"Anne?" Patricia exclaid in disbelief. Her eyes flicked between Anne and the woman still hiding under the blanket, confusion written across her face. "If you are here, then who is that woman?"
Augustine’s gaze snapped to Anne, and a wave of relief swept through him. He shoved Robert aside and rushed to Anne’s side. He enveloped her in his arms, pulling her close to his chest as if to make sure she was real, that she was safe. "Thank God, you are okay," he breathed.
Anne wrapped her arms around Augustine, feeling warm and protected. "I’m absolutely fine," she reassured him. But she knew now wasn’t the ti for comfort. First, she needed to expose the truth.
Pulling away, she turned sharply to Patricia, her voice suddenly cold and sharp. "Why did you say I seduced him? How could you be so sure the woman in that bed was , without even seeing her face? And more importantly, how did you even know I was in this hotel? Who told you?"
Patricia’s mouth opened, then shut again. No excuse ca. Her face drained of color, panic flickering in her eyes. The plan had backfired spectacularly. Not only had Anne turned the tables, but she had Augustine by her side. And Patricia had seen firsthand what he was capable of. If he found out they had tried to fra Anne, it wouldn’t end well.
Anne stepped closer, her tone biting. "What happened? You had so much to say a minute ago. You were shouting that I seduced this man—" she pointed at Robert, who was still crumpled on the floor, avoiding eye contact like a coward. "Where is that energy now?"
Finally, Patricia found her voice. "I got a call from the hotel... soone said you were seen here with a man. I assud... I thought it was you."
Anne arched a brow. "Assud? And yet you were so sure when you stord in here, accusing . So I’ll ask again—what exactly are you doing here? And what was your intention?"
Cornered and unraveling, Patricia’s panic only grew. She ran her mind, searching for the right words.
"The hotel staff told you were drunk," she blurted out. Her voice rose, more desperate than convincing. "They said you were seen with a man. I was just worried, that’s why I rushed over. Why would they lie to ? You were with a man, weren’t you? I didn’t make that up."
But the cracks in her story were wide and obvious. Her explanation sounded like a last-ditch excuse, not a concern. She hoped to redirect the bla before the whole thing collapsed on her.
Anne let out a snort, unimpressed by Patricia’s attempt to explain herself.
"I ca here for lunch with Lorie," she said plainly. "After we ate, I felt unwell, dizzy. Lorie insisted I rest in a room she said her boyfriend had booked. She told he’d be coming soon. I thought she’d step out for a minute, but she never ca back. When I went to look for her and returned, this whole scene was unfolding."
She pouted and tugged at Augustine’s arm. "Darling, sothing is off. This all feels staged—like soone wanted to trap . Otherwise, why would my stepmother show up here and accuse of seducing a complete stranger? I don’t even know who this man is."
Patricia shuffled her feet, clearly rattled. Her eyes flicked toward the door. ’Where the hell is Lorie?’ she thought.
This wasn’t how things were supposed to play out. And who was that woman still in the bed, hiding under the blanket?
"You," Augustine growled like a warning thunderclap.
Patricia flinched hard.
"This is your plan, isn’t it?" he accused.
"No!" Patricia gasped, waving her hands frantically. "I didn’t plan anything—I swear."
"Don’t lie," he snapped, taking a step toward her. "You already tried forcing Anne into a marriage against her will—and now this? Trying to sar her with so setup in a hotel room?"
Before Patricia could respond, Robert scrambled to his feet and blurted out, "Yes, yes, it was her and her daughter’s plan. Patricia took money from , said she’d marry Anne off to . I didn’t know Anne was already taken. Today, her daughter Lorie called , said Anne had agreed to marry , and that she’d be waiting at this hotel. So I ca. I didn’t know this would happen."
Patricia spun toward him, eyes wild. "You’re blaming us?" she shouted. "You are the one obsessed with Anne. You wanted to marry her."
Robert’s mouth went dry as he t Augustine’s cold, furious stare. The sheer force of it sent a jolt of terror through him—he felt like his heart might stop on the spot. Crossing this man would be the end of him. He couldn’t offend him at any cost.
In a panic-fueled blur, he turned on Patricia and slapped her hard. She collapsed to the floor with a gasp, clutching her cheek in shock.
"You—" Robert pointed at her, his entire body trembling from the rush of fear and rage. "You liar! You are the one who ca to with the proposal. You took the dowry money and said Anne would marry —and now you are trying to throw everything on ?"
Consud by fury, he lunged at her and kicked her. Patricia scread and curled up, sobbing as the pain and humiliation hit all at once.
"Enough!" Augustine’s voice bood through the room, halting Robert in his tracks. "I’ve seen and heard enough of this circus. Stay away from Anne—all of you. If you co near her again, I’ll destroy you."
He clasped Anne’s hand tightly. "Let’s go."
But Anne wasn’t done yet. "Wait. There is one thing I still need to know."
She turned toward the bed with a glint of mischief in her eyes and grabbed the blanket, yanking it away.
A shrill scream followed.
The woman on the bed scrambled to cover herself, clutching the sheet to her chest. Her face was red with shock and sha.
Anne widened her eyes in mock surprise. "Lorie?" she gasped, her voice dripping with feigned disbelief.
The room fell silent—everyone stunned, but Anne’s expression said it all. Checkmate.
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