But her flustered demeanor told a different story.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She fumbled with her phone, her hands trembling as she tried\u00a0<\/p>\n
to cover her tracks. After a moment, she thrust the screen\u00a0<\/p>\n
toward Madeleine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSee? 60 thousand dollars, just like I said.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary yanked the phone back almost immediately, but not\u00a0<\/p>\n
before Madeleine caught a glimpse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It did look like an Aumora transaction for 60 grand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me see that again,\u201d Madeleine said, her tone deceptively\u00a0<\/p>\n
sweet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Mary\u2019s voice was tight, her grip on the phone\u00a0<\/p>\n
tightening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe phone. I didn\u2019t get a good look.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary\u2019s jaw clenched, but she reluctantly held out the phone again. Before she could pull it back, Madeleine snatched it from her grip and started scrolling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAumora\u2019s new envelope clutch, crocodile leather handbag, iris red diamond necklace, Moments in Time perfume\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine read aloud, her voice dripping with amusement that quickly turned to exasperation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She let out a sharp laugh. \u201cMary, you went on a shopping spree for yourself and thought I\u2019d foot the bill?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary, who\u2019d been so confident just moments ago, now looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019d always relied on Madeleine\u2019s blind trust, throwing out inflated prices and watching the money roll in. Madeleine had always paid without question, joking that \u201cthat man\u2019s money is meant to be spent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But today? Today, Madeleine was different. She hadn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
expected Madeleine to be so hard to trick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s gotten into her?\u201d Mary wondered, her mind racing. \u201cDid that guy cut off her allowance or something?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scrambling to pivot, Mary latched onto a familiar tactic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie, what\u2019s wrong? Did you and Roderick have a fight? Is that why you\u2019re in a mood? Did he tighten the purse strings?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s smile was all sugar and spice. \u201cOh, no. He just\u00a0<\/p>\n
wired me 8 million dollars, actually.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary\u2019s eyes flashed with envy, her thoughts spiraling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c8 million? Why does Madeleine get to live like this, with men\u00a0<\/p>\n
throwing millions her way, while I\u2019m stuck scraping by?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat selfish little bitch. She\u2019s swimming in cash but won\u2019t even\u00a0<\/p>\n
spare 60 thousand dollars for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe richer they are, the stingier they get!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine tossed the phone onto the table with a casual flick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe perfume is 5,000 dollars. I\u2019ve sent you the payment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary glanced at her phone, her heart sinking. Sure enough,\u00a0<\/p>\n
5,000 dollars\u2013nothing more, nothing less.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She bit back her frustration, forcing a smile to keep up\u00a0<\/p>\n
appearances.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was her golden goose, after all. A bit temperamental,\u00a0<\/p>\n
sure, but so easy to manipulate when she was head\u2013over\u2013heels for that man.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary knew all too well how love could cloud a woman\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
judgment. If Madeleine was suddenly sharp\u2013witted, it was\u00a0<\/p>\n
probably because she hadn\u2019t seen Edward in a while.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGet them back together, and she\u2019ll be putty in my hands again,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary schemed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks, Maddie,\u201d Mary said, her smile strained and unnatural.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI messed up and got confused with my own purchases on the bill. Silly me. I knew that perfume wasn\u2019t that expensive.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, the waiter arrived with their food, and Mary seized the chance to change the subject. \u201cOh, I was starving earlier, so I ordered ahead. Hope that\u2019s okay!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie, see if there\u2019s anything else you\u2019d like. I ordered all our favorites.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine glanced at the table, now laden with an array of\u00a0<\/p>\n
extravagant dishes\u2013mostly molecular gastronomy, all style and no substance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She raised an eyebrow. \u201cSince when do I like this stuff?\u201d she thought, feeling oddly disconnected from her own tastes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The comfort foods she kept at home seemed far more appealing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is fine,\u201d Madeleine said, waving off the offer to order\u00a0<\/p>\n
more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even without more, the table was already full, the plates crowding every inch of space.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary had even ordered a bottle of red and a bottle of champagne.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She asked the waiter to pour the wine, then shoved her phone into Madeleine\u2019s hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine blinked, caught off guard. \u201cHuh?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, snap a few shots!\u201d Mary said, tossing her hair dramatically.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I spent forever on this look today. I need to show it off.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine nodded, humoring her with a couple of quick photos.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no, that\u2019s not right!\u201d Mary huffed. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to get the food in the shot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the wine!\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, and the background\u2014people need to know where I\u2019m dining. Otherwise, what\u2019s the point?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
Watching Mary strike pose after calculated pose, Madeleine\u2019s mind flashed to a news story she\u2019d read online recently. It was\u00a0<\/p>\n
about a woman who\u2019d posed as a glamorous socialite,\u00a0<\/p>\n
scamming her way through high society.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The resemblance was uncanny.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s patience was wearing thin. She snapped a few half-\u00a0<\/p>\n
hearted photos of Mary before tossing the phone back onto the\u00a0<\/p>\n
table with a clatter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough. I\u2019m tired. No more pictures.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary, mid\u2013pose, froze, her brows knitting together in frustration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 20\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 26\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 25 But her flustered demeanor told a different story.\u00a0 She fumbled with […]<\/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-29277","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\/29277","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=29277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29277\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}