Lorie sat frozen, unable to speak. It felt like a bomb had just gone off in her head—shocking, deafening, paralyzing. Her blood ran cold.
Yes, she hated Anne. She had envisioned seeing her suffer. But those were just spiteful, angry thoughts. She never intended to act on it. If she had truly wanted Anne dead, it would’ve happened long ago.
"You want to kill her?" she finally managed. "Are you serious?"
She glanced around the quiet café, then leaned in, lowering her voice to a whisper. "This isn’t a joke. Killing soone is not so petty revenge. I an, I hated her, yes. I still do. But this... this is a whole different line."
A chill crept up her spine. "If we get caught, we are finished. We will end up in prison. Have you thought about that?"
gan’s face twisted in disgust. "You are a coward," she spat with contempt. "I thought you had the guts to stand up to your enemy, to do sothing real. But clearly, you are just soone who’d rather sit and suffer than take control."
Sha flared in Lorie’s chest. The words stung.
"I do hate her," she said defensively. "But there is a difference between punishing soone and killing them. You’re talking about murder. What if sothing goes wrong? What if I get caught? We both could be ruined."
gan hissed, "Do you think I’m stupid? I have money. I can make this disappear. No one will trace it back to us. Just do what I ask, and I’ll pay you anything you want. You want to disappear, leave the country? I’ll arrange it. But Anne has to die. I want her gone."
gan’s offer was tempting—too tempting to ignore.
Lorie had longed for a way out of her miserable life with Robert. Every day under his roof was a cage. All she wanted was freedom, a fresh start. She wanted enough money to vanish and rebuild a life on her own terms, far away from the people and pain she knew.
Across the table, gan noticed the shift in Lorie’s eyes. Her lips curled into a slight smirk. Lorie had taken the bait. All that was needed was just a little push.
"Think about what Anne did to you," gan said, her voice coaxing. "She humiliated you, got you fired. And now she is living the dream. She married a rich guy, travels in expensive cars, and wears designer clothes. And you?"
Her eyes drifted deliberately over Lorie’s oversized sweater. "You look miserable, shabby. You used to turn heads. Now you look like soone who doesn’t even recognize herself."
Lorie looked down at her hands, then at the frayed cuffs of her sleeves. A wave of sha washed over her. She used to love dressing up, pampering herself, and being seen. She had lived like a princess before Robert. Now, she was nothing but a lowly maid, being abused and humiliated on a daily basis.
The ache to reclaim her life tightened inside her like a knot.
"I can give all that back to you," gan said. "The life you’ve dread of, a new identity, a clean escape. No one will ever find you."
Lorie still couldn’t bring herself to accept gan’s offer, even though part of her wanted to say yes. Doubt clung to her. "Why ? You could have hired anyone, soone skilled for such a job. Why choose for this?"
gan didn’t blink. Her response ca quickly, steadily. "Because no one is better suited than you. You know Anne—her habits, her weaknesses and strengths, her friends. You know where she likes to go, what she likes to do, and who she trusts. You can get close to her without setting off alarms. That’s sothing a stranger can’t do."
There was a hidden calculation in gan’s eyes. She had noticed the new bodyguard by Anne’s side—stone-faced and vigilant, impossible to bypass. A stranger wouldn’t stand a chance. But Lorie? Lorie could easily get close to Anne without raising suspicion.
"All you need to do is play it smart," gan added. "Don’t let her see through you. Wait for the right mont. When she is distracted, alone, vulnerable, you strike. Do it clean. I’ll take care of everything after."
gan’s words hit their mark. Lorie felt the hesitation inside her lt away, replaced by a grim resolve. Her fear gave way to determination.
"Alright," she said finally. "I’ll do it."
But her expression hardened with a demand. "I need money. Now. I can’t do anything while I’m locked in that house with Robert watching my every move. If you want this job done, I need freedom first. I need to start living again like before. Otherwise, this plan won’t even get off the ground."
gan studied Lorie with a cold, calculating gaze. She knew such greedy, desperate people who wouldn’t lift a finger without seeing the money first. She sneered with disgust inwardly but kept her expression neutral.
"How much do you want?" she asked evenly.
Lorie didn’t answer right away. She weighed the risk, the danger, and her own need for escape. Then she said, "One million now and a job. Any job will do. That’ll get out of that hellhole. But after finishing the task, I want fifty million. I swear I’ll disappear. You’ll never see again."
Fifty million.
gan nearly choked. The number slamd into her like a punch, rage flaring in her chest. But she didn’t let it show. She couldn’t afford to upset her now. She needed Lorie to deal with Anne.
She couldn’t risk getting her own hands dirty and let Augustine and the Beaumonts suspect her. If things went sideways, Lorie would take the fall.
For now, she had to play along.
"Fine," gan said coolly. "I can arrange a job. Co to the office tomorrow."
Lorie smiled hopefully. "And the money?"
"I’ll transfer the money now."
gan pulled out her phone and began tapping. A mont later, Lorie’s phone buzzed. Her bank account was credited with one million.
Her eyes lit up, a gleam of satisfaction flashing across her face.
"Thank you," she said with a grin. "I’ll do it. Let’s start the countdown to her end."
They locked eyes, their expressions dark, hungry, and full of wicked purpose.
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