Chapter 4
Alyssa’s head snapped up, her eyes boring into Hailey. A cold, mocking smile spread across her face. “Hailey, you went through all this bullshit to get Sean out of the way just to push me over the edge, to make me end it all. You’re scared, aren’t you? Scared that everything you’ve cheated and lied to get will slip right out of your hands. Even more terrified that Sean might still have a thing for me.”
Hailey’s face faltered, her throat tight as she fought back her panic. “Your father died because of you,” she shot back, her voice shaky. “Shouldn’t you be joining him to make up for it?”
Alyssa’s grin only widened, her tone colder. “Maybe I should. But if anyone deserves that trip, it’s you.” And with those words, a shiny knife seemed to appear out of nowhere in her hand, and she drove it straight into Hailey’s chest.
Hailey’s eyes went wide with shock, a mix of disbelief and sheer frustration. She’d thought she had this in the bag, that she just needed to push Alyssa to the brink and let her finish herself off. She never imagined things would turn out like this.
Looking down at the blood spreading across her chest, Hailey’s voice trembled. “You… you’re insane. Killing me won’t your own skin.”
Alyssa let out a laugh, sharp and edged with madness. Then I guess I’ll see you in hell, Hailey!”
Without another thought, she turned the knife on herself, stabbing it deep into her heart.
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As the world began to fade, Alyssa vaguely saw Sean burst into the room, his face filled with a panic she’d never seen before. He didn’t even glance at Hailey. Instead, he pulled Alyssa into his arms, his voice breaking with a desperation that cus Through her haze “Alyssa, don’t you dare die on me. You can’t fucking die, not like this.
At that moment, a storm of emotions crashed through Alyssa. She realized, with painful clarity, that to Sean, neither she nor Hailey mattered as much as that 20% stake. The reason he hadn’t looked at Hailey wasn’t out of love or concern–he was too busy figuring out how to protect his wealth.
Alyssa felt a stabbing pain shoot through her belly, like some invisible hand w. tearing her apart from the inside.
The pain was so intense, that she found herself wondering, Wait, one can still feel pain when she is dead?‘
For a moment, it felt like she was trapped in some dark, shadowy place. All the drama with Hailey seemed to have vanished into thin air. Instead, this overwhelming, indescribable longing filled her chest–a desperate need to see her dad’s face one
last time.
But her eyelids felt like they were made of lead, and no matter how much she tried, she just couldn’t get them to open
And then, a chorus of voices started to rise around her.
It’s
my birthday today! You all should come over for dinner!” That was Megan Rivera–Sean’s little sister. Her bright, bubbly voice snapped Alyssa out of the haze, pulling her back to a sliver of reality.
A rush of excited chatter followed right after. “Really? Hell yeah! I’ve been dying to eat Alyssa’s cooking again. Can she make that baked lobster for me?” one girl squealed.
Another voice jumped in, Tm craving some of those baked chicken wings!”
“I want grilled honey–chipotle salmon!” someone else piped up.
“Oh, I’m on a diet, so make mine vegetarian. How about some ratatouille?” another added.
The girls were laughing and shouting over each other, each of them trying to shout their order the loudest.
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Chapter 1
Then, out of nowhere, a sweet voice cut in, “Megan, can your cook really make all these different dishes?”
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That for one laughing. Then a familiar voice, dripping with sarcasm, said, “Cook? Oh, honey, Adrina, you just got back, so you probably don’t know. Alyssa is not Megan’s cook–she’s her soon–to–be sister–in–law,”
Adrina looked shocked. “And she’s busting her ass planning a birthday party before she’s even married into the family?”
The sarcastic voice laughed even harder. “Oh Adrina, stick around our group for a bit, and you’ll get it. Alyssa is totally whipped for Sean. Calling her his lapdog wouldn’t be an exaggeration. She’d do anything to make him happy. Cooking a whole meal is the least of it–she’d probably do even crazier shit without a second thought. Right, Megan?”
Megan grinned, looking proud of herself. “Well, my brother’s a catch, right? Good–looking, loaded, running his own company–classic young, eligible bachelor. And Alyssa? She doesn’t even have a job; she’s totally living off him. Of course, she doesn’t want to let him go.
“Her only real skill is cooking, which, by the way, she learned from a Michelin–star chef. If she wants to marry my brother, she has got to keep me and my mom happy. Otherwise, why the hell would he even consider marrying her?”
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