Chapter 125
No.1
Elisa stood in the entryway, her eyes locked on the massive wooden crate. The raw pine wood clashed violently with the sleek, monochromatic decor of the penthouse.
The lead Sotheby's manager, a thin man in a tailored suit, spotted her. He immediately stepped forward,holding a thick, leather-bound clipboard.
"Mrs. Chambers," the manager said, his tone dripping with practiced reverence. "Apologies for the late delivery. Mr. Chambers secured this piece at the autumn auction yesterday and demanded it be delivered to you immediately. We need your signature for the release."
Before Elisa could reach for the pen, the front door burst open wider.
Jewel rushed in, shaking the rain out of her hair.
She had a spare key and had come over to check on Elisa after hearing about the forced dinner.①
Jewel stopped dead, her eyes widening as she took in the men and the giant crate.
No.2
"What the hell is this?" Jewel asked, panting slightly. She looked at Elisa. "Did that bastard actually send you a giant apology gift for standing you up?"
Elisa didn't answer. She took the clipboard from
the manager.
Her black eyes scanned the itemized receipt. Her gaze locked onto the final purchase price at the bottom of the page.
Thirty-five million dollars.
The air in Elisa's lungs turned to ice. She didn't gasp. She didn't show a shred of surprise. She simply took the pen and signed her name with sharp,aggressive strokes.
"Open it," Elisa commanded.
No.3
The movers quickly unlatched the heavy metal clasps. They pulled the wooden panels away,revealing layers of thick, custom-molded foam.Carefully, they lifted the object out and placed it on the center marble display pedestal.
It was an 18th-Century Sèvres Antique Vase. The porcelain was a deep, mesmerizing cobalt blue,adorned with flawless, hand-painted gold leaf. It was a museum-quality artifact, radiating an aura of ancient, untouchable wealth.
The manager bowed and quickly ushered his team out of the apartment, leaving Elisa and Jewel alone with the thirty-five-million-dollar piece of porcelain.
Jewel walked slowly around the pedestal. She let out a harsh, mocking laugh.
"Thirty-five million dollars for missing a dinner,"Jewel sneered, crossing her arms. "The romance of a capitalist sociopath is truly nauseating. He thinks
he can just buy his way out of treating you like garbage."
Elisa stood perfectly still. She reached out, her fingertips lightly grazing the freezing cold surface of the blue porcelain.
No.4
There was no joy in her eyes. There was only a dark,calculating hyper-vigilance.
"You don't understand him, Jewel," Elisa said,her voice a low, chilling whisper. "August Chambers does not make bad investments. He doesn't spend thirty-five million dollars on an apology."
Elisa pulled her hand back from the vase. She turned and walked to the bar, pouring two glasses of red wine. She handed one to Jewel.
"This isn't an apology," Elisa stated, her eyes locking onto Jewel's. "This is a down payment."
Jewel frowned, taking the glass. "A down payment for what?"
Elisa walked to the floor-to-ceiling window,looking out at the rain-soaked city.
"August is pushing the Aethel and JHU Al integration to the absolute limit," Elisa explained,her voice cold and analytical. "Allena is the weak link in that project. If I show up at the MedTech Expo next week and expose her incompetence,or if I leak the truth about our marriage, I will destroy her public image and tank the Chambers Group stock."
No.5
Elisa turned back, pointing her wine glass at the
blue vase.
"He is terrified of me," Elisa said. "He needs to permanently silence me. That vase is the bribe to buy my absolute submission."2
Jewel's face flushed with anger. She slammed her wine glass down on the counter.
"That absolute piece of trash," Jewel hissed. "So what are you going to do? Are you just going to accept this stupid vase and let them walk all over you?"
Elisa looked at the vase. A slow, cruel smile curved her lips.
"Why wouldn't I accept it?" Elisa asked, her voice dripping with dark amusement. "I just spent seven years in a psychological prison. Consider this my hazard pay. I'm keeping it."
No.6
The smile vanished, replaced by a look of pure,predatory intent.
"But if he thinks money buys my silence," Elisa whispered, "I am going to teach him a very expensive lesson."
Elisa pulled her phone out. She opened a highly encrypted file folder and tapped on a document labeled Devon Browning-Offshore Liabilities.
"August's best friend, Devon, just blew a massive hole in his hedge fund through illegal offshore leveraging," Elisa said, showing the screen to Jewel."He is begging August for a secret bailout to avoid
federal prison."
Jewel's eyes lit up with dangerous excitement. She was a master at digital warfare.
"If the Wall Street Journal gets an anonymous data dump about Devon's insolvency tomorrow morning,"Jewel said,a wicked grin spreading across her face,"August will have to spend hundreds of millions to put out the fire, or watch his closest ally go to jail."
No.7
"Exactly," Elisa said. "Burn his backyard."
Suddenly, the sharp ring of the penthouse landline shattered the quiet plotting.
Elisa and Jewel exchanged a knowing look. The timing was too perfect.
Elisa walked over to the console and hit the speaker button.
"Mrs. Chambers," the cold, robotic voice of August's lead corporate attorney echoed through the room. "Mr. Chambers requests your presence in the penthouse living room tomorrow at 3:00 PM.He has a Supplemental Non-Disclosure Agreement that requires your immediate signature." 2
Elisa looked at the thirty-five-mnillion-dollar vase.The trap was set.2
"I'll be here," Elisa said, and cut the line.