Chapter 227
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Harrison glanced up, double-checking the apartment number.
No mistake-this was the place Selene had rented with Daphne.
Carmel was dressed in gray plaid pajamas, loose and androgynous, with a slouchy cardigan thrown on top. She’d just tied her bangs back with a sporty headband, getting ready for her nightly skincare routine.
The look made her seem more like a fresh-faced, boyish teenager than anything else.
“Harrison!”
Carmel’s expression shut down in an instant.
She’d never actually spoken to Harrison face-to-face before. Five years ago, they’d crossed paths a few times, but Carmel had only glimpsed
him from a distance.
Still, she’d done her research. After hearing about Selene’s divorce, she’d even used Harrison’s picture for dart practice.
Harrison’s cold, oppressive gaze swept over Carmel, the tension in the air almost suffocating.
“Carmel, right?”
His tone was pure authority-imperious, unyielding. “If you want to live, get out. Now,”
The two officers who’d followed Harrison inside both coughed in
embarrassment.
“Mr. Vaughn, please, calm down!”
He was acting as if the law meant nothing to him.
From behind the frosted glass of the bathroom door, Selene called out, “Carrie?”
“I forgot to bring in my new body lotion.”
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“I’ll get it for you!” Carmel shouted back immediately.
Earlier, the sound of running water from the shower had drowned out the
doorbell.
Selene sounded thoughtful. “Never mind. I’ll come out in a minute. Why don’t you just help me put it on?”
“Selene, don’t come out!” Carmel fired back, a little too urgently.
Inside the bathroom, Selene paused, puzzled.
Carmel tightened her grip on the door handle, glaring at Harrison like he was her worst enemy.
“You’re the one who needs to leave!”
Seven years’ worth of pent-up resentment exploded all at once.
There’s nothing like seeing your nemesis face-to-face to bring out the worst in you.
When Secretary Burnett had sent Harrison those photos from the airport-Selene, arm-in-arm with another man-Harrison had already been seething.
Now, seeing a stranger in pajamas inside Selene’s apartment-worse, hearing Selene ask him to help her with lotion-was enough to ignite a
volcano inside him.
The thought of Selene tangled up with this scrawny, baby-faced guy felt like a personal insult.
Harrison lunged, grabbing Carmel by the collar and jerking her upward.
The two officers rushed forward, seizing Harrison’s arms. “Mr. Vaughn! Calm down! Let go, now!”
At that moment, Selene burst from the bathroom, her face drained of color. She grabbed the mop by the door and swung, smacking Harrison square across the face.
She jammed the mop’s handle into his throat, her voice cold and low. “Let
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Chapter 227
go of her. Now.”
The mop pressed against Harrison’s windpipe, cutting off his breath.
He stared at Selene, fury blazing in her eyes, and for a moment, the whole situation struck him as absurd.
“Look at the kind of man you’re with-he couldn’t even put up a fight.”
His sneer didn’t faze Selene. “Carmel isn’t my boyfriend. She’s my best friend.”
Harrison let out a derisive laugh. “Selene, you expect me to believe that? You and a man being just friends?”
Selene shot back, “If you can be best friends with women, why can’t I be best friends with a man?”
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