CHAPTER TEN

Bob looked at her and saw her face—she was pale, trembling, and clearly terrified.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Powers,” he said quickly. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. But Miss Feather is fine.”

“What?”

He repeated himself. “The police secured the perimeter before the fall. It wasn’t that high.”

Amore looked down from the rooftop. Below, they were lifting Samantha from the safety balloon and rushing her back into the hospital. From where Amore stood, she could see the faint movements of Samantha’s body amid the crowd.

Samantha had survived.

Amore inhaled softly, the tension in her chest easing. She was free.

But of course—Samantha and Katarina were sisters. Even the way they schemed was the same. Evil.

Amore had always wanted to ask Katarina one thing: Was it worth it? Throwing herself down just to frame her?

In the end, Katarina lost her life.

She got what she wanted, perhaps—but at too great a price. Tony had hated her so much, he married her out of hatred, not love. It was too heavy a punishment for both of them.

Amore sat on the rooftop, catching her breath. When the crowd below began to thin, she stood and moved toward the door. Just as her hand touched the knob, it opened.

Tony stepped in.

“I thought you’d be here,” he said quietly. “Amore.”

“You heard everything she said, right?” Amore’s voice was steady, though her eyes were distant. “I had nothing to do with this. It was all Samantha’s doing.”

She let her gaze wander over his face, searching for something that wasn’t there. “You could have figured that out if you’d wanted to. But you didn’t. As long as I remained the convenient target, you allowed it. In your eyes, I was the one to blame.”

Tony frowned deeply, his brow furrowing. He was about to respond when Vicky appeared at the doorway.

“Mr. Powers,” she said. “Sam’s asking for you.”

Tony looked at Amore for a long moment, words caught somewhere between his heart and his throat. Then he turned and left with Vicky.

Amore wasn’t surprised. She smiled faintly, though it hurt to do so.

---

Samantha, meanwhile, had been cleared of serious injuries—just some minor bruising and shock. Her skin was pale, her eyes glassy.

“I’m so sorry, Tony,” she murmured tearfully. “It was all my fault. I just wanted her to apologize for how she spoke to me at the mall. But she—”

“Sam,” Tony interrupted, his voice low but firm. “Do you know why I keep you around? Because of your face—and because I owe your sister a debt. I promised to take care of you. Let’s keep it that way, understood?”

His tone wasn’t sharp, but Sam flinched as if he’d struck her.

“Can you?” he repeated, softer this time.

She nodded quickly. “Yes. I’ll be good. I promise.”

Satisfied, Tony glanced at the doctor. “Fix the wound on her face properly. Make sure it doesn’t scar.”

With that, he turned and walked out.

Samantha clenched her fists, swallowing her anger. After all her efforts, she had ruined her reputation for nothing—and it was all Amore’s fault.

All Amore had to do was play the poor, pitiful wife, desperate to push her away from Tony. Why couldn’t she just let it happen?

Vicky, noticing Samantha’s expression, leaned closer. “Calm down. If that cut doesn’t heal right, you’ll have plenty more to cry about.”

Samantha forced a smile, but her thoughts burned.

---

Tony made his way to the underground parking lot. His sleek car—fit for a CEO, was waiting.

“Mrs. Powers already left for the studio,” Bob reported carefully. “Do you want to check on her?”

Tony shot him a cold look. “You seem very concerned. How about you take my place, then?”

Bob froze, lips tightening. “No, sir.”

Before the silence could stretch further, Tony’s phone rang. It was a call from Power Holdings Group. A collapse had occurred at the Fountain-Yard construction site—over thirty casualties. The fallout was severe.

“Back to the office,” Tony ordered grimly.

---

Amore, meanwhile, was halfway to the studio when a call came through about her mother’s health. Without hesitation, she turned the car around and drove straight home.

When she arrived, a familiar voice greeted her. “You’re back, Amore,” said Lisa—George Moretti’s long-time lover.

---

Flashback

Mary Moretti, Amore’s mother, had nearly died giving birth to her. The complications left her unable to have more children.

When Amore was four, her father, George, began an affair with Lisa. Years later, Lisa gave birth to a son. George brought them both into the family home, and from that day on, the household staff referred to Lisa as Mrs. Golden.