Chapter 4

Thea just looked at Nicolas, noticing his eyes were kinda spaced out. "You-" Nicolas tried to say but got cut off by a knock at the door.

Then came Madelyn's voice, sounding all frustrated. "Uncle Nicolas, are you okay? I messed up with what I did before, and I wanna say sorry face to face."

It might've been Thea's imagination, but it seemed like Nicolas got even more ticked off the moment he heard "Uncle Nicolas." His eyes went ice cold.

"Mr. Hendrix, chill here. I'll handle this," said Thea, taking the chance to stand up.

Opening the door, she saw Madelyn looking all teary but trying to keep a brave face.

Thea couldn't help but smirk. "Still got some nerve, huh? I wonder how you've got the guts to worm your way into the Hendrix family. Doesn't it feel weird calling Mr. Hendrix 'Uncle Nicolas'?"

Madelyn's response was to bite her lower lip, looking defiant yet somehow innocent. "I get it, you think low of where I come from. But aren't we all supposed to be equal? There's no high and low in people, right?"

Thea chuckled at that, stepping aside to let her in. "Wanna bet you'll be shown the door by security? Go on in if you're feeling lucky."

With that, Thea turned and strolled off. Madelyn clenched her teeth and followed up before grabbing Thea's wrist.

The soft, vulnerable look she usually had around others was gone, replaced by a steely determination in the dim corridor light.

"You've really changed a ton since you hit sixteen. That whole mess really got to you, huh?" Madelyn challenged, locking eyes with Thea. "We need to have a chat. Just us."

a flicker of surprise, wondering why Madelyn would know about that incident. Despite her reservations, she agreed, "Okay, follow me." She

as they were inside, Madelyn dove straight in. "If you want to keep your secrets safe, you need to leave

picture of carefree grace, took a seat and faced Madelyn head-on. "Since we're laying things out, let me be clear. I'm calling off my engagement with Jake. But it's my call. I don't want him anymore.

face twisted with a mix of anger and envy, a clear sign she'd

Thea barely had a moment to think

this crazy dance, and Madelyn morphed into a dark, ominous blur. Thea tried to stand and bail, but her body was weak, and she just crashed,

clear before Thea was roughly dragged off the bed and onto the floor. The fall

heard a woman's anguished scream and Jake's low growl of rage. "I didn't think you'd stoop so low as to do this! You're a woman too.

She sat

was cold and filled with

pounding as she took in

indignant and icy. "What's going on? Hadn't you plotted all this? If I hadn't been there in

the champagne tower collapsed, but I didn't expect you to stoop so

Thea into what was going on. She spotted Madelyn, all messed up

waste time guessing if Madelyn was faking it. Her mind was racing with

hand aside and got ready to stand her ground. "Are you out of your mind? Why

out? Wasn't it just a slick move to throw us off your scent? We're in your room. Who else would be behind

jump to conclusions. It might not be Miss Rowland's fault. She was knocked out at the same time I was. Guess my bad luck just made me a magnet for those thugs." Jake was getting madder by

breathe. She never imagined a

shield her from any criticism or hostility, no matter what. But now, he was all about another

would I even bother playing games with you? Is it worth throwing away my

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