see,” she said softly, slipping free from Timothy’s grip. She smoothed out her disheveled nightdress and said, “So, for the past six months, everything has been for show?”
Matthew and Timothy exchanged a glance, but neither answered.
Lynette broke into a laugh. She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear with grace, as if the hysteria
from earlier had never happened.
“I get it now,” she muttered, turning toward the staircase. “Goodnight, Matt. Goodnight, Tim.”
“She’s not going to let this slide.” Timothy frowned, asking, “What do you think she’s planning?”
Matthew drained his glass in one long gulp. “Who cares? She’s just a plaything.”
Upstairs, Lynette locked her door with a soft click and calmly booked a flight to Jenvil.
She walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and gazed out at the glittering city lights of Horinton. In the glass, her warped and venomous reflection smiled back at her.
“Jasmine…” she whispered to her own reflection. “Did you think you’d be safe by running back to Jenvil? I’ll show you what it costs to steal what’s mine.”
Outside the window, a bolt of lightning tore through the night sky, illuminating the madness and hatred in Lynette’s eyes. A storm was coming.
Meanwhile, far away in Jenvil, Jasmine knew nothing of the chaos brewing in Horinton. She stood in front of a mirror, trying on wedding dresses with a warm, sweet smile, counting down the days to becoming Sebastian’s bride.
