Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash 24
Chapter 24
She pulled a compact mirror from her bag, checking her
reflection.
“My eyes got bigger? I had a little work done in Crotoronia- opened up the corners. And my nose? The doctor who did it
was a genius.”
She glanced at Madeleine, her voice bright. “Want his number? I
can hook you up.”
“No thanks,” Madeleine said with a dry laugh.
“So she got plastic surgery,” Madeleine thought. “That explains
it.”
Mary launched into a glowing review of her surgeon’s skills, clearly thrilled with her remade face.
“Maddie, trust me, you should do it. Your husband’s been so distant lately–maybe it’s because of, you know, your look.”
She backtracked quickly, waving her hands. “Not that you’re not gorgeous! It’s just… guys, they chase excitement. Get a little glow–up, and he won’t have eyes for anyone else.”
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Madeleine sipped her drink, mulling it over.
Roderick was distant, but she didn’t peg him as the type to
stray.
If anything, given the chaos she’d caused over the years, his
coolness felt justified.
“Oh, right!” Mary chirped, digging into her bag.
She pulled out a sleek gift bag, beaming. “Here’s that perfume
you asked me to grab. 60 thousand dollars. You’ve got my
account details—just wire it over.”
“60 what?” Madeleine choked.
Madeleine’s eyes nearly popped out of her head when she
heard the price.
She thought, incredulous, “Is this perfume or liquid gold?
“No, even gold wouldn’t cost that much!”
Her curiosity piqued, Madeleine’s gaze sharpened. She reached for the gift bag, eager to see what kind of perfume could justify such an outrageous price tag.
She wasn’t entirely clueless about luxury goods. She knew
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some brands released collector’s edition fragrances where the
price wasn’t in the fragrance itself but in the jewel–encrusted
bottles.
“Was I really about to buy something this flashy to impress
Roderick?” she wondered, her mind racing with doubt.
Peeling open the bag, she found a bottle of Aumora perfume
staring back at her. Just a regular bottle, nothing extraordinary.
“Huh?”
She pulled it out for a closer look.
It was the classic Aumora packaging. She’d been familiar with
the brand since her teens. Sure, Aumora was pricey, but their classic line usually retailed for a few thousand dollars, not the fortune Mary was quoting.
Spritzing a bit on her wrist, Madeleine inhaled deeply. The scent was bold, a rich sandalwood that filled the air with warmth.
“Would Roderick even like this?” she mused.
Then, a flicker of recognition hit her. She felt this smell was oddly familiar.
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Try as she might, she couldn’t place it. Shrugging, she capped
the bottle and tucked it away.
“60 thousand dollars?” Madeleine asked, her voice dripping with
skepticism. “You sure about that?”
“Oh, absolutely!” Mary chirped, her eyes glinting with a little too
much enthusiasm. “60 grand, Maddie. And that’s with the friend
discount I got you.”
Madeleine narrowed her eyes, studying Mary’s greedy
expression. A knot of unease tightened in her chest.
She couldn’t understand how she even ended up friends with
someone like her.
“Alright,” Madeleine said coolly, pulling out her phone as if to
make the transfer. Mary’s gaze locked onto the screen, her lips
curling into a smug grin that practically screamed jackpot.
“Show me the receipt first,” Madeleine added, her tone casual but firm. “Then I’ll send the money.”
Mary’s smile froze, her lips twitching awkwardly.
“Receipt?” she stammered, her confidence crumbling.
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“Yeah, a receipt,” Madeleine said, tilting her head. “How else am
I supposed to pay you?”
“But… you never asked for receipts before!” Mary protested, her
voice rising an octave.
Madeleine paused, her fingers hovering over her phone. She
looked up, her expression unreadable. “In that case, why don’t
you pull up all the receipts from our past transactions? I’d love
to go over the numbers.”
Mary’s face paled, her hand shooting out to grab Madeleine’s
wrist.
“Maddie, what’s gotten into you?
“We’re best friends! Don’t you trust me?”
Madeleine’s lips curved into a small, knowing smile.
“Oh, sweetie, it’s because we’re such good friends that I’m
doing this. Friends don’t let money come between them, right?
Clear accounts make for lasting friendships, don’t you think,
Leticia?”
She gently pried Mary’s hand off her wrist and extended her
open palm.
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“So, hand over the receipt.”
Mary’s face stiffened.
After a long, awkward silence, Mary mumbled, “I… I think I lost
it.”
“Lost it?” Madeleine raised an eyebrow, her voice laced with amusement. “Don’t stores send e–receipts these days? You just bought it, so it should be easy to pull up.”
With a light chuckle, she slid the perfume bottle across the
table.
“No receipt, no deal. For all I know, this could be a knockoff.”
“It’s real, I swear!” Mary blurted, her voice cracking. “I’d never
get you a fake, Maddie!”
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Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.