Chapter 10

Shadows of Betrayal

After the altercation Vanessa had with Alex, she couldn't stop feeling bad about it. Deep down, she felt she had lost any chance of getting close to him again. Vanessa knew that his reaction was because of his love for Aurora. "That bitch is never going to reciprocate his love, so why does he even try?" Vanessa soliloquized, her voice tinged with bitterness. "Aurora has been ruining my life ever since I knew her from getting Father's love to stealing Alex’s heart, even though she doesn’t deserve either. Ahhhhhhhhh, I hate her so much!" Vanessa spat out, her voice shaking with rage.

She paced around her room, trying to figure out what to do next. “I need someone to talk to… hmm, let me visit Tiffany.”

Without wasting time, Vanessa grabbed her phone and dialed Tiffany’s number. After a few rings, Tiffany picked up.

“Hey,” Tiffany answered, her tone a mix of curiosity and indifference.

“Hey, are you home?” Vanessa asked, trying to sound casual.

“Yeah, I’m home. Why?” Tiffany responded, her voice laced with mild suspicion.

“I’m coming over. We need to talk,” Vanessa said, cutting the call before Tiffany could ask any more questions.

Vanessa hurriedly got dressed and left for Tiffany's house. Within fifteen minutes, she was already there. She knocked on the door and waited patiently for the steward to open it.

“Please wait, I’m coming,” the steward's voice echoed from within the house. A few moments later, the door opened, and the steward greeted her warmly. “Miss Vanessa, welcome. Madam told me you were coming. Please, follow me. I’ll take you to where she is.”

Vanessa was led into the garden, where Tiffany was waiting for her, lounging on a sunbed with a glass of wine in her hand.

“Hey, babe. What’s up?” Vanessa greeted her, forcing a smile.

“I’m good, and you?” Tiffany replied, not bothering to hide the fact that she wasn’t in the best mood.

“I’m just… worried,” Vanessa admitted, wanting to get straight to the point.

Tiffany’s interest piqued. “What’s the matter?”

“It’s Aurora… that bitch. Can you believe Alex and I went on a date, and all he could talk about was her?” Vanessa said, her voice trembling with frustration.

“Oh,” Tiffany responded, her eyes widening in surprise. She took a sip of her wine, her mind racing with thoughts.

“Yeah, nothing happened, so don’t get any ideas,” Vanessa quickly added, noticing the glint in Tiffany’s eyes.

“Boring. So, what’s the issue since you guys didn’t have sex after the date?” Tiffany teased, though her curiosity was genuine.

“I wanted to, but he wasn’t giving me the vibe. He was cold throughout the entire date. When I finally confronted him about my feelings, he told me that he loves Aurora, not me, and that I shouldn’t even think about us getting together because his heart belongs to her,” Vanessa said, her voice dropping with defeat.

“Ugh! Why does that bitch always get other people’s lovers?” Tiffany groaned in frustration, clenching her fists.

Vanessa looked at her, confused. “What do you mean by ‘other people’s lovers’?”

Tiffany sighed, setting her glass down. “Okay, it might be a shock to you, but Peter and I broke up because of Aurora. Peter actually broke up with me because he wanted to date Aurora. Sadly for him and happily for me, Aurora rejected him.”

“Wow, this is too much,” Vanessa replied, genuinely surprised.

“That’s how it is,” Tiffany said, shaking her head in disbelief.

Vanessa’s face hardened as she spoke. “We need to punish Aurora for making us lose the people we love.”

Tiffany’s eyes darkened. “Yeah, we will. I’m already working on a plan to make her pay for what she’s done.”

“Good. Let’s forget about Aurora for now and talk about something else. Just thinking about her makes my stomach churn,” Vanessa said, forcing a smile as she tried to change the subject.

The two girls spent the next couple of hours talking about other things, trying to distract themselves from the burning rage they both felt toward Aurora. Eventually, Vanessa left Tiffany’s house, feeling slightly better, especially after learning that Aurora would soon face the consequences of her actions.

---

As the night wore on, Tiffany’s thoughts kept returning to her plan. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, and it gnawed at her like a persistent itch. Finally, unable to resist the urge, she picked up her phone and called Addam, the man she had hired to execute her plan.

“Hey, where are you?” Tiffany asked as soon as he picked up.

“At the bar,” Addam’s deep voice vibrated through the phone, sending a shiver down her spine.

“Okay, I’m coming over,” Tiffany said, her voice steady but her mind racing. She hung up before he could say anything else.

She called her driver and instructed him to take her to the bar where Addam was. As they drove through the city, Tiffany’s mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Aurora, Peter, and the plan she had put in motion. She couldn’t afford any mistakes not now.

When Tiffany arrived at the bar, she was immediately ushered into the VIP section, where she found Addam sitting at a table, nursing a drink. The room was dimly lit, with shadows dancing on the walls, giving the place an ominous feel.

“What’s our situation with the target?” Tiffany asked, getting straight to the point as she sat down across from him.

Addam looked up at her, his expression unreadable. “I no longer want to hurt her. I want to have her for myself,” he said, his voice tinged with something that sounded almost like affection.

Tiffany’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Impossible! You can’t have her,” she nearly shouted, her voice filled with anger.

“Yes, I want her, and what are you going to do about it?” Addam’s voice was calm but laced with menace.

“This was not part of the plan. If you go off course, you won’t”

“You won’t what? Are you threatening me?” Addam cut her off, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Tiffany took a deep breath, trying to regain control of the situation. “Just do what I asked you to do, unless you don’t want to get paid.”

Addam smirked, leaning back in his chair. “I actually don’t need your money anymore, Kohr.”

“Yes, sir?” A man emerged from the shadows, his presence almost ghostly.

“Bring her money,” Addam commanded.

Kohr retrieved a black case and handed it to Tiffany. “Here’s your money. But let me make something very clear you will not hurt her. If you try, I’ll come after you with everything I’ve got,” Addam warned, his voice low and threatening.

Tiffany’s eyes flashed with fury. “This is not what we planned. I don’t know what spell she’s cast on you, but just know that I, Tiffany, always get what I want even if it means going through you,” she spat out, grabbing the case and storming out of the bar.

As Tiffany’s car sped through the city streets, her mind was already working on her next move. Addam’s betrayal was unexpected, but it didn’t mean she was out of options. “I guess it’s time for Plan B,” Tiffany murmured to herself, a wicked smile spreading across her face. She picked up her phone and dialed a number.

“It’s time for Plan B,” she said curtly before ending the call. A dark satisfaction settled over her as she leaned back in her seat.

“Aurora, you’ll regret ever crossing my path,” Tiffany muttered to herself, laughing softly as she envisioned the destruction she was about to unleash.

---

Meanwhile, back at Aurora’s house, she was unaware of the storm brewing against her. She sat in her room, lost in thought. The events of the past few weeks had left her emotionally drained, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

She tried to focus on her painting, hoping it would distract her from the unease gnawing at her. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched.

Aurora shivered, glancing over her shoulder as if expecting to see someone lurking in the shadows. The room was empty, but the feeling of being watched persisted.