Chapter 120

"Listen up," she spat into the phone,

"We're at war. Alessandro thinks he can just take over and leave us in the dust. He's got another thing coming." She bit down on her lip, a twisted smile forming. "Prepare yourselves. This isn't over."

On the other end, her men answered in quick agreement-loyal to the core despite grim situations at hand. She could feel their restlessness, the itch to attack. They were a pack of wolves awaiting her command.

"And remember," she went on to say, her tone ringing out a little stronger with each word, "it isn't just Alessandro. Jacqueline too. She has become an inconvenient little distraction, and we must prune her out. Understand?"

There was a murmur of assent, and she hung up, feeling a spurt of grim satisfaction. For several minutes she lay there in silence, letting her mind scheme and twist over various plans. Alessandro had won the first round, but Greta was ready to get down and dirty to win the war. And then it hit her-a memory swimming up through the fogs, carrying with it the scent of smoke and danger from a long-forgotten rivalry.

The drug lord-the old nemesis of Alessandro's father.

She had this man on a leash for years, courtesy of Vincenzo, but now that he was out of the way, this drug lord would be like a loose cannon: a man of power and resources that Greta could definitely use to her advantage. Victory was almost in her mouth, if only she could get him on her side. A sly grin oozed across her face, further contorting her bruises, as she began to plot out exactly how to render her proposal impossible for him to refuse.

Her musings were truncated by the soft creak of the door, and she looked up sharply-only to see Brenda slip into the room, her face haggard yet calculating, her presence stirring an immediate surge of disdain in Greta.

What the hell do you want?" Greta snapped, narrowing her eyes, all but daring Brenda to take one step closer.

Brenda froze, setting her mouth in a thin line as she raised her hand, her voice calm, yet laced with an edge. "I'm not here to fight, Greta. Quite the opposite.

Greta sneered, head twisting in disgust. "What on earth could you offer to make me keep you from tossing you onto the sidewalk right this minute?

Revenge," Brenda replied icily, her voice soft. She crossed her arms, never her gaze wavering from Greta. "Alessandro and Jacqueline have made our lives miserable. But I think it's safe to say we do have an enemy in common now, and I'm here to propose that we work together to get what we both want.

Greta whirled to her, flashing eyes skeptic, yet mingling with a flicker of curiosity. "Why should I trust you? You have always pursued what tickled your fancy."

She smirked, took a step closer, and then stopped at the edge of Greta's hospital bed. "Because I'm angry, Greta. Angry enough to see that if I want to take them down, I can't do it alone. Neither can you. You want Alessandro off his throne? You want Jacqueline out of the way? Then we need each other.

There was a moment of tense silence as Greta searched Brenda's face for any flicker of a lie. Brenda held hers steady, her jaw unyielding, the determination palpable.

"Okay," Greta said finally, folding her arms. "But don't think for one second I'll drop my guard with you."

Brenda nodded once, shortly. "Fair enough. We don't have to fully trust each other. We just have to want the same thing.

Greta leaned back, her eyes shining with curiosity. "Alright. What's the plan?"

Brenda's face darkened, an almost calculating shine in the eyes. "Jacqueline has her sights set on winning the Next Top Super Model competition in Russia. That's her ticket to fame, fortune, and a future with Alessandro. But if we can sabotage that… we destroy her future, her confidence, and ultimately her.

A twisted smile oozed across Greta's face as the thought sunk in. "Go on.".

Simple," Brenda went on, her voice smooth as silk. "We play on her dreams against her. I have some connections with the organisers, and I can almost guarantee that some unfortunate accidents will happen to her while she is there. It all shall appear as an accident-somebody ruins her wardrobe, her makeup goes awfully wrong, or some other scandal bursts into the tabloids.

Greta laughed, a shrill, vindictive sound. "I love it. We'll take her apart bit by bit, right under Alessandro's nose."

"Right," Brenda said, cold, satisfied. "Meanwhile, you should get in touch with that drug lord, rival of Vincenzo's. If he's willing to play along, we have more power on our side.

Greta nodded, her head reeling from the image of it all. "I'll make the call. And I'll make sure he knows exactly what's in it for him. With him on our side, Alessandro won't have a leg to stand on."

Brenda smiled dryly, as if that were enough. "Good. You get onto that, and I get onto the modelling angle. Jacqueline won't know what hit her."

They exchanged a weighted look, both bound in the most twisted manner by a common hatred for Alessandro and Jacqueline. For once, their competitive ambitions had fallen in place, urged by one single, compelling desire for revenge.

Brenda straightened, her eyes casting one last calculating look at Greta. "I'll be in touch. And remember-whatever happens, don't act too quickly. Let's savour this. They deserve every moment of it."

"Agreed," Greta replied, a dark satisfaction in her tone. "Let's make them suffer."

With a nod of satisfaction, Brenda slid out of the room, took off fast as if on some mission getting her part of it running. Greta watched her go, her eyes gleaming for a moment with satisfaction. All the anger that was rising inside her, the hatred-the humiliation she was being put through-had now spurred her on into ways she could never have imagined or thought of. Her wounds seemed to have healed with the promise of retribution alone.

She reached for her phone again, dialled a number, and then waited as it rang. A gruff voice answered, and she smiled, instantly adopting a devious charm.

"Ah, hello there. I have a proposition for you," Greta purred, her voice smooth as silk. "I think you'll find it quite… advantageous."

The dark lord of narcotics on the other end of the line chuckled, darkly amused. "I'm listening.