Chapter 498
Chapter 498
“We’ll just take it one step at a time.”
Joker’s words were as slippery as ever, but right now, Marina had no one else to count on. If she’d already hit rock bottom, then she’d make sure to drag Niamh down there with her. If she was going down, Niamh was coming with her-no matter what.
The night was dark, the wind sharp.
Marina rode in the back of Keen’s van as they drove out to an abandoned warehouse on the edge of town. The place sent a chill down her spine-these sorts of places always did-but she forced herself to trust Joker. He’d promised to help her, which meant, surely, he wouldn’t turn on
her.
Truth be told, the warehouse was a perfect set for the scene she needed to stage. Joker’s plan was simple: all she had to do was fake being assaulted by loan sharks, then pin everything on Niamh. It would be easy to make Jonathan believe Niamh was behind her suffering.
As soon as they arrived, Marina gave brisk orders, directing Keen and the others to unload the props she’d prepared earlier. She arranged the scene with careful detail, then grabbed the collar of her own blouse and tore it open a little. It didn’t look convincing enough, so she hiked up her skirt as
well.
The men didn’t leave the whole time. Something about their lingering presence made Marina uneasy.
“Keen, Joker just told you to drop me off. You can go now,” she said, trying to keep her tone steady.
She barely finished speaking before the men exchanged glances, wicked smiles spreading across their faces.
“That’s not what Joker told us,” Keen replied.
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As they started walking toward her, dread knotted in Marina’s stomach and drained the color from her face.
“No, Keen… this is just pretend. I just want Jonathan to pity me. I want him to think Niamh set me up-”
But she was already backed against the cold wall of the warehouse. Keen was unbuckling his belt.
“Joker said you’re Drake’s most valuable asset. You’re one of us. To help you, we have to go all out…”
“If it doesn’t look real, how are the police-or your precious Mr.
Thomas-supposed to believe it?”
Rough hands grabbed her from all sides, pinning her down. Marina screamed, her voice echoing in the empty warehouse: “No! Don’t! This was supposed to be fake! I don’t want to go through with this! Let me call Joker, please let me talk to Joker!”
A sharp, stinging slap from Keen cut her off. Her left ear rang, everything muffled.
She collapsed onto the ground as the men tied her up with a length of rope they found among the warehouse junk. Her desperate screams faded to ragged whimpers, then to nothing.
That same day, Niamh had planned to inspect the old garment factory she’d acquired from Marina’s parents for a bargain price. She wanted to see if the place could be converted into something more profitable. The clothing business was tanking these days, and even back when Marina’s parents ran the place, it had been bleeding money. Niamh had never believed in its future, so ever since the purchase, she’d been mulling over
what to do with it.
As she walked through the dim parking garage, her phone rang before
she even reached her car.
23.20
Chapter 498
“Hello, is this Ms. Niamh Rivers?”
The voice was unfamiliar, but polite.
“Yes, this is she. May I ask who’s calling?”
“This is Captain Wyatt from the city police. There’s an ongoing criminal case, and we need your cooperation for the investigation.”
“A criminal case?” Niamh’s eyes narrowed.
After she hung up, she instinctively opened the news on her phone and saw the latest headlines:
“Bankrupt Businesswoman Assaulted! Is the Mastermind Her?”
“Beneath the Surface: Renowned Jewelry Designer Niamh Rivers Accused of Orchestrating Sexual Assault.”
Niamh’s eyes widened in shock. Her own name was burning on the
trending list. And the “bankrupt businesswoman” in the headline instantly conjured a single face in her mind.
“…Marina?”
