Chapter 9 - The Master Chessboard
Santiago tightened his finger on the trigger, his face twisted in madness. "You thought you were so clever, Clara! Hiding your real name! Playing the helpless wife! You tricked me!"
I stopped shaking. I took a slow, deep breath, and my desperate expression suddenly flattened into a cold, terrifying calm.
"Did I trick you, Santiago?" I asked, my voice terrifyingly devoid of panic. "Or did you walk into a trap planned seven years ago?"
Santiago blinked, confused by my sudden shift in demeanor. "What are you talking about?"
"Seven years ago, a young college student named Maya Lin took her own life after being blackmailed and abused by a wealthy heir," I said, stepping closer into the amber light. "Her family was too poor to fight you in court. Her case was dismissed. You got away with it."
Santiago’s eyes widened in sheer horror. "Maya... how do you know that name?"
"Maya was my best friend," I revealed, my voice dropping like iron weights. "I didn't hide my real name to find someone to love me, Santiago. That was the story I let your ego swallow. I feigned helplessness, I placed myself in your path, and I let you marry me so I could investigate your dark networks, document your financial crimes, and dismantle your family piece by piece."
Santiago gasped, his mind reeling as the truth hit him. His entire marriage hadn't been a lucky coincidence with a weak woman—it had been a meticulously executed execution by an untouchable heiress seeking vengeance for a dead friend.
"You... you never loved me?" he stuttered, his grip on the gun faltering.
"I felt nothing for you but disgust," I said.
May you like
Behind Santiago, a shadow materialized silently from the balcony. Alexander stepped into the room without a sound, a suppressed weapon aimed directly at the back of Santiago's knee.
THWIP!
