“The eyes can be rinsed clean with water, but a corrupted heart can never be purified,” Audrey sneered.
Paul stiffened and turned his head back. The fact that Audrey had spun the tequila to her side meant she had known Edana’s poured wine contained aphrodisiacs–so she had realized from the start that tonight was a trap for her.
He had promised never to cause Audrey trouble again, but reality proved his promise was worthless.
Meeting Audrey’s gaze laced with sarcasm, Paul felt as if his heart were being tightly clenched, making it hard to breathe.
“Audrey, this is all your fault!” Serena suddenly rushed over to grab her hair, but Paul firmly seized her wrist. “Have you had enough?” he snapped, flinging her hand away. Serena lost her balance and fell to the ground.
She stared at Paul in shock, unable to believe what had just happened.
Paul’s eyes turned icy and menacing. He stepped closer, lowering his voice to threaten, “She who harms others harms herself.”
Serena’s face paled, her eyes filled with terror. She trembled and reached for Paul’s hand. “No, I can explain–just listen to me-”
Paul dodged her touch and stood up to instruct the waiter, “Please call an ambulance, tell them someone drank too much
Claiming Edana was drunk was a convenient excuse that protected both the hotel’s reputation and her honor, albeit, a lame one.
“Sorry,” Paul apologized again to Baldwin and Miguel. “I arranged this poorly today. I’ll send a car to take you both back first and host another banquet to apologize another day.”
Though Baldwin and Miguel did not understand the feud between the three women, they could tell Serena had suddenly lashed out at Audrey for a reason—likely that Serena had tried to frame Audrey but mistakenly targeted the wrong person.
Clothes were strewn messily across the floor of the room, filled with an unpleasant odor. The two men inside, though interrupted during sex, dressed
slowly and unhurriedly, showing no panic.
Edana curled on the bed, and there were stains of blood on it. No wonder she had screamed so pitifully earlier.
Baldwin had never liked Edana, and this incident only deepened his disgust. “Mr. Gibson, I won’t interfere in your company’s internal affairs, but Baldwin Biotechnology will only work with Ms. Henderson in the future.”
His implication was a threat to Paul–don’t try to target Audrey.
Miguel stared coldly at Serena on the ground, saying nothing but making his disdain clear with his gaze.
Paul felt ashamed, but even after being publicly rebuked like this, he could only force a smile and nod, personally escorting them off the ship.
As soon as he left, Serena’s demeanor changed. “Audrey, you’re despicable,” she sneered, advancing on Audrey. “Edana just helped you weasel into
Paul’s bed.”
Paul had drunk the same wine as Edana–impossible to resist the aphrodisiac’s effects.
Serena immediately noticed Audrey’s lipstick was different from before. The thought of Paul kissing Audrey made her jealousy burn like fire. Losing all
reason, she raised her hand to slap Audrey.
Audrey dodged and said coldly, “Shut your filthy mouth.”
“How dare you insult me?” Serena gritted her teeth, glaring fiercely at Audrey
She turned to the men who had finished dressing and pointed at Audrey. “Remember her face. After we get off this ship, make her suffer. Otherwise, I’ll pursue criminal charges for raping Edaná.”
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The two men looked at Audrey but said nothing.
Audrey scoffed, picking up a memo pad from the table. The front and back of the pad had clear plastic covers; she flicked it with her finger and smiled in
satisfaction.
.
“Audrey, Paul can’t protect you all the time. When he’s not around, I’ll make you wish you were dead. You bitch–ah!”
Serena’s face was slapped hard. Her eyes widened in disbelief that Audrey had dared to hit her.
Audrey shook the memo pad and slapped Serena’s other cheek. Now both sides of Serena’s face were swollen and red.
“I told you to shut up, but you wouldn’t listen,” Audrey I coldly, tapping the memo pad on her palm.
“If you really care so much about Paul, why didn’t you start a business with him in Ironhaven? You used your cousin to spy on him, but now she wants to replace you as his girlfriend,” she added.
As she spoke, Audrey advanced, exuding a powerful aura that made Serena step back repeatedly. “The ‘good man‘ you think he is means nothing to the Paul doesn’t like me, and even if he does, I’m too good for him.”
“You’re lying–Paul…” Serena’s ferocious expression suddenly turned panicked. She covered her face and wept. “Paul said he only sees you as a secretary. Do you really need such dirty tricks to drive Edana away just because you want to marry him?”
Seeing Serena’s sudden change in tone, Audrey immediately sensed something was off and began to feign a pitiful look.
“Ms. Conan, I really don’t understand what you mean. We all drank the same liquor. Why would you blame me just because Edana got the one with aphrodisiacs?” Audrey said.
“You think there was a problem with the glass I shared with her, right? But she poured that liquor for me,” Audrey said, suddenly dropping the memo pad and covering her mouth in feigned shock.
She looked at the two burly men by the bed, then at Edana–whether unconscious or pretending to be so–and took three steps back.
Audrey said, “Did you hire these two to assault me? Why? Just because I have worked hard and secured two projects for Stride Commerce?”
“If you truly love Paul, shouldn’t you want the best for him? Do you want Stride Commerce to go bankrupt so Paul has to live off your money?” Audrey said with a trembling voice.
“Stop spouting nonsense!” Serena shrieked, rushing to Paul. “All her tenderness is an act! Look at my face–she hit me!”
Serena’s swollen face was obvious. Paul squinted and looked at Audrey.
Audrey wore a confused expression as if just realizing what had happened. She pointed to the memo pad on the ground. “Serena hit herself with this. I just realized–since she failed to ruin me, she’s trying to frame me now.”
-Serena nearly fainted. She grabbed Paul’s arm, tearfully pleading, “Believe me it really was her!”
Paul’s gaze was icy. Today’s events clearly showed Serena had tried to frame Audrey, so even if Audrey had hit her, it was justified. He even thought Audrey’s slap might help her vent her anger.
Seeing Paul’s indifference–and his apparent desire to protect Audrey–Serena stomped her foot in anger and turned to the two men. They were hired by her; surely they would tell the truth in this situation.
“Tell him—did she hit my face? Just be honest,” Serena said. Her request was reasonable–she only wanted them to recount the facts.
The crew–cut man looked at the memo pad on the ground, appearing conflicted. The bald man beside him adjusted his pants and said, “Ms. Conan’s face was hit with the memo pad.”
“Yes,” Serena said confidently. “Go on.”
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Chapter 161
The crew–cut man continued, “The young lady took the memo pad from her hand to stop her from hurting herself.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
