Chapter 18
I leaned back on the plush couch in my apartment, staring at the ceiling. My fingers twirled idly through my hair as memories of the past unfurled, mingling with my current schemes. Emily. She was the anchor of every thought, every plan, every bit of
Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Maya’s POV
I leaned back on the plush couch in my
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apartment, staring at the ceiling. My fingers twirled idly through my hair as memories of the past
unfurled, mingling with my current schemes. Emily. She was the anchor of every thought, every plan, every bit of envy that burned quietly within me.
It had always been Emily. Back in high school, she was the golden girl–beautiful, driven, and effortlessly adored. Beside her, I was just the shadow, the girl people noticed only when Emily wasn’t around. Even the teachers who praised me
for my hard work always added, “You and Emily
make such a great team.”
A laugh escaped me, bitter and hollow. Emily’s
glow made my achievements look like scraps. I’d
smiled at her wedding, clapping politely, but the jealousy had gnawed at my stomach as I watched
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her glide down the aisle. She didn’t just get a husband–she secured Louis Kingsley, a man who seemed to have everything: charm, intelligence, and
a future paved in gold.
When Emily reappeared in my life after college,
she seemed so… untouchable. Her laughter rang
carefree, her world unblemished by the cracks
forming in mine. Meanwhile, my boyfriend and I
were unraveling, our love nothing more than
strained politeness. My mom and I struggled
financially, her stories of my mysterious billionaire
father no longer a comfort, but a cruel joke.
Meeting Louis again changed everything.
***
“Louis, do you have a moment?” I asked, feigning nervousness as I hovered by his office
door.
He looked up from his desk, his sharp eyes
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апагр суса
softening when they landed on me. “Of course,
Maya. Come in.”
I stepped inside, clutching the folder I’d brought
as a prop. “I just wanted to thank you again for
giving me this opportunity. Emily’s been so kind,
recommending me to you. I really needed this job.”
Louis smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You
don’t have to thank me. Emily spoke highly of you,
and I trust her judgment.”
His voice, steady and confident, sent a thrill
through me. There was something magnetic about
the way he carried himself, the way he always
seemed in control.
“Well, I’m lucky to have both of you in my
corner,” I said, letting my smile linger a moment too
long.
He didn’t seem to notice–or maybe he chose
not to. Either way, the seed was planted.
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Emily had no idea how easily her trust could be
weaponized. She thought she was helping me by
suggesting Louis hire me after I lost my job. Instead,
she handed me the keys to her kingdom.
Still, it hadn’t been easy. Louis adored Emily,
even when he was frustrated with her. During the
night we spent together–my greatest triumph and
greatest humiliation–it was Emily’s name he
whispered.
I closed my eyes, recalling that night with a mix
of satisfaction and bitterness. It had taken
meticulous planning to get to that point. The texts
I’d sent to Emily from my boyfriend’s phone, the
carefully staged clues–everything was calculated to
plant seeds of doubt in her mind.
The next morning, Louis was distant, guilt
shadowing his every word.
“Maya, we shouldn’t have-”
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“Don’t,” I interrupted, my voice soft but firm.
“Don’t make this harder than it already is. I know you
love her, Louis. I just…” I let my voice break, wiping
at a tear that wasn’t there. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t
thinking clearly.”
יר
He looked at me, conflicted, and I knew I had
him hooked. Not fully, not yet, but the cracks were
forming.
