The Heiress's Revenge - A Bloody Affair - Chapter 27

[27 – Divide and Rule]
Caroline hurriedly ran towards her room not caring about anything. Once there, she immediately closed the door behind her and locked it. After making sure that it was locked properly, she grabbed her things and began putting them in the suitcase that her aunt had sent for her after she had decided to stay at the hotel for at least a week.

After roughly stuffing everything into the suitcase, she got dressed and went to complete the check out procedure. After what she experienced last night and the everything that happened this morning, she could no longer stay in that hotel for even a minute longer than necessary.

Everywhere that she looked she could see people eyeing her suspiciously, whispering among themselves and it made Caroline feel unsafe. All she wanted to do now was go back home and lock herself in her room because she was sure that whoever was trying to mess will not be able to hurt her in her own home.

Clutching the handle of her suitcase tightly, Caroline dragged it outside as she waited for her car to arrive. She didn’t dare go back inside the hotel and wait because she felt that someone might do something to her. Paranoia had settled deep inside her, making her extremely nervous and jittery.

So much so that even when a little boy accidently collided with her, Caroline screamed out loud and jumped feeling scared. Her breaths coming in shallow gasps, eyes wide in horror. Every person around her seemed to menacing, as if they were after her.

The sense of being watched, hunted even, made her want to flee and hide. She needed to go home, to safety, to the familiar walls that might offer her some semblance of security.

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Meanwhile, Ethan Grayson paced in his luxurious penthouse, fury etched into every line of his face. After leaving the hotel yesterday, Ethan did not go back home, instead, he went back to his penthouse and drowned himself in alcohol. Later he called for two hookers to be sent to his penthouse and then he spent the whole night letting out his frustration through binge drinking and sex.

But even after all that, Ethan was still furious and could not forget the humiliation that he had faced last night. He recalled how Caroline had threatened him when she had found him in that hotel room.

Ethan believed that Caroline was the one behind this mess. He was sure that she was the one who got all that footage because apart from her who else hated him so much to humiliate him in front of hundreds of people?!

“Just wait and watch Ethan Grayson. Now, I will show you the lengths I can cross to get back at you.”

Caroline’s words rang in his ear non-stop, cementing his belief that it was Caroline who compiled all that footage and played it during the party in front of all those guests to make him look bad, make him the culprit while she presented herself as the victim.

He threw the glass across the room, watching as it shattered against the wall. Anger boiling over, Ethan snatched up his phone and dialed a number while muttering to himself, “You shouldn’t have done that Caroline. Now wait and watch what I am going to do.”

“It’s time for you to pay for your deeds.” he grumbled and waited for the other person to answer his call.

“Caroline Mae Sullivan” he growled, “Gather all the dirt on her that you can find.”

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Caroline burst through the grand double doors of the Sullivan family mansion, her sudden appearance startling William and Victoria, who were sitting in the living room drinking tea.

Her usually perfectly styled hair was a wild tangle, strands sticking out at odd angles as if she had been running her hands through it repeatedly. The blouse she wore was buttoned incorrectly, her skirt was twisted around her waist, the hem uneven and wrinkled, suggesting she had either dressed in a hurry or had been through some ordeal.

She was wearing a pair of bathroom slippers that are available in a hotel room. Her whole appearance was a mess.

Caroline’s eyes darted around the room, wide and glassy, she looked spooked as if she had seen a ghost.

“Caroline, dear, what on earth happened?” Victoria exclaimed, setting her teacup on the table hastily. Her voice was a mix of concern and confusion and her brows furrowed as she took in Caroline’s appearance.

William, equally alarmed, rose from his seat and gently guided Caroline to the nearest armchair. He motioned for Victoria to fetch some water, “Sit down, Caroline. Take a deep breath.” he urged while continuing to pat her back in a comforting manner.

Victoria returned quickly with a glass of water, pressing it into Caroline’s trembling hands, “Drink this, darling. It’ll help.” her eyes were filled with tears seeing her daughter in such a state.

Caroline took a sip, her hands shaking so violently that water sloshed over the rim and onto her lap but none of that mattered. After she finished drinking, she asked for another glass of water and Victoria wasted no time in getting her another one.

The couple let Caroline relax and calm down before asking her again about what happened. Caroline looked up at her parents, her real parents, another reminder that she was not the real Caroline Mae Sullivan.

It felt like an attack on her identity and she could once again hear the voices calling out to her, telling her that she was nothing but a fake.

Scared, Caroline began shaking her head in negative as tears welled up in her eyes.

“Caroline, darling, what happened?” asked Victoria but Caroline said nothing.

Her lips moved, but no coherent words came out except for fragmented sounds and monosyllables that William and Victoria failed to understand.

“What happened, Caroline?” William asked again, his patience beginning to wear thin as worry etched deeper lines into his face.

Still, Caroline couldn’t form a sentence, her mind seemingly trapped in whatever had brought her to this state. The frustration and fear in her eyes spoke volumes, but none of it made sense to them.

William’s jaw tightened as a thought struck him, “This has to do with Ethan, doesn’t it?” he spoke through gritted teeth. It was more of statement than a question because William believed that no one else could make Caroline so distressed other than Ethan.

That boy had always been Caroline’s weak spot which is why even after knowing what kind of a person that damn boy was, Caroline still wanted to marry him.

Anger flared in his eyes, a storm brewing just beneath the surface. Even though William had often used his daughter for his selfish purposes and even went as far as changing his daughter’s appearance surgically, he was still her father and he could not tolerate how Ethan was mistreating Caroline.

Turning to his wife, Victoria, William told her, “Stay with her. I’m going to find Marcus and sort this out. This Ethan has created a lot of mess for us and now he is going after Caroline. I need to settle this before things go out of hand.”

Without waiting for a response, he strode out of the room, leaving behind his wife and sobbing daughter.

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Marcus was surprised to see William barging inside his mansion looking like a raging bull. He knew that his friend might be upset because of what happened at the party last night but wasn’t sure if this was the sole reason that made William so furious.

“We need to talk.” announced William ignoring the presence of Elijah and Katherine.

“William -” Marcus tried to ask something but William raised his hand gesturing him to stop and added, “Let’s go to your study.”

Marcus nodded and followed William to his study, “What is it?” asked Marcus as he closed the door.

“Your boy has gone too far.” began William, his voice dripping with anger that he was feeling in that moment.

Marcus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “What has he done now?”

“I don’t know the exact details.” the reply made Marcus frown but William continued, “Caroline came back home in a very disturbing state. She looked scared and was crying. I asked her what happened but she said nothing and when I took Ethan’s name, she began crying violently.”

Marcus cursed under his breath. He felt like strangling Ethan out of pure frustration. That damned son of his didn’t know when to act and when to remain silent, “William, I know -”

Marcus tried to explain but William was in no mood to listen, “If he continues to act like this, I am afraid we would need to cancel the engagement.”

That alerted Marcus, causing the man to stare at William angrily, “No, we cannot do that. We will not do that.” his voice was firm and had a tone of finality to it.

“You know very well William that why this alliance is important for both of us. Don’t forget the promise that you made years ago. I only helped you deal with Arthur, Michael and his family because I wanted a share of their fortune that right now belongs to Caroline, your daughter, and the only way to get a share of it is only through marriage.”

William scoffed but said nothing so Marcus continued, “And don’t forget, you need me to support your business as well. Without my support, even you get access to the fortune using Caroline, you won’t be able to do a thing!” that was a silent warning that William understood very well.

The tension was palpable, but they both knew they were trapped. The stakes were too high for either to back down. Marcus needed Caroline to become his daughter-in-law, knowing he needed the the massive fortune that belonged to Caroline to support for his business ventures. And William needed Marcus’s support for his business and to cover up the illegal activities that he was involved in.

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In her cabin, at The Seraphina Atelier, Seraphina was watching and listening to the conversation between William and Marcus. She was also aware of what Ethan was planning to do with Caroline and it went along perfectly with her plans so she lend him a helping hand and secretly and anonymously provided Ethan with what he wanted.

Another scandal was about to unleash and this so called friendship between these two criminal will soon suffer another tidal wave.

Seraphina smirked in satisfaction, “Two criminals can never be friends,” she mused, twirling a pen between her fingers, “One is bound to betray the other sooner or later.” She only needed to make a little effort, and now the divide between this group of sinners was growing.

“Let them tear each other apart,” she whispered to herself, “I’ll rule over the ruins with ease.”