Chapter 31
Sirena watched as Luke practically drooled with impatience, and she felt nothing but contempt. She thought. Men are all the same.
“But if the one he is after is Joanna, well, that is a different story. With any luck, Mr. Menzie would be so disgusted with her that he’d toss her aside. That would be the end of Joanna.
The thought filled Sirena with delight
Joanna had only had a few drinks. She pressed a hand to her forehead, then slumped over the table.
Luke shot Sirena a look. She caught on immediately and stepped up beside Joanna, speaking in a soft voice, “Ms. Osborne, are you alright?”
Joanna let out a sleepy whimper. Leave me alone. I just wanna sleep
Sirena’s heart leapt with excitement. She turned to Luke and flashed him an “OK” sign.
Luke nodded, his eagerness barely contained.
Bending down. Sirena murmured in Joanna’s ear, “Alright, you’re tired. Let me help you to a room.”
With that, she gathered her things, propped Joanna up, and started guiding her toward the elevator.
Luke followed, contract in hand, trying to maintain an air of professionalism.
The restaurant was on the second floor, but they were heading straight to the top–where the hotel’s luxury suites were located on the seventh and eighth floor.
Just as the elevator doors were about to close, someone stepped inside.
It was Leroy. He pressed the button for the sixth floor–the club lounge, where plenty of guests went to unwind after dinner.
Tonight was his birthday, and as the host, he was expecting friends to trickle in throughout the
evening
The moment Leroy entered, both Luke and Sirena instinctively lowered their heads, as if afraid of being recognized.
Meanwhile, Joanna, still drowsy, leaned against Sirena’s shoulder,
“Ms. Osborne, wake up.” Sirena whispered, testing
ing the waters. But Jo
Joanna didn’t stir.
Finally. Sirena felt reassured. Everything was going smoothly.
Leroy couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. That balding, pudgy Luke with his greasy, eager expression–he had bad news written all over him.
Sull, it wasn’t his business. He thought, ‘If both parties are willing, who am I to interfere?”
As he absently watched the elevator numbers light up, the reflective surface of the panel caught his attention. The distorted reflection of behind him came into view. He glanced at it casually–just as Joanna lifted her head slightly.
Leroy froze. He thought, “She looks familiar. Wait… isn’t Joanna? My friend’s wife:
for half a second
The elevator dimed as it re ched the sixth floor. Leroy hesitated for
Seeing him stand there, Luke grew impatient. “Are you getting out or what?” he snapped.
Leroy frowned but stepped out. He thought, I must ve been mistaken.
The elevator continued up, finally stopping on the ciglah floor. The room had already been booked in advance.
To avoad suspicion, Lake lingered outside while Sirena helped Joanna inside.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Joanna’s haziness vanished. She spun around and struck Sirena hard at the back of the neck.
Caught completely off
off guard, Sirena collapsed onto the bed, unconscious.
the people
Joanna quickly adjusted her position, pulling the blanket over her. Then, she dimmed the lights, leaving only the warm glow of a bedside lamp. A heavy, sultry atmosphere settled over the room
6/1
Chapter 1
After setting everything up, Joanna quickly hid behind the door.
inside, his voice thick with anticipation. Little beauty, here I come
Moners later, the door creaked open, and Lake stepped in
His eyes locked onto the hump under the blanket, and he wasted no time. Peeling off his clothes in a frenzy, he dove onto the bed.
Joanna remained calm as she recorded everything on her phone, then slipped out of the room unnoticed.
Sirena had dug her own grave–she had no one to blame but herself.
Besides, tonight had confirmed what Joanna already suspected Sirena and Lake were far from strangers. The way they whispered and schemed against her made it clear they were in this together..
From the moment she saw through their act, any thought of mercy had vanished.
Meanwhile, Leroy strolled into the private dining room, where the others were already waiting
Angelo shot him a look. “Dude, it’s your birthday, and you’re the last one here. What gives?
Leroy grinned, effortlessly charismatic “Exactly. The main character always arrives fashionably late.” “Just make sure you’re the one picking up the tab, Angelo muttered.
Lemny dropped into the seat next to Howell, poured two drinks, and handed one ov
over. “Why didn’t you bring Margot along!”
Howell’s eyes
darkened. “What are you on about?”
“What do you mean? Aren’t you two a thing now! Come on, we’re brothers–why the secrecy!” Leroy teased,
Howell shot him a warning look. “Cut the crap. I’m still married”
Leroy raised an eyebrow. “Wait what? I thought you and Joanna were already divorced. She’s refusing to sign, huh? Makes sense–you’re a big catch. Who’d wanna let you go**
Then, as if something just clicked, he added, “Oh, right! Almost forgot–I think I saw Joanna in the elevator earlier. She looked pretty out of it, like she’d had too much to drink
“Some woman was helping her stand, but there was also this sleazy–looking, balding guy with t
Howell’s jaw tightened. “You sure it was h
was her?”
them. Gave me the creeps.”
Howell thought, Joanna Here? It doesn’t add up. She never drinks to the point of getting wasted, and she isn’t the type to show up in a place like thi
kather face when she lifted her head. Plus, someone called her Ms, Osborne
Leroy leaned luck. “Dude, my eyesight’s perfect. I got a clear look Pretty sure it was her?
could say another word, Howell was already on his feet. “Where did you see her? Where was she headed?”
Before Leroy
Leroy blinked, caught off guard by his intensity. “uh
“Uh… top floor. Luxury suites” His own eyes widened as the realization hit him. He thought, “Wait… no way.
But before he could process it, Howell had already stormed
Lout, heading straight i
for the elevators.
The most fell into sued silence. Everymur exchanged glances. “They thought, “Aren’t they supposed to be divorced? What’s with the over–the–top
reaction!
“And more importantly–ifle is really over lies, why does he look like a man on a mission
They smirked at each other. This is ale
Linteresting
Howell moved with purpose, stepping into elevator and lasting the la
Then, not far ahead, he spotted a familiar figure quietly emerging from a roo
Ision for the eighth floor. As soon as the d
doors slid open, he stepped out.
TOCHIL
Joanna extated slowly, closing the door behind her with care. She thought. No need to disturb the lovebirds inside___ reilly: She had just handed them the perfect opportunity.
Keeping her head down, she started walking away.
But before she could take another step, a strong hand grabbed her arm.
She tensed, heart leaping into her throat. As she whipped her head up, her eyes filled wi
with sharp wariness-
