Chapter 6

“Whoever touched Paula that day, you must break their legs and toss them into the open sea. Whoever spreads rumors, you must smash their mouths shut.”

I gave a sarcastic chuckle and spoke up, “So how do you plan to punish your little darling Quina? She maxed out my card, humiliated me and got you to break my arm. How exactly will you avenge me?”

Oliver took a deep breath, pinching his brow with impatience. “Paula, that’s enough already. You were the one who picked a fight with Quina first.”

“I give you millions every month. You can pick any jewel you want from the auction house. Was it really worth causing trouble over a few million and a worthless bracelet?”

I almost laughed. Oliver had probably forgotten that he had liquidated my accounts to force me to submit.

Every penny he’d given me had long been reclaimed. Beyond those luxury items I could only use but never owned, all I had left were the savings in that card. But now, bringing this up was pointless.

“Let’s drop this matter. Quina won’t hold it against you. She says if you raise a toast to her at the engagement banquet to save her face, she’ll forgive you.”

At the mention of Quina, a smile spread across his face. I found it laughable.

Once upon a time, it was the concubine who offered tea and wine to the main wife. Now, I, the legitimate wife, was expected to toast the mistress.

But I no longer cared. I won’t be Mrs. Cerano for much longer.

That evening’s cocktail party drew a crowd of socialites. Flashbulbs lit up the room.

Oliver and Quina accepted congratulations like a newlywed couple.

Quina leaned against him. Her voice, sweet and coquettish, said, “Oliver, I want a wedding even grander than Mrs. Cerano’s. I also want a love nest that belongs only to me.”

Oliver smiled and agreed to each request. Every gaze directed at me now carried a hint of mocking amusement.

A young reporter, clutching her press pass, timidly approached me. “Mrs. Cerano, that story you mentioned earlier, the one about the three hundred dollars. Is it real?”

I turned my head to look at her. “Three hundred dollars isn’t enough now. If you want to know, I can tell you.”

I leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words. Her pupils contracted sharply. She covered her mouth, staring at me in disbelief.

I whispered softly, “Hurry up and finish your news, or it’ll be too late after midnight.”

Her face drained of color as she turned and ran away. Her bizarre, unnatural behavior drew many curious glances.

It also caught Oliver’s attention. He released Quina and started walking toward me to take my hand.

Bang! A gunshot shattered the chaos.

Countless armed mercenaries stormed the venue, red dot sights flashing in the lights. The crowd scattered in screams.

Someone grabbed my arm. I turned and saw a familiar face. It was the man who had kidnapped me fifteen years ago, the one responsible for the death of my unborn child.

Oliver’s expression changed in that instant. He charged forward, his voice said, “Sebastian Montanol! Let them go! I’ll agree to any terms you demand.”

Sebastian emitted a hoarse laugh. “Oliver, you killed my brother, my woman and my son. You took everything from me. Now it’s time for you to pay.”

He raised the gun in his hand, aiming it at me, then glanced at Quina, who his men were holding. “Want to save them? Fine. Hand over what’s in your safe and I’ll let them go.”

Oliver’s face went completely white. Inside that safe lay all the evidence of his crimes over the years. He fell silent, his gaze shifting between Quina and me.

“Oliver!” Quina trembled so violently she could barely stand.

“You said I and the child are the most important things to you. Please give them those things. I’m so scared!”

Oliver’s voice was dry, unable to agree, “Quina.”

Sebastian, seeing this, coldly laughed as he unbuttoned his coat, revealing a belt strapped with explosives. “I’ll give you three seconds. If you don’t hand them over, we all die together.”

“Three! Two! One!”

The moment he pulled the fuse, Oliver’s men fired. A bullet pierced Sebastian’s shoulder.

Staggering back, Sebastian yanked the fuse loose and grabbed me as he fell backward. “No! Get down!”

Oliver instinctively threw himself forward. He grabbed Quina, shielding her fiercely in his arms.

As for me, I fell into the deep sea amidst the blinding light of the explosion. The last thing Oliver saw was me vanishing into the blast.

He stood rooted to the spot, as if his soul had been ripped out. Then, he let out a mad, howling scream, “Paula—!!”