bChapter /bb222 /b

    bDORA’S /bbPOV /b

    bI /bended the call, my hands trembling slightly as I dropped the phone onto the nightstand. My entire body was still furning with anger. That idiot hadpletely messed things up. One job, just one simple task, and he couldn’t even get that right. Now everything was bhanging /bby a thread, and i could already feel the walls closing in.

    I paced back and forth across my bedroom, my mind spinning with possibilities. How the hell had she survived? How had she bmanaged /bto walk away from something that should’ve been fatal? This wasn’t part of the n. Now we had to figure out a new way to get rid of her. bBut /bthis time… it would be even harder. She’d be expecting something. She’d be watching every corner, every shadow, every step.

    A soft knock on the door pulled me from my spiraling thoughts. I stopped pacing, closed my eyes for a brief moment, then exhaled.

    “Come in,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady as I took a seat on the edge of my bed.

    The door creaked open and my mom stepped inside. Her expression was calm,posed, the opposite of the chaos inside me. She closed the door behind her and walked over, taking a seat beside me on the bed.

    “Are you done with the call?” she asked gently, eyeing me with concern.

    “Kind of,” I replied, rubbing my temples. “I still have one more person I need to call… but I’m not ready for that conversation just yet.”

    “Alright,” she said with a nod, then her tone shifted. “What you said earlier… in the living room. You’re sure it was her?”

    “Yes, Mom. if I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t be panicking the way I am now,” I replied, my voice rising slightly. There was a tightness in my chest that wouldn’t go away.

    “You shouldn’t be panicking, dear,” she said softly, cing a hand good in this too.b” /b

    I turned to look at her, confused. My brows furrowed as I tried being alive?”

    bon /b

    my

    back. “Yes, it’s a little bad that she survived. But there’s still ba /blot bof /b

    to

    make

    My mother gave me a knowing look, the kind she always gave me when she was about to say something that would change my entire perspective. She leaned in slightly.

    “Alright,” she began, “what was the main reason iyou /isent those hitmen in the first ce?”

    I didn’t even hesitate. “Because she was a threat, a big one, to my future with Adrian. I could I see it in his eyes, in the way he looked at her. He was getting soft for her, Mom. And I couldn’t let that happen.”

    “Exactly,” she said with a firm nod. “So you hired professionals, told them to handle it. And what did they do?”

    I paused, remembering the report, “They told her Adrian Westwood was the one who sent them,” I said slowly. “That he ordered the hit… on

    her and her entire family.”

    My mom smiled faintly, like a chess yer watching a checkmate fall into ce. “Now that she survived and now that she’s not just some fragile little girl but a billionaire CEO, who do you think she’s going to me? Who do you think she’s going toe after?”

    It hit me all at once. Like ice water rushing through my veins, dousing the fire of my panic with something colder: realization.

    “Adrian Westwood,” I whispered, barely able to hear myself say it

    I sat back, stunned by the simplicity of it. While I had been spiraling in fear, drowning in anxiety about her survival, I bhad /bbpletely /b

    bChapter /bb222 /b

    boverlooked /bbthe /bmost crucial detail. The hitmen hadn’t just failed they had handed me a gift without even realizing it. Theydreared vengeanceb. /b

    b“/bbShe’s /bgoing to believe it was him,” I said, this time louder. “She’ll put all het focus on Adrian

    “Exactly. Now, this can give you the opening you need to get back into Adrian’s life

    again, my mom said, her eyes sharp with cannction.

    I turned to look at her, confused. “How?” Lasked, frowning. I didn’t see how this was good news at all.

    She shifted in her seat, folding her arms. “You need to n this out perfectly,” she began, her voice steady. “You said Adrian was starting to grow a soft spot for Olivia. He doesn’t know the truth about what you did. So, if he finds out Olivia is still alive, naturally, he bmight /btry to contact her. He’ll be curious, maybe even relieved. That’s our chance.”

    “Isn’t that a bad thing?” I interrupted, sitting upright. Just the idea of him reconnecting with Olivia made my stomach turn. That girl had already caused enough problems.

    “No, you’re not listening,” my mom said with a frustrated sigh. “It’s actually a good thing. Because when he tries to reach out to her, she’s going to show him a side he’s never seen before. And not in a good way.”

    She leaned forward, emphasizing every word. “That will leave him confused, maybe even shocked. That’s where youe in. You wait for that moment, that window where he feels lost or disappointed, and then iyou /ishow upi. /iYou find a way to meet with him, talk to him, and show him a side of you he’s never seen before.”

    “And what side is that?” I asked cautiously, already feeling the pressure build up.

    “Love. Care. Affection,” she said, her voice softening. “All those times you two were together, you only showed him how much you cared

    about his money. Never him. And that was your biggest mistake.”

    I lowered my gaze, the truth in her words stung a little.

    “But one thing is still true,” she added quickly. “He still loves you, Dora. Deep down, no matter how mad he is or how much he tries to push those feelings aside, they’re still there. That doesn’t just go away. You just need to start trying harder. And it starts with how you present yourself.”

    “Present myself?” I echoed, confused again.

    “Make yourself look more beautiful than you’ve ever looked. Remind him of what he once loved. Pull him back into that feeling. That fantasy,” she said with intensity.

    “I don’t think he ever saw me as attractive, part of the reason why he never slept with me, and how am I supposed to do that?” I asked, frustration bubbling up in my chest. “We’re struggling to put food on the table, there’s no money for any of that, no expensive dresses, no new hair, not even makeupi! /iI mean, look at me. I’m worn out, tired, and broke. If I go to him like this, he’ll just push me away again.”

    “We’re going to figure something outi,/ii” /ishe said firmly, cing her hand over mine. “But we also need to be realistic. We need to have a n B. Just in case n A doesn’t go the way we want,

    I looked at her. “And what’s your n B?”

    “We need to ifind /iout everything we can about Olivia,” she said, her voice going cold. “Now that she’s a billionaire, trust me, there will be tons of information about her online, history, and weaknesses. Anything. We dig up everything we can. We’re going to find something to use against her. Something that can destroy her.”

    bI /brubbed the back of my head, hesitant.

    “What?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

    Comment

    Send gift

    215221 Sat 9

    Chapter b222 /b

    b“/bb1. /bbuhmm/b…I began, stalling. b“/bbI /balready called the hitman who tried to kill her. The same one that bfailed /bthe first time, epoke to himerier

    Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t interrupt.

    “And he agreed toplete the job,” I said, lowering my voice, my heart pounding. “Because… clearly, he didn’t do it bright /bthe first time

    A

    Aut

    AD

    bNo Ads /b

    Chapter b223 /b