Chapter 14
Unless.. Thinking back to Irene’s earlier words–I’ve already died once–Valerie finally realized what it meant.
“Rini.” Tears welled in Valerie’s eyes as she pressed her palm to Irene’s chest. Her voice trembled with pain. “Does it hurt?”
In front of her best friend, Irene could finally drop all pretense of strength.
Irene broke down in Valerie’s arms, crying uncontrollably. “It hurts, Valerie. It really hurts.”
Valerie cried with her. When both had finally calmed down, Valerie remembered the mission she had been working on. She asked, “So.. did we succeed?”
Irene,fell silent, troubled. After a moment, she finally answered, her voice heavy. “You did.”
Valerie was the person who understood Irene the best in this world. She could tell something was off just from Irene’s expression.
But then Valerie smiled anyway. “As long as the mission was successful, then everything I did was worth it.”
Hearing that shattered Irene even more. She thought bitterly, ‘How could someone like Valerie–someone so good–have ended up dying that way?”
Looking at Valerie’s young and vibrant face, Irene made a silent vow. She was going to change the course of Valerie’s fate.
After wiping away her tears, Valerie took Irene’s hands in hers and said solemnly, “Rini, whatever you need to do, however you want to do it I’m with you. No matter what.”
Irene nodded, “Yeah.”
Once Valerie finished eating, Irene asked, “Are you tired? If not.. want to go fishing with me?”
“Fishing In the middle of the night? Valerie gave her a look like she’d lost her mind. “Since when did you even like fishing?”
Irene gave her a cryptic smile. Trust me. Tonight, we’re gonna catch a big one.”
Valerie looked doubtful but still followed her out the door.
Late at night, Shelby snuck back to the place where Irene had drowned twenty–four years ago,
The little creek had since been transformed into a wetland reserve.
Luxury villas and golf courses now surrounded it. The place had become a wellness haven for the wealthy.
Shelby stepped onto the wooden boardwalk and headed to the observation platform where Irene had told her to meet.
Seeing Irene standing alone at the far end of the platform, Shelby glanced around, checking for others. Once sure Irene was by herself, she finally approached.
“Alright, how much do you want to let this go? Shelby asked. Even now, she still thought Irene was just trying to scare her and squeeze out some money.
Irene pointed toward the lake. Her tone was cold and firm. “I told you. Either you jump in and wait there until I’m satisfied.
“Or you give me thirty percent of your media company’s shares. Otherwise, I’m going to the police. That’s it. I don’t want anything else.”
Shelby’s patience snapped. Claring at the shimmering lake, she hissed, “The water here is five meters deep.
“I can’t swim. If I jump in, I’ll die–what kind of option is that?
“Desperate times call for desperate measures. Don’t think I’ll go easy y on you just because you’re my daughter. Push me far enough, and I won’t hold back.”
1/2
Chapter 14
Even with Shelby’s threat hanging in the air, Irene didn’t budge. She insisted, Tm not changing my terms.”
Shelby’s face twisted in rage. She teased, “Irene, girls should stay away from the tall reeds at night.
“In a place like this, if something were to happen if someone violated you–no one would hear your screams. No one would save you.”
Irene’s expression turned icy. “What are you trying to do?”
“You’re so obsessed with Dorian. You bend over backwards to please him. Isn’t it because you want to marry into the Barnes family? You want to step on me for the rest of your life?” Shelby’s eyes gleamed with cruelty. “Tell me if your body’s no longer clean, if someone ruins you, would Dorian still accept you?”
With that, Shelby snapped her fingers.
A man dressed in black, wearing a mask, emerged from the other end of the boardwalk and quickly made his way to Shelby’s side. His eyes locked onto Irene, full of greedy malice.
As the masked man appeared, a flash of cold light flickered in Irene’s eyes. Looks like the fish has finally taken the bait.
AD
