Chapter 24\u00a0<\/p>\n
She pulled a compact mirror from her bag, checking her\u00a0<\/p>\n
reflection.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy eyes got bigger? I had a little work done in Crotoronia- opened up the corners. And my nose? The doctor who did it\u00a0<\/p>\n
was a genius.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She glanced at Madeleine, her voice bright. \u201cWant his number? I\u00a0<\/p>\n
can hook you up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo thanks,\u201d Madeleine said with a dry laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo she got plastic surgery,\u201d Madeleine thought. \u201cThat explains\u00a0<\/p>\n
it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary launched into a glowing review of her surgeon\u2019s skills, clearly thrilled with her remade face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie, trust me, you should do it. Your husband\u2019s been so distant lately\u2013maybe it\u2019s because of, you know, your look.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She backtracked quickly, waving her hands. \u201cNot that you\u2019re not gorgeous! It\u2019s just\u2026 guys, they chase excitement. Get a little glow\u2013up, and he won\u2019t have eyes for anyone else.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 24\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine sipped her drink, mulling it over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick was distant, but she didn\u2019t peg him as the type to\u00a0<\/p>\n
stray.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If anything, given the chaos she\u2019d caused over the years, his\u00a0<\/p>\n
coolness felt justified.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, right!\u201d Mary chirped, digging into her bag.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She pulled out a sleek gift bag, beaming. \u201cHere\u2019s that perfume\u00a0<\/p>\n
you asked me to grab. 60 thousand dollars. You\u2019ve got my\u00a0<\/p>\n
account details\u2014just wire it over.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c60 what?\u201d Madeleine choked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s eyes nearly popped out of her head when she\u00a0<\/p>\n
heard the price.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She thought, incredulous, \u201cIs this perfume or liquid gold?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, even gold wouldn\u2019t cost that much!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her curiosity piqued, Madeleine\u2019s gaze sharpened. She reached for the gift bag, eager to see what kind of perfume could justify such an outrageous price tag.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She wasn\u2019t entirely clueless about luxury goods. She knew\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 24\u00a0<\/p>\n
some brands released collector\u2019s edition fragrances where the\u00a0<\/p>\n
price wasn\u2019t in the fragrance itself but in the jewel\u2013encrusted\u00a0<\/p>\n
bottles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWas I really about to buy something this flashy to impress\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick?\u201d she wondered, her mind racing with doubt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Peeling open the bag, she found a bottle of Aumora perfume\u00a0<\/p>\n
staring back at her. Just a regular bottle, nothing extraordinary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She pulled it out for a closer look.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was the classic Aumora packaging. She\u2019d been familiar with\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Spritzing a bit on her wrist, Madeleine inhaled deeply. The scent was bold, a rich sandalwood that filled the air with warmth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWould Roderick even like this?\u201d she mused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, a flicker of recognition hit her. She felt this smell was oddly familiar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 24\u00a0<\/p>\n
Try as she might, she couldn\u2019t place it. Shrugging, she capped\u00a0<\/p>\n
the bottle and tucked it away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c60 thousand dollars?\u201d Madeleine asked, her voice dripping with\u00a0<\/p>\n
skepticism. \u201cYou sure about that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, absolutely!\u201d Mary chirped, her eyes glinting with a little too\u00a0<\/p>\n
much enthusiasm. \u201c60 grand, Maddie. And that\u2019s with the friend\u00a0<\/p>\n
discount I got you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine narrowed her eyes, studying Mary\u2019s greedy\u00a0<\/p>\n
expression. A knot of unease tightened in her chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She couldn\u2019t understand how she even ended up friends with\u00a0<\/p>\n
someone like her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright,\u201d Madeleine said coolly, pulling out her phone as if to\u00a0<\/p>\n
make the transfer. Mary\u2019s gaze locked onto the screen, her lips\u00a0<\/p>\n
curling into a smug grin that practically screamed jackpot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShow me the receipt first,\u201d Madeleine added, her tone casual but firm. \u201cThen I\u2019ll send the money.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary\u2019s smile froze, her lips twitching awkwardly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReceipt?\u201d she stammered, her confidence crumbling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 24\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, a receipt,\u201d Madeleine said, tilting her head. \u201cHow else am\u00a0<\/p>\n
I supposed to pay you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut\u2026 you never asked for receipts before!\u201d Mary protested, her\u00a0<\/p>\n
voice rising an octave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine paused, her fingers hovering over her phone. She\u00a0<\/p>\n
looked up, her expression unreadable. \u201cIn that case, why don\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
you pull up all the receipts from our past transactions? I\u2019d love\u00a0<\/p>\n
to go over the numbers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary\u2019s face paled, her hand shooting out to grab Madeleine\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
wrist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie, what\u2019s gotten into you?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re best friends! Don\u2019t you trust me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s lips curved into a small, knowing smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, sweetie, it\u2019s because we\u2019re such good friends that I\u2019m\u00a0<\/p>\n
doing this. Friends don\u2019t let money come between them, right?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clear accounts make for lasting friendships, don\u2019t you think,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leticia?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She gently pried Mary\u2019s hand off her wrist and extended her\u00a0<\/p>\n
open palm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 24\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, hand over the receipt.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary\u2019s face stiffened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a long, awkward silence, Mary mumbled, \u201cI\u2026 I think I lost\u00a0<\/p>\n
it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLost it?\u201d Madeleine raised an eyebrow, her voice laced with amusement. \u201cDon\u2019t stores send e\u2013receipts these days? You just bought it, so it should be easy to pull up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With a light chuckle, she slid the perfume bottle across the\u00a0<\/p>\n
table.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo receipt, no deal. For all I know, this could be a knockoff.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s real, I swear!\u201d Mary blurted, her voice cracking. \u201cI\u2019d never\u00a0<\/p>\n
get you a fake, Maddie!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash 24 Chapter 24\u00a0 She pulled a compact mirror from her bag, checking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-heart-surgeons-last-patient-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29276"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29276\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}