Chapter 4

It was Julian's assistant.

He grabbed my hands and shoved them directly into a bucket of antiseptic wash.

Then, handing me a surgical mask, he said flatly,

"Miss Bennett says she has severe germaphobia. She thinks a woman of your background is filthy, so you must disinfect thoroughly before entering the estate from now on."

"She also said looking at your face makes her sick to her stomach, so you're required to wear a mask in her presence."

"And another thing. Leave right after this. Today is a private family banquet. You have no seat at the table."

Childish, petty games.

I had seen these cheap tricks dozens of times.

As long as the money was in my account, I couldn't care less.

I nodded obediently.

After securing the jewelry, I closed the box and asked quietly, "Is that all?"

"Yes."

Chloe admired her reflection in the mirror, smiling with pure smugness.

Without another word, I turned to leave.

Just as I reached the foyer, a sharp scream echoed behind me.

"Chloe! Your face!"

I whipped around.

A furious red rash had suddenly erupted across Chloe's cheeks, spreading rapidly down her swollen neck.

"It itches so badly..."

She clutched her throat, gasping violently for air.

Julian's face drained of all color. He scooped her up immediately and bolted for the door.

I stood frozen in place, watching the chaotic scene unfold.

After an entire night of panic at the hospital, Chloe was finally declared out of danger.

By the time I returned to the hillside villa, it was nearly 4:00 AM.

My body hadn't fully recovered from the miscarriage, and dull cramps kept me tossing and turning for hours before exhaustion finally pulled me under.

Just as I drifted off, a blinding pain shot through my wrist.

Julian stood over my bed, his face terrifyingly dark.

He violently yanked me up by the arm.

"What did you do to that jewelry?"

"Chloe broke out in a life-threatening allergic reaction the second she put it on!"

Dazed and dizzy, I stammered, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Julian glared at me, letting out a venomous sneer.

"Drop the innocent act! Don't think I don't know what kind of parasite you are."

"You're just like the shameless gold-diggers who drove my mother off that roof, willing to do anything disgusting for money and status!"

"Because you lost your own baby and failed to secure your spot, you tried to murder Chloe's child?!"

My wrist throbbed agonizingly under his grip.

A sharp, tearing pain flared through my lower abdomen.

I shoved Julian away with everything I had and yelled back:

"Julian, have you lost your damn mind? What does Chloe's allergy have to do with me?!"

"She's the one who killed my baby! Even if something happened to her, it's nothing less than karma!"

Smack!

A brutal slap landed squarely across my face before the words even cleared my throat.

Julian grabbed my throat with one hand, his eyes blazing with murderous fury.

"Natalie, who the hell gave you the right to slander Chloe?!"

"Isn't money all you care about?"

"Haven't I given you enough over the years? Mansions, diamonds, multimillion-dollar checks... Which of those didn't come from sleeping with me?"

"You thought keeping my bed warm for ten years actually made you Mrs. Sterling?"

He looked down at me with cold, dripping contempt.

"Know your place."

"You're just a woman I paid to keep around."

"When I'm in a good mood, you sleep with me and keep me entertained. When I'm not, I can replace you at any second."

"A greedy escort like you. Who else would ever want you if you left me?"

His insults grew viler with every breath.

I simply stared at him in dead, hollow silence.

Suddenly, Julian ripped open my silk robe.

Before he could do anything more, his phone rang shrilly.

Whoever was on the other end said something that turned his fury into instant terror. He bolted toward the door.

At the threshold, he stopped and looked back at me with a lethal glare.

"You'd better pray Chloe and the baby are fine."

"If anything happens to them, I will ruin you!"

With a violent slam of the door, Julian was gone.

Silence swallowed the room once more.

The metallic taste of blood spread across my tongue.

Sitting on the bed, staring at the purple bruises blooming on my wrists, tears finally spilled over my cheeks.

I took a deep breath, fighting to steady my racing pulse.

Then my phone buzzed. Chloe had called to gloat:

"Natalie, you lost again."

"Julian is right here holding my hand. He promised he'll never leave my side."

"If you have any dignity left, pack your trash and get out of the Sterling family's life!"

In the past, I would have recorded the call and played it for Julian later when he was feeling guilty, using it to milk another massive wire out of him.

This time, I didn't bother.

Holding my swollen, stinging cheek, I walked into the living room.

I took the black Centurion card Julian had given me and laid it on the marble console table, right beside the handwritten farewell note I had prepared days ago.

Before boarding the plane, I took one final look at the New York skyline, the city where I had wasted ten years of my life.

Then, without looking back, I stepped through the gate.

Not long after, Julian opened his phone at the hospital, only to be hit with a breaking headline exploding across the internet:

"Mystery Mistress of Sterling Heir Commits Suicide for Love, Leaving Behind Farewell Note and Millions."

"What Dark Secrets Lie Behind the Tragic Romance of New York's Elite Dynasty?"