Secrets 290
apter 290 Shattered
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Finished
Franklin’s furious roars and Chloe’s sobs
The voices on the speaker still tangled together – weaving into a suffocating net that wrapped tighter and tighter around Rebecca.
“Aah!”
A raw, inhuman scream ripped from Rebecca’s throat.
She seized the glass on the table and hurled it at the tea stand. The crystal shattered with a piercing crack, shards scattering as red liquid splashed across her ivory dress like a sudden bloom of poisonous flowers.
Blood traced thin lines down her palm. She stared at it, then began to laugh. At first a muffled sob, it swelled into a broken cackle, rattling the chandelier until its pendants trembled.
Neon lights flickered through the window, cutting her face into fractured patterns. In those shards, her eyes reflected nothing but the image of a woman already in pieces.
She wasn’t Rebecca.
She was only a discarded shadow, thrown into a corner of this city, soaked in lies and schemes.
Scarlett stood aside, watching her collapse onto the broken glass like a puppet with its strings severed. As the second hand of her watch clicked past midnight, she rose slowly.
A knock came at the door. Scarlett answered lightly, “Clean up the glass.”
Turning back, she saw Rebecca clutching a shard of crystal with her bleeding hand, her eyes as hollow as a dried–up well.
Yet in the reflection of the shard, her own face appeared, streaked with tears.
Scarlett wasn’t worried Rebecca would end her life.
Someone like her would never give it up.
Closing the door behind her, she shut out Rebecca’s broken cries,
For someone proud and vain, losing everything she valued was punishment enough.
Revenge tasted sweet.
Watching an enemy live worse than death soothed the wounds in her chest, if only a little.
But not enough.
8:33 Sat, Sep 27
Chapter 290 Shattered
:
The pain she had endured deserved to be repaid a thousandfold.
Her gaze lingered on the closed door, her eyes cold as ice.
(90
Finished
In another private room, Franklin and Chloe still hadn’t realized they were being overheard.
They quarreled on and on until Chloe, overwhelmed, collapsed into tears. She sat on the sofa, covering her face and weeping without a word.
Franklin’s anger drained as he watched her, soon replaced by pity.
“Sigh… I know, I went too far just now.”
He walked over, sat beside her, and tried to pull her into his arms.
Chloe had only been sad before. But as Franklin leaned close, she caught the thick stench of smoke and beneath it, that sour, clinging scent people called old–man’s smell.
—
The words stuck in her throat. Instead, she gagged.
Franklin froze. Then, misreading her reaction, he asked sharply, “You’re not… pregnant, are you?”
Chloe stayed silent.
Sc
That silence only deepened his certainty.
“You’re not seriously trying to give him a son, are you?” His voice cracked with disbelief.
—
the so–called master, the rituals
–
“That whole thing in Trenwyn
that was all staged for show. How could you take it seriously? Tell me, is he forcing you into this? You’re not young anymore. Carrying a baby now, making it to full term – it’s a gamble! You must be insane!”
The more he ranted, the more Chloe swore she could smell his breath.
She turned her head, disgust twisting in her chest.
Back then, Franklin had been handsome, witty, attentive she had fallen for him.
—
even though he was much older.
Now she realized she must have been blinded by infatuation.
She had ignored the truth.
And now, with Grayson as a contrast…
8:33 Sat, Sep 27
Chapter 290 Shattered
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Finished
Grayson, with his years in the entertainment world, still took pride in his appearance. Even in middle age, he was sharp and clean.
Being with him felt like luxury.
She suddenly stood, putting distance between herself and Franklin’s endless scolding.
“It’s late. I should go. As for Rebecca, I’ll think of a way to push her into the entertainment
circle. You’ve heard about the esoteric arts livestream trend, right? She can take that route. With the right management, she’ll be able to support herself.”
Franklin scowled, displeased.
“Support herself? That’s not enough. The Joyner family is in ruins. Only Rebecca is still on my side. Those three sons of mine, and Martha, they’re all useless. If she can’t help me rebuild the Joyners, when will you and I ever stand openly together?”
Chloe’s heart turned cold.
Even at the Joyners‘ peak, this man had never truly thought of her.
“Franklin, I’ll find a way. For now, I’m leaving.”
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