Chapter 243
Chapter 243:
“Tomorrow afternoon, you’ll go to Beasley Manor,” June said, leaving no room for negotiation in her tone. “You’ll demand more money. You’ll act frightened. And you’ll record Alycia confessing to the poisoning p>
Abbie looked down at the tiny device in her hand and took a long, shuddering breath. June’s words settled in her mind — not as a command, but as a lifeline.
Reforge it.
The fear in her eyes dimmed slowly, replaced by a hard, hungry resolve. She nodded.
The following afternoon, inside the opulent side parlor of Beasley Manor.
𝘉𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘯
Alycia sat on a velvet sofa, entirely at ease, sipping imported black tea. The heavy oak doors opened and Abbie walked in wearing a cheap, oversized winter coat — the small button on her chest aimed squarely at Alycia’s face.
Abbie hunched her shoulders and sold the panic perfectly.
“The drug is too dangerous,” she stammered, voice unsteady. “If June finds out she’s infertile and calls the police, I’ll go to federal prison p>
Alycia let out a sharp, arrogant laugh and set her teacup down on its saucer with a hard clink.
“You are such a pathetic, uneducated idiot,” she said, leaning forward with an expression of naked contempt. “That hormone disruptor is high-end black market material. A forensic pathologist couldn’t trace it. Put it in her coffee and keep your mouth shut p>
Abbie swallowed and forced herself to hold the act. “What about the executive position at the Compton Group?” she asked, her voice deliberately nervous. “Does that promise still stand p>
Alycia waved a manicured hand. “Once June is nothing but a barren shell, Cole will throw her out without a second thought,” she said, her voice thick with venom. “I’ll be the future Mrs. Compton. Getting you a job will be effortless p>
Abbie nodded eagerly, thanked her in a rush of words, and backed out of the parlor.
Ten minutes later, she walked through the iron gates of the Beasley Estate and climbed into the back of a black sedan parked discreetly down the street. June was already inside, sitting with perfect posture, one hand extended. Abbie pulled the button from her coat and plugged it into the encrypted tablet on June’s lap.
High-definition video filled the screen immediately. Alycia’s voice and face — arrogant, unguarded, and utterly damning — played out in crisp detail.
June watched without blinking. A slow, dark smile pulled at the corner of her mouth.
“Should we take this to the NYPD right now?” Abbie asked, her chest still heaving with adrenaline. “We could ruin her today p>
June shook her head, her eyes fixed on the screen with the patience of a predator watching a cornered animal.
“No,” she said quietly. “Attempted assault carries a few years at most. Susan Beasley has enough liquid capital to bail her out before dinner p>
She locked the tablet.
“I’m going to use this at the most devastating, public moment possible,” she said, her voice dropping to a precise, lethal murmur. “I’m going to pull the Beasley family out by their roots p>
She looked directly at Abbie. “Keep your cover. Put vitamin water in my coffee every morning. Make her believe it’s working p>