Chapter 45 : The Fall Of A Queen
Rachel stormed through the hallway of Richard’s estate, aggressively clicking her heels against the marble floor.
Her blood was boiling, lava of anger was flowing beneath her carefully maintained body.
Everything was crumbling around her—her control, her power, her son.
And it was all Diane’s fault.
She threw open the door to Richard’s office without knocking.
What she saw made her pause.
Richard was seated on the edge of his desk, his expensive suit slightly unbuttoned, a satisfied smirk was on his lips.
Kneeling before him, Evelyn.
Rachel’s stomach twisted in disgust.
Evelyn’s lipstick was smudged, her dress slightly ruined.
She looked up in horror, scrambling back the moment she saw Rachel.
"What the hell is this?!" Rachel’s voice sliced through the room.
Richard turned lazily toward her, completely unbothered by being caught.
"What does it look like?"
Rachel’s nostrils flared. "You bastard!"
Evelyn scrambled to stand, straightening her dress, but before she could move, Richard grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back.
"Richard! Ah!"
She let out a sharp cry, clutching his wrist as he dragged her across the room like a ragdoll.
"Richard—stop!" Rachel snapped, but he ignored her, throwing Evelyn toward the door.
Evelyn stumbled, her eyes looked full of humiliation and rage.
"Get out," Richard ordered coldly.
Evelyn hesitated for a moment, her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, but she knew better than to argue.
She gave Rachel a glare before storming out, slamming the door behind her.
The room fell into silence.
Rachel’s hands trembled as she clenched them into fists. "You’re disgusting."
Richard chuckled, walking over to his liquor cabinet.
"And you’re a fool if you thought you were the only one I was fucking."
Rachel’s face burned with rage, but she wasn’t here for this.
She was here for answers.
"You let Diane go back to Leon!" she hissed, slamming her hands onto his desk.
"And now Gabriel Frost is acting like a lunatic, she has that damn child, and I have nothing!"
Richard poured himself a drink, not caring of what she was saying.
"And whose fault is that?"
Rachel’s lips parted. "You were supposed to handle her!"
Richard turned slowly, swirling the amber liquid in his glass.
"Oh, handle her?" He took a slow sip, smirking. "Like you did? You couldn’t even keep control of your own husband."
Rachel’s nails dug into her palms.
"Leon kicked me out. Do you understand what that means?"
Richard’s smirk faded slightly.
Rachel let out a bitter laugh.
"I lost everything, Richard! And now, Diane is right where she belongs—under Leon’s protection, and Gabriel won’t rest until he has her completely."
She stepped closer, her voice lowering into mumble.
"We should have killed her when we had the chance."
Richard’s smile disappeared. His jaw tensed as he set his glass down.
Rachel caught the shift, her voice pressed further.
"She’s a threat, Richard. She always has been. And now? She has Leon’s resources, Gabriel’s weird obsession, and that damn mute child who will never love me the way he should have."
Her voice cracked slightly at the end, but she steadied herself.
Richard watched her for a long moment before sighing. "You always were dramatic."
Rachel’s patience snapped. "Do something!" she screamed.
Richard’s eyes darkened.
And then—
SLAP!
Rachel’s head snapped to the side as a sharp sting bloomed across her cheek.
For a moment, the world seemed to pause.
Her breath caught in her throat, the taste of iron filled her mouth where her lip had split.
Slowly, she turned back to him, her eyes burnt with rage.
Richard took a slow breath, rolling his shoulders like the action had meant nothing to him.
"You forget your place, Rachel."
She stared at him, her vision blurring from both anger and humiliation.
Then, she smiled.
It was a slow, bitter smile with something weird in her eyes.
"My place?" she repeated, her voice was eerily calm.
"I was the one who made you. Without me, you’d still be nothing but a second-rate businessman, gangster wannabe, sniffing around Leon’s empire like a desperate dog."
Richard’s jaw clenched, but she continued.
"I protected you," she seethed. "I lied for you. I sold my soul for you. And this is how you repay me?"
Richard chuckled, shaking his head. "You always did talk too much."
Rachel took a slow step forward, her voice was so low, it sounded like a whisper. "You should have killed Diane when I told you to."
Richard’s eyes blinked.
Rachel’s lips formed into a smirk. "But it’s not too late."
Silence stretched between them.
Then Richard exhaled, rubbing his temples. "What do you want?"
Rachel’s smirk widened. "To finish what we started."
She stepped closer, placing a manicured finger against his chest.
"Diane is still vulnerable. Gabriel may be obsessed with her, but obsession makes men sloppy."
Richard arched a brow. "And you think we can outmaneuver Gabriel Frost?"
Rachel’s smile didn’t chabge. "Not us." She leaned in, her breath warm against his ear.
"I know someone who hates Diane just as much as we do."
Richard pulled back slightly, intrigued. "Who?"
Rachel licked her lips, eyes started shining from the daily light.
"She used to be Diane’s best friend."
Richard narrowed his gaze. "And what exactly do you have planned?"
Rachel stepped back, smoothing her dress.
"Something that will make even Gabriel Frost regret underestimating me."
She turned toward the door but paused, glancing over her shoulder.
"You should clean yourself up, Richard," she mused, her tone sounded way too mockingly sweet. "You look pathetic."
Then, without another word, she walked out.
Richard stared after her, his grip tightened around his glass until it shattered in his hand.
Blood dripped onto the floor.
But he barely felt it.
Because for the first time in a long time—
He believed her.
"Thie fucking bitch with her fucking family..."
He went to sit next to his desk, remembering what Micha did to his deal, how Leon cut off his name and closed all the banks he had.
"I should just fucking kill them and that’s it."
He looked through the window, and saw Evelyn talk to Adrian, he was wiping her tears.
"The heck?"