Chapter 0226
Chapter 0226
+25 BONUS
After stepping off the stage, Suzy grabbed a glass of wine and began making the rounds to mingle with the guests.
By the time she finished, she had drunk more than a little. Combined with the drinks from the night before, a slight dizziness began to creep over her.
Calling over her assistant, she handed off the task of mingling. “Take over for me. I need a moment to rest.”
She found a quiet lounge, slipped off her high heels, and stretched out on the sofa. Before long, she drifted off into a deep sleep.
She was in the middle of a restful slumber when the sound of shouting jerked her awareness.
“Fire! There’s a fire!”
“Everyone, get out!”
Suzy tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt as if they had been glued shut. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t force them open.
Though her eyes remained closed, her mind was alert, sharp with clarity.
It felt like she was trapped in a nightmare, her body refusing to obey her commands.
Realizing something was wrong, she began piecing together the possible cause. What could have led to this?
Her thoughts flickered to the glass of water she’d had before going on stage. Then to the wine she had sipped during the banquet. And finally, to the milk from that morning at Charlotte’s house.
No. It couldn’t be her.
Charlotte was her aunt, her only family left in this world. The one person who would never betray her. It couldn’t have been her.
That left the water and the wine.
Her assistant wasn’t a suspect–it was someone trusted from within the organization.
Which meant the only possibility was the wine.
The servers who had handled the wine had been brought in from the Harlow Hotel.
Outside, the shouting grew louder, chaos swelling as the calls to evacuate intensified. The situation must have been dire.
1/2
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0226
Whoever was behind this had nerves of steel to make a move on such a high–profile
occasion.
Clenching her fists tightly, Suzy tried to channel her energy and break free from whatever was holding her down. She focused all her strength on forcing her eyes open, but no matter how hard she tried, they wouldn’t budge.
It had been nearly ten minutes since the commotion outside began, and not a single person had come into the lounge. The realization hit Suzy like a cold wave–they wanted
her dead.
Trapped and helpless, she felt like a caged animal. If no one came to save her, there was only one path left: death.
Whoever was behind this clearly had no intention of leaving any room for escape. The odds were grim, and the chance of survival felt impossibly slim.
Her fists clenched tightly, and with every ounce of strength she could muster, she focused her energy. The veins on her neck bulged, her face flushed red, and her mind locked onto a single belief, “I can’t die here.”
She couldn’t. Not when her vengeance remained unfinished.
A guttural growl escaped her lips. “Ah!”
With a sudden burst of willpower, Suzy forced her eyes open. The strain of breaking through the drug’s effects came at a cost–a sharp pain ripped through her body, and blood spilled from her mouth.
The aftermath of overpowering the drug’s control left her trembling, her internal organs screaming in protest. But there was no time to dwell on the pain. Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth with a shaky hand, she pushed herself to her feet, staggering
toward the door.
When she found it locked from the outside, she wasn’t surprised.
“They really thought of everything, didn’t they?” she muttered through gritted teeth. Her voice dripped with defiance. “Too bad for you, I’m not that easy to kill.”
Grabbing a chair, she hurled it at the tempered glass door.
Tempered glass was tough, but it had a weakness–hit it at the right angle, and it would shatter easily. With Suzy’s expertise in physics and chemistry, breaking it was practically second nature.
The chair struck the perfect spot, and the glass exploded into shards.
Stepping over the broken pieces, Suzy emerged like a warrior from the depths of hell, her resolve unshaken, her steps steady despite the pain.
