Chapter 8
Sloane sensed something off in the air and immediately took a step back. “I’m not playingalong with this.”
But before she could retreat any further, one of the young trust fund brats stood up and, without warning, slapped her hard across the
face
A burst of laughter erupted from all around. “She deserved that! That’s for slapping Vivienne!”
Vivienne gave a sweet, innocent smile. “Don’t take it personally, Sloane. We’re all just having fun.”
And Declan–he just sat there and watched. Cold. Silent. Then reached out and spun the bottle again. “Keep going.”
That was when it hit her.
The kneeling in the rain hadn’t been enough.
This was her punishment. For slapping Vivienne, she had to pay it all back–tenfold–in front of everyone.
The bottle pointed to her again and again.
Ten times in total. By the time the final slap landed, the guards finally let go of her arms.
Her ears were ringing. Her face throbbed with pain. She slowly lifted her hand to her check–completely swollen.
“Declan, you promised to bake me a birthday cake
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“tember?” Vivienne suddenly cooed.
Declan gave her a gentle smile and stood up. “Wait here. I’ll head to the kitchen.”
But before walking away, he turned and gave Sloane a long, unreadable look. Then left without a single word.
And the moment he was gone, Vivienne dropped her act of being fragile and timid.
“So? How d
So? How did that feel, Sloane? Did you enjoy being slapped in front of everyone?”
But Sloane didn’t even acknowledge her taunts. She just gave a faint, indifferent smile and turned to leave.
She
all too well–this spoiled heiress, drunk on her little victory, would come running after her.
And sure enough, as she climbed to the upper deck of the yacht, the sharp clack of heels echoed behind her.
“Vivienne,” Sloane said suddenly, stopping at the railing. “You really think you’ve won, don’t you?”
She smiled faintly. “You know what Declan told me? That once you’ve recovered and he’s repaid the debt he owes you, he’s kicking you out of my house.
‘Shut up!” Vivienne snapped, fury flashing in her eyes. She’d never been spoken to like that before. “You? You’re nothing but a filthy housemaid. You think you can compete with me?”
She stepped closer. Sloane suddenly turned and grabbed the lace collar of Vivienne’s couture gown,
“That night–was it the same with my mom? Did she touch your dress too? Is that why you…”
Her words collapsed into sobs.
Vivienne, instead of recoiling, looked almost thrilled by her agony. “Oh, you’ve got it right. She brushed against my dress and refused to kneel and apologize. And since she was your mother, I thought–why not teach her a little lesson?”
“You should’ve seen her, both arms broken, gagged so she couldn’t even scream.”
“Her blood spilled right here on this very deck. Ran straight into the ocean. I wanted to snap her right leg too, but she fought back, slipped, and fell into the sea. That saved me the trouble of finishing the job.”
Vivienne’s arrogant taunt hit its mark. Sloane’s eyes burned with hatred. “You’re a murderer.”
Chapter 8
Vivienne just smiled, basking in it. “So what? Declan believes me. He protected me in court.”
Sloane’s grip on her collar tightened. “Don’t forget–I’m the legal Mrs. Hawthorne! Declan will never divorce me. As long as I’m alive, I’ll always be his wife.”
Her words struck like flint on gasoline.
Vivienne snapped. She lunged forward and wrapped her hands around Sloane’s throat.
The pressure tightened. Sloane’s face flushed red. Her voice broke as she gasped, “Let go… are you trying to kill me? I’m warning you- as long as I’m still breathing, you’ll never be…”
And then–with one brutal shove–Vivienne slammed her against the railing. Sloane’s spine jolted with pain. Her wedding ring slipped off her finger and clattered to the floor.
In the chaos, Sloane’s body pitched forward–half over the railing. She lost her footing and fell, plunging straight from the third deck into the dark sea below.
Back on the second–floor deck, the party raged on. Laughter, music, games. No one heard the sound of her fall.
Cold ocean water rushed into her lungs, and for some reason… it felt warm.
This water this was where her mother’s blood had run. Her mother had been here.
So she wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t be afraid.
She closed her eyes, and just before the darkness swallowed her, the second button on her dress flashed red for a split second.
Inside it… a hidden camera,
And all the truths buried beneath the water–would one day be brought to light
