Somewhere in King’s City...
"Are you out of your mind?" Melissa fumed as soon as she stepped into a private lounge in the bar. "How dare you come to my house, huh?!"
Her chest rose and fell as she glared at the man seated languidly on the soft seats. His feet were propped up on the table, where empty bottles and plates of food were scattered.
"Haha. Melissa, Melissa, why are you so angry?" Hudson cocked his head and smirked at her. "Why don’t you sit down first, huh? It’s been a while since we last saw each other. Maybe have a drink and calm yourself down. This is not the time to be nagging me!"
Melissa clenched her teeth as her hands balled into tight fists. Her eyes burned bright, locked on this good-for-nothing deadbeat.
"What else do you want?" she huffed. "Hudson, if it’s money, we already talked about this. I’ve given you more than enough just to leave me alone and shut your mouth."
Hudson clicked his tongue and bobbed his head playfully. "I know, I know. But you still gotta help me!"
"Help you?" she snorted. "How else do you think I’d help you? Have you forgotten that this life you’re living is something you’d never even experience if it weren’t for me?"
The playful smile on Hudson’s face faded, replaced by malice and ridicule. A look no one else would ever dare give her because this bitch was too good at pretending to be an angel.
"Haha!" Hudson laughed as he pulled his feet from the table. He leaned back, pouring himself a glass of whiskey. "Goodness."
"Melissa, what are you talking about?" he mocked. "It’s not me who should thank you. Rather, it’s you who should thank me."
He set the bottle down, cradling his drink casually. "If not for me messing with your sister and making sure she was ruined, you would never have become the beloved daughter of the Young Family. I took her out of the picture, just as you wished. And all I got in return was a small portion of what you gained from taking her life away."
Melissa’s breath hitched, her eyes widening in fury as she stared at the man.
"What did you just say?"
"Come on," he snorted. "Don’t act like you don’t know. You wanted Lola Young ruined so you could hog everything she had, including her rich fiancé. And you got it. She’s ruined. Now, not only are you thriving as the only functioning daughter of the Young Family, but you’re about to marry into the Lancaster family."
Hudson swirled his whiskey, leaning forward languidly. "And who should you thank for that? Me." His smile hardened into a sneer. "So, stop throwing tantrums. This good-for-nothing you’re talking to is someone you owe your life to, you little whore."
Melissa’s whole body shook. She wanted to strike him, to claw that smug grin off his face, but she held herself back. She knew the moment she laid a hand on him, Hudson wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her in return.
Hudson was her biggest mistake because he was insatiable. Even when he’d been paid off, he always resurfaced in her life. And each time, all he wanted was more money.
I want to kill him, she thought bitterly. I wish he would just drop dead right now.
Grinding her teeth, Melissa reached into her bag and tossed a handful of cash on the table.
"That’s all I have right now. Take it or leave it," she snapped. "Hudson, I’m warning you. Show up at my house again, or anywhere near the people I know, and I’ll kill you myself."
Hudson laughed as he snatched up the bills, smelling the cash before fanning himself with it.
"Then you’d better make sure not to ignore my calls next time," he shrugged.
"Hah!" she scoffed, groaning as she turned on her heel. There was no point wasting her breath on that loser.
As she stormed out, Hudson’s laughter echoed after her.
"This isn’t enough, okay?!" he shouted. "Send me the rest of my pocket money, Miss Young! Thank you!"
He sneered, bringing the cash to his face. "May the heavens bless you, Melissa Young. Because if you get rich, I’ll be just as rich."
Another wave of laughter spilled out of him as he leaned back with his drink and money. Surely, accepting that gig years ago had been one of the best decisions of his life, because until now, he was still living comfortably because of it.
Hudson poured himself another drink and chuckled. It was barely past noon, yet he was partying, drunk, and wasting away the hours. By the time he staggered out, he needed help getting into a taxi.
"Ahh... hah... hah..." he slurred, slumped in the backseat. "That damn woman... she should be glad I’m being kind to her."
He nodded to himself, reminding his spinning brain not to take Melissa’s tantrums to heart. Once she married into the Lancaster family, the money would flow even more.
"Fine, fine," he muttered, slapping the bag of cash beside him. "Let her be. This is more important than her tantrums."
Screech!
Hudson lurched forward, grabbing the door handle as the car stopped abruptly. He groaned, prying his eyes open.
"Hey, driver, can you be careful?" he grumbled. "I’m getting dizzy with your driving."
"Sorry." To his surprise, the voice that answered was a woman’s. "I didn’t notice the traffic light."
Hudson’s brows furrowed. He blinked through his doubling vision at the driver. Her mouth curled into a vile smirk while dread slithered down his spine.
"You..." he rasped, squinting. "You’re that woman... yesterday."
Lola’s smile remained, though her eyes sharpened at the corners.
"Nice to see you again, Hudson."
*****
Hours later...
Thunder and lightning tore through the sky as heavy rain blanketed Novera. But it wasn’t enough to stop the group gathered in one of its cemeteries from digging up a grave.
Standing under an umbrella near the freshly exhumed site was Atlas.