Chapter 13
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Matilda probably cried for only three minutes before wiping her face dry. Bit by bit, her expression returned to calm, and she looked unshakable again.
When they got to Maxwell Villa, Matilda headed straight for the guest bathroom. A hot shower later, she felt like she’d come back to life.
She walked to the kitchen to find Tessa but stopped when she heard Tessa on the phone.
“Are
you all working together to ruin Matilda completely? She sleeps in my bed and wears my clothes. I give her my food so she won’t bother you–what more do you want? Hello? Zack?” she snapped.
Matilda’s nails dug into her palms. After a moment, she quietly turned and walked away.
She ate the meal Tessa had made and lied, saying she had property and savings, insisting she should leave.
Tessa tried to stop her. “Your dress is still soaking.”
To ease her worry, Matilda said, “I’ll trouble you to wash it for me then.”
Tessa looked a little more at ease. “Okay. Tomorrow night, I’ll be filling in for Ruth at Serenity Group’s private event. Let’s meet after it’s over.”
Matilda nodded. She walked out of the villa, looking lost in thought.
In the records Cassandra had found of Brandon’s spending on Shelby, Serenity Group showed more than 3 million dollars. Shelby was bound to be on that guest list.
The irony was brutal. Shelby could show up dripping in jewels, but Matilda might be fighting the homeless for a place to sleep tonight.
‘Matilda, you thought so highly of yourself, and now, look at you. How did you sink this low?‘ she mocked herself with a hollow laugh, her eyes empty.
“Ms. Warren, wait a minute!” Samuel called out behind her.
Matilda turned with a confused look.
Samuel, still catching his breath, held out a card with both hands. It was a black card from an unknown bank, engraved with the letter “S.”
Matilda didn’t take it right away. She just stared at him, still confused.
“The man from the car accident told me to give this to you. He even knew your last name was Warren,” Samuel said.
“He didn’t say who he was?” Matilda asked.
“No.” Samuel shook his head.
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Chapter 13
“What did he look like?” she pressed.
“Honestly, scary. I didn’t dare stare,” Samuel admitted, embarrassed.
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Matilda thought of the person who’d been sending her those anonymous emails.
Whoever he was, he was close, knew her situation inside out, wanted to help, but refused to show himself.
After a pause, Matilda reached out and took the card. Right now, money was what she needed most.
Of course, she knew nothing came free. Mr. S definitely wanted something in return. But she couldn’t worry about that yet–survival came first.
With the card, Matilda booked a hotel room. She slipped the female manager some money and asked her to pick up toiletries, makeup, clothes, bags, and other necessities.
By the time she finally lay down, it was early morning.
But the moment she closed her eyes, all she saw was Shelby dazzling the crowd at Serenity Group’s private event. The image wouldn’t leave her head, and she couldn’t calm down.
At dawn, Matilda left the hotel and headed straight for the event.
Serenity Group catered to wealthy ladies and socialites. To keep young, pretty staff from stealing attention, the servers wore plain uniforms and face veils. It gave Matilda the perfect chance.
She followed a staff member into the parking lot. “I need your spot to get inside. One deal–I’ll give you 60 thousand dollars. How about it?”
The young woman’s eyes widened in shock.
Twenty minutes later, Matilda slipped into the venue. Night had just fallen when Shelby arrived, Brandon at her side.
Matilda remembered how Brandon used to hate these glitzy gatherings and never let her attend. Now, Shelby was his darling.
“Brandon, everyone here is so elegant. If you weren’t with me, I’d be really nervous,” Shelby said shyly.
Brandon brushed a lock of hair off her forehead. “This is your first time at something like this. Of course, I’m staying with you.”
Shelby leaned into him. “Brandon, I’m so glad you’re here.”
Matilda watched the two of them with icy detachment. Beyond hatred, she felt nothing.
The Grimes family carried weight in Itera City, so in these circles, they were constantly flattered and courted.
Brandon couldn’t slip away, so Shelby told him she’d mingle on her own.
Matilda moved closer to serve. With her veil on and her head lowered, Shelby didn’t notice her.
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Brandon paused for a second, but quickly dismissed the thought. He went back to his conversation.
Matilda tried steering Shelby toward the men’s area, but Shelby had her own plans.
She wanted to be Brandon’s right hand, and that meant building her own connections. So she headed to the ladies‘ group instead.
Shelby was sharp. She stayed humble but carried herself with dignity even when the wealthy ladies treated her coldly, and she clearly knew each of their interests inside and out. Before long, they warmed up to her.
“I don’t know much at all, so it’s a great honor you’re willing to teach me. Honestly, I know this jewelry doesn’t suit me, but because Matilda gave it to me, I treasure it. She told me it was perfect for me and that I had to wear it on important occasions,” Shelby said.
The ladies‘ expressions instantly grew amused.
Matilda clenched her jaw. Everyone here knew she couldn’t possibly have given Shelby such expensive jewelry.
Shelby played it smart. On one hand, she painted herself as kind and forgiving—even though Matilda hated her and had hit her, she still wanted to clear Matilda’s name. On the other hand, she made Matilda look petty and cruel for hurting someone so considerate.
Shelby really was good at playing the poor, pitiful act.
Matilda decided to push it further, to make Shelby look even weaker.
She led Shelby into a private lounge. As she closed the door, a smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth.
“Ms. Webster, you just said this jewelry was a gift from Matilda. Then let’s return it to its rightful owner.” Her tone was soft, but underneath ran a chilling edge, and her narrowed eyes flashed with danger.
Shelby froze. “Who are you?”
“I’m here to collect what’s owed,” Matilda said, pulling off her veil and shoving it into Shelby’s mouth before she could scream.
Using her height, she pushed Shelby onto the sofa and leaned over her. “Thanks to you, I’m jobless and drowning in 600 million dollars of debt. From now on, I won’t do anything else—I’ll just keep an eye on you. So you’d better stay glued to Brandon and never be alone.”
Shelby’s eyes welled up. “Matilda, don’t do this. Someone might walk in any second.”
“That’d be perfect,” Matilda said with a lazy, icy smile, her presence pressing down like a storm barely held
back.
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Chapter 14
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Chapter 14
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