CHAPTER 418
Harmony walked into the powder room, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floors as she quickly scanned the room.
A few women were freshening up, applying lipstick, fixing their hair—too absorbed in their own reflections to pay her any mind. She inhaled deeply, forcing herself to breathe slowly.
No time for breakdowns.
No time for mistakes.
She was still in the game, and she couldn't let her emotions betray her now.
She moved to the sink, splashing cool water on her face to calm the burning anger that still simmered beneath the surface.
As the women continued to chat and touch up, Harmony’s hands shook slightly, but she composed herself, carefully dabbing her face dry with a towel and smoothing her hair back into place.
Just keep it together, she told herself, keeping her eyes on her reflection. She needed to look perfect, to maintain that mask of innocence.
The last thing she could afford was for anyone to see the cracks.
Not Xander.
Not Zach.
Not John.
The fools who still thought she was soft, harmless—sweet.
They were still caught in the fantasy.
Still drunk on the image she spoon-fed them—little Bunny, gentle Bunny, fragile little thing with wide eyes and a trembling smile.
The girl they protected.
The girl they adored.
She almost gagged on the name.
Bunny?
She wasn’t a bunny.
She was a fucking beast.
A wolf painted in sugar.
A monster dressed in lace.
She was the thing in the dark.
The creature under the bed.
The whisper behind the locked door.
They saw wide, glassy eyes and trembling hands and thought she needed protecting.
Fools.
Her fingers twitched at her sides, nails digging into her palms. The word made her itch.
She wasn’t some twitchy little pet, some helpless thing meant to be coddled and kissed and caged.
No.
She was the thing with teeth.
The monster you didn’t see coming because you were too busy admiring the dress she wore while she sharpened the blade.
They had no idea.
She wasn’t a bunny.
She never had been.
The predator who knew just how to smile while imagining all the ways you’d scream.
They didn’t see it.
And they never would.
One of the women laughed loudly at something the other said, and the sound grated against her already frayed nerves. Harmony's jaw tightened.
The women eventually finished their conversation and started heading toward the door. Harmony stood still, waiting for the last of them to leave, trying to steady her breathing.
Once the door clicked shut behind the last woman, she wasted no time. In one swift motion, she locked the door.
The muffled sound of music and laughter from the party outside faded into nothing as she turned toward the mirror.
Her reflection stared back at her, but now, it felt like a stranger’s face. It was still the same mask she had worn for years—perfect, innocent, composed—but under it was a storm of anger and desperation.
She clenched her fists and took another deep breath. The women outside had no idea the monster lurking just beneath her carefully constructed facade.
The fact that she had failed—the drink, the plan, the near miss—tore at her.
But she wasn’t about to let it all fall apart now. Nobody knew what she was capable of.
But Arianna—Arianna had to go.
No more delays.
No more waiting.
She had already lost too much ground, and she wasn’t about to let this slip through her fingers.
A smirk slowly spread across her face as she tightened her grip on the phone, the wheels already turning.
No one is going to stop me.
Not now.
Not ever.
She locked eyes with herself in the mirror one last time.
I won’t fail again.
With a slow exhale, she opened the bathroom door, stepping back out into the chaos of the party, her mask in place.
The game was far from over.
.......
The music pounded through the speakers, each beat rattling the floor beneath Arianna’s heels like a war drum—but to her, it all faded into the background.
Time itself seemed to slow, the lights, the laughter, the clinking of glasses blurring into static.
Her focus was razor-sharp.
Tonight, Harmony’s mask was coming off—Arianna would see to it, even if she had to rip it off herself.
Her pulse was still racing, her thoughts a whirlwind.
That drink... It had been too close.
Rochelle nudged her gently, a silent but sharp motion that caught Arianna's attention.
"Hmm?" Arianna responded, her gaze flickering over to him.
“You okay?” Rochelle’s voice was low, edged with something unreadable.
Arianna let out a slow sigh. “Yeah.”
She tilted his head slightly, studying her.
“So, what’d you think of my performance?”
Rochelle asked a glint of mischief in his eyes.
“Performance?” Arianna arched a brow, playing along.
She chuckled.
“You know... the way I just happened to bump into you...”
Arianna's lips twitched into a smirk. “Subtle.”
“But your reaction,” Rochelle added, leaning in slightly,
“That was the real showstopper. Looked so damn natural—like we’d rehearsed it a dozen times.”
Her eyes glinted with dark amusement.
“You played your part to perfection.”
Arianna’s lips curled into a smile, the buzz of the close call still lingering in her veins. The rush of adrenaline hadn’t quite faded, but she was back in control.
“If you hadn’t messaged me beforehand, I probably would’ve drunk it.”
Her voice was light, but there was an undercurrent of tension. Her fingers absently traced the curve of her stomach, as if reassuring herself that everything was still alright.
She let out a soft laugh, but the bitterness in her tone was unmistakable.
“Can you believe it?” Arianna's voice was a low growl, a fire of anger flickering in her eyes.
“She actually tried to kill me.”
Her hand instinctively pressed harder against her stomach, the surge of protectiveness almost painful.
“If you hadn’t warned me… if I’d drunk that drink—my baby could be dead right now.”
Rochelle’s expression darkened, her eyes narrowing as he studied her, the weight of the moment pressing in.
"It's a good thing I decided to keep an eye on that bitch, otherwise, I wouldn’t have caught her slipping those drops into your drink."
She paused, her gaze shifting to her stomach for a moment, before meeting her eyes again, his voice low and fierce.
"The second I saw her do it, I knew exactly what she was up to. No doubt in my mind, that it was meant for you. I didn't waste a second—I messaged you and told you not to drink it. I wasn’t about to let her get away with that."
Harmony had intended to harm her, and she had come damn close to succeeding. The realization sent a chill down her spine, but it wasn’t fear that gripped her.
It was fury.
She turned her full attention to Rochelle, her gaze sharp and unwavering like a blade poised to strike.
“So,” Arianna muttered, the bitterness in her voice barely contained,
“she really thought she could take me out with a drink?”
Her lip curled, the corner of her mouth twitching with a cold, venomous smile.
“Poison. How poetic. Cowardly, but poetic.”
She laughed softly—no warmth in it. Just steel.
“She really doesn’t know me at all.”
Rochelle watched her, silent, tense. But Arianna wasn’t looking for reassurance. She wasn’t unravelling. She was sharpening.
“She thought I’d die?” Arianna spat, fury crackling in her voice. “She thought I’d just disappear like some pathetic footnote in her story?”
Her eyes burned — wild, furious, unyielding.
“No. She should’ve made damn sure I stayed down. Buried me. Burned the remains. Because now…”
She took a breath, jaw clenched, the fire in her chest turning white-hot.
“Now I’m coming for her — and I’m not stopping until I rip apart every lie, every illusion....”
She stood straighter, fire burning in every line of her body. Her voice dropped to a dark whisper, every word laced with purpose.
“Now it’s my turn.”
“She declared war the moment she decided my husband, was hers” Arianna hissed,
“But trying to kill my child? That wasn’t just war. That was a death sentence.”
She took a step forward, eyes hard as stone.
“She wants to play games? I’ll show her what it means to lose everything.”
Her hand curled into a fist at her side, trembling not with fear—but with fury.
“She’s danced in shadows for long enough. Manipulating, lying, smiling like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.” Arianna’s voice cracked with disgust.
“But I’m going to rip the mask off her face in front of everyone. And when I do—when the truth spills out in front of the world—she’ll wish she’d killed me when she had the chance.”
Her stare didn’t waver.
“I’m going to make her pay....”
“She wanted a war?” Arianna’s voice dropped to a deadly calm, the silence afterwards heavy and still.
“She handed me the match—and now I’m going to burn her entire world to ash.”
She looked at Rochelle, a voice suddenly chilling in its clarity.
“She’s played her game long enough.”
Her smile returned, this time slow, razor-sharp.
“Now I’m calling the shots.”
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
