CHAPTER 21
Madelynn’s hands, tied tightly to the chair, trembled, but her voice was sharp with disbelief.
“Oliver, what happened to my parents?” she demanded. “What did you do to them?!”
Oliver tilted his head slightly, like her question amused him.
“They weren’t my concern,” he said with eerie calm. “Blame Cecelia for that. I simply… cooperated. She wanted them dead. I wanted to lure you out. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
“You son of a bitch!”
She stared at him in horror. This man, this twisted, broken foolwasn’t the Oliver she once knew.
The man she had loved had been polished, elegant, refined like a gemstone. Where had that version gone?
Oliver only laughed. A dry, bitter sound.
‘Yeah, I am a son of a bitch,” he said, grinning madly. “And you know what’s at the root of a
his?”
His voice dropped.
‘It’s because I love you. That much.”
His tone sent a chill down her spine.
Honey,” he cooed, “just wait a little longer. The jet will be here in thirty minutes. I bought ar sland in Indonesia. No one will find us there. Just you and me. We’ll finally live that peaceful life
you used to dream about.”
Madelynn’s throat closed.
I never wanted this,” she whispered.
But he wasn’t listening.
You used to say you’d be happy anywhere as long as you were with me,” he continued, his voice ar too soft for the madness behind it. “That dream’s about to come true.”
From the floor, Ava groaned.
She had been tossed aside earlier like luggage. Now, she was just regaining consciousness, only o hear Oliver’s delusional rambling.
She pushed herself up with a wince and glared at him.
‘You jerk! You think you’re worthy of her?” she snapped. “Madelynn is my sister-in-law. Let us go ight now, or when my brother finds you!”
The name alone set Oliver off.
His face turned red with fury.
“Ugh. That entire family disgusts me.”
He reached for something at his waist.
Madelynn’s blood ran cold.
In one swift motion, he pulled out a sleek black pistol and cocked it.
“I’ll return the favor,” he sneered. “Your brother took my leg. I’ll take both of yours.”
Ava’s eyes widened.
Madelynn screamed, her voice raw and panicked. “Oliver! If you touch her, I swear I’ll kill myself right here!”
Oliver hesitated, finger trembling on the trigger.
He looked at her, a twisted smile curling his lips.
“Fine. I won’t shoot,” he said, almost sweetly. “I’ll let her go.”
Madelynn exhaled shakily, her body trembling.
But before she could even begin to process the relief, the door to the room creaked open and a familiar voice drifted in like poison.
“Oliver, are those two old fools dead yet?”
Cecelia.
She walked in on high heels, with a bored expression. But when she saw Madelynn conscious and bound to a chair, her lips curled into a cruel smile.
“Look at you. Still so stubborn.”
Madelynn’s fists clenched around the ropes. Her voice shook with fury. “Cecelia. How coul you…? They treated you well. They gave you everything. And this is how you repay them?”
Cecelia let out a mocking laugh.
‘They treated me well?” she repeated. “Please. They only doted on me because I acted like a pitiful orphan. They wanted a charity case to feel good about themselves, and I was the perfect
victim.”
Her eyes gleamed with contempt.
‘Everything I got from them, I earned through performance. But then they tried to marry me off tc him?” She flicked her fingers toward Oliver, face twisting in disgust. “That was my last straw.”
Madelynn stared in disbelief.
Cecelia wasn’t just evil, she was proud of it.
‘But I have to thank Oliver,” she went on. “Even after I lost interest, he still helped me. Once you parents were dead and you were out of the picture, all of the Fontaine assets would’ve gone to
me.”
That was the final straw.
Madelynn trembled, but she couldn’t speak. Her voice was stuck in her throat, caught on the jagged edge of betrayal.
Then-
BANG.
A deafening gunshot rang out.
Cecelia froze mid sentence. A red bloom spread across her chest. Her eyes widened in disbelief. She staggered.
“O- Oliver…” she gasped. “W-We were… allies…
Oliver stared at her, face expressionless.
“Were,” he said simply.
Cecelia collapsed to her knees. “Why…?”
Oliver wheeled forward slowly, gun still raised. “You really thought I didn’t know what you were up to in London?”
His voice was ice. “You used me. You humiliated me. You ruined my life. If it weren’t for you Maddy wouldn’t have left.”
He gave her a mirthless smile. “I only ever played along so I could use you.”
Cecelia tried to crawl toward the door, dragging herself by her elbows.
She didn’t make it far.
Oliver called out, “Take her corpse out. Feed it to the animals.”
Two men entered silently, grabbed her limp body, and carried it out without a word.
The room was dead silent.
Even Ava looked pale. Madelynn stared at Oliver like he was a stranger. A monster.
‘You’re insane,” she whispered.
He tilted his head.
No,” he said. “I’m just in love.”
