"Stop talking!" Faye Sheffield had realized something, but she couldn’t bring herself to accept it. "Stop! Annabelle Linton, you bitch, you’re trying to drive a wedge between me and Vivian!"

There’s nothing more devastating than being stabbed in the back by the person you trust the most.

Faye Sheffield finally seemed to understand. Every time she had followed Vivian Yates, Vivian got to play the good guy, while she was the one who ended up as the villain and took all the punishment.

She was using her. She had been using her all along!

Faye Sheffield was on the verge of a breakdown. "What do you get out of this?! You bitch, you’re going to hell!"

"Oh."

Her eyes, cold and dark as ink, held a chilling indifference. "Then go to your grave cherishing your pure, noble friendship. Long live friendship.

Indeed. There’s nothing more unforgettable or precious, is there? Except you’re just deluding yourself."

Annabelle Linton looked away, her gaze dropping to focus on the wine swirling in her glass. "Alright," she said coolly, "this boring conversation is over. You can disappear now."

The moment she finished speaking, bodyguards seized Faye Sheffield by both arms and began to drag her out.

Faye Sheffield panicked. "Where are you taking me? Where?!"

No one answered.

She grew even more frantic!

She had been indifferent to life and death, unconcerned about whether she would die. But after what Annabelle Linton just said, her composure shattered completely.

If she died like this, she would never be able to rest in peace!

"Let me go! Annabelle Linton, you’d better let me go, or I’ll haunt you even after I’m dead!"

Annabelle Linton lazily sipped her wine, ignoring her completely.

Faye Sheffield was dragged away, her struggles echoing behind her.

Annabelle Linton stared at the ground with a cold expression, lost in thought for a moment.

’In a way, wasn’t I once just like Faye Sheffield?’

’The difference was, I never did anything truly malicious, whereas Faye Sheffield let Vivian Yates play her for a complete fool.’

But she felt no sympathy for Faye Sheffield.

The world was a cruel place—survival of the fittest. It was a bloody lesson everyone had to learn: if you fall behind, you get crushed.

Everything that had happened to Faye Sheffield was her own doing. You reap what you sow. Who else was there to blame?

As for that recording... she had other plans for it.

That evening, Annabelle Linton received a call from one of her bodyguards. "Miss Linton, we’ve successfully let Faye Sheffield go. She stole a passerby’s wallet and is now holed up in a small motel. We’re keeping a close eye on her every move. We believe it won’t be long before she makes a move."

"Mm, good work."

Annabelle Linton responded coolly and hung up.

...

「Two days later.」

Vivian Yates was driving through a deserted area, talking on the phone.

Suddenly, someone jumped out in front of her car.

"SCREECH—"

She slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. Someone was already lying on the ground outside her window.

She got out of the car to check on the person she had hit, checking for breath under their nose. They were alive.

A flicker of annoyance crossed Vivian Yates’s eyes. She glanced around. They were in a remote, suburban wasteland. No people, no cameras. She decided to leave them.

Just as she turned to walk away, the person suddenly leaped up, brandishing a knife and lunging at her. "Vivian Yates, go to hell!"

A cold gleam flashed in Vivian Yates’s eyes as she instantly dodged the attack.

After Annabelle Linton had beaten her up, she had started frantically practicing self-defense. Good thing she had!

Vivian Yates spun around, and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the face. "Faye Sheffield?"

"That’s right, it’s me. Bet you didn’t expect me to still be alive, did you? You bitch, you ruined my life! Today, I’m taking yours!" Faye Sheffield’s eyes flashed with venom as she shouted.

Vivian Yates understood at once. She looked at Faye with contempt. "Well, well. The idiot finally woke up. Took you long enough. Too bad you’re so incompetent you can’t get anything right. You’re a complete moron!"

"You bitch! I’ll kill you!"

Faye Sheffield charged at her. Vivian Yates sidestepped with ease, her hand shooting out to grab Faye’s neck. With a sharp twist, Faye dropped dead on the spot.

Nearby was a cliff overlooking a raging river. Expressionless, Vivian Yates dragged the body over and coldly tossed it into the chasm.

’Useless trash.’

...

Leona Grant woke up from a nightmare.