Chapter 447
Chapter 447:
“So you’re telling me you can’t do it?” she typed.
I’m telling you I need an opening.
“What kind of opening p>
The kind you have to create. I work best in chaos. If you want her gone, you need to generate a serious disruption first.
Elyse sat back, her jaw tight, mind working. She needed to cause something big enough to pull apart the careful, controlled environment Asher had built around Kristine. She needed disorder. A crisis that would force everyone’s attention somewhere else.
An idea surfaced, sharp and satisfying.
She began typing quickly on her phone. Not a problem. She hit send before she could second-guess it.
As she lowered the phone, voices in the hallway caught her ear. She was almost certain one of them was Bobby. She strained to listen — she couldn’t catch everything, but she heard Colton’s name.
She crossed the room and pulled the door open.
Colton was standing in the corridor, a packed suitcase at his feet. Bobby stood a half-step behind him.
“Colton,” she said, keeping her voice measured. “Are you going on a trip p>
𝘓а𝗍es𝗍 сh𝖺p𝘁𝖾𝗋ѕ оn 𝗴𝘢𝗹𝗇𝘰𝘃еlѕ.𝖼𝘰m
He gave a brief nod and reached up to adjust his jacket.
Elyse watched him, cataloguing every small detail. “Where to p>
Bobby answered before Colton could. “Abroad. Auroria p>
Her pulse spiked. She kept her eyes on Colton’s face. “Which part of Auroria p>
“Raskor,” Colton said.
She exhaled slowly, allowing herself to look mildly disappointed. “I wish I could join you, but I have too much going on here p>
Colton didn’t respond. He walked past her without a glance and pressed the elevator button.
Bobby glanced between them, visibly uncertain about something, then hurried to catch up as the doors opened. As they slid closed, he looked back at Elyse with an expression she couldn’t read.
What she didn’t know was the thought running through Bobby’s mind: Colton was going to Evira — not Raskor. He couldn’t understand why his employer had just lied to her so calmly and completely.
Elyse stood in the corridor watching the elevator numbers change, suspecting nothing.
The moment he was gone, she pulled out her phone and found the reporter who had interviewed her the previous week.
I have the name of the person who actually damaged that deer head sculpture. If you want the story, come now.
The reply arrived in under a minute. On my way.
Elyse looked at the screen and let a slow, cold smile spread across her face.
The next morning, Kristine was jolted awake by her phone buzzing insistently. The name on the screen was Danica’s.
Since faking her death, Kristine had kept her circle of contact as small as possible. Danica was one of the very few people who knew the truth — and she had never reached out until now. The call alone was enough to put a knot of dread in Kristine’s stomach.
She answered. “Is that you p>
Hearing Kristine’s voice again was too much for Danica. Her eyes filled immediately. “Kristine…” she managed.
“I’m here,” Kristine said softly.