CHAPTER 420
"Walk with me"
Harmony set her drink down, unable to hide the glee in her expression.
Didn’t even have to lift a damn finger, she thought.
The lamb came skipping into the slaughterhouse herself.
She followed Arianna through the sea of guests, heels clicking sharply against the marble as they slipped away from the laughter and clinking glasses.
They passed the bar, then the sliding glass doors that led to the garden, and finally stepped back into the house. The party noise dulled behind them as they moved toward the staircase.
Arianna didn’t look back.
Harmony’s gaze swept over the guests one last time, eyes gleaming with something far too bright—feverish, unblinking.
They laughed, they danced, lost in their own glittering little world.
Oblivious.
To what was coming.
Harmony’s eyes found Xander across the room, standing with Zach, John, and some bald man locked in conversation. So casual. So unaware. Her smile curved slowly, dreamlike.
Soon, she thought.
Soon, Xander will be a widower. And I… I’ll be the one holding his hand at Arianna’s funeral. Then—
Her breath hitched, euphoric.
Then he’ll hold mine.
Forever.
Her head tilted to the side as if listening to some secret melody no one else could hear. A slow, jagged grin cracked across her face, stretched too wide, too wrong.
“No one’s looking,” she sang under her breath, her voice soft, childlike—off.
“They never look. They never see.”
Her fingers twitched at her side, itching with barely contained excitement. It was almost too much—this delicious tension, this perfect moment teetering on the edge.
Perfect.
Just perfect.
She turned to follow Arianna, her movements fluid yet erratic—graceful in the way falling glass is graceful. A marionette pulled by invisible strings.
'An accident' she cooed sweetly in her mind, giddiness bubbling up like a secret joke.
'That’s all it’ll be.
That’s all they’ll say.'
She giggled then—high, breathless, sharp as broken glass.
No one will ever suspect a thing.
They ascended the stairs, the faint echo of music fading as they climbed. Upstairs, the hallway was dimly lit and quiet, lined with doors to guest rooms reserved for close friends and family. The air was cooler here, still.
Arianna stopped in front of one of the rooms and opened the door without a word.
Harmony stepped in first, a small smirk tugging at her lips. The room was elegant, softly lit, and far too perfect for what was about to happen.
The door clicked shut behind them.
Arianna turned the lock, the soft snick slicing through the silence like a blade.
Harmony pivoted slowly, deliberately—like a predator savouring the first drip of blood.
Her arms folded across her chest with lazy arrogance, a smirk unfurling on her lips like smoke curling off a flame.
“Well,” she drawled, voice syrupy and sharp, a sweet smile plastered on her face, clasping her hands together.
“You wanted to talk?” she asked, voice dripping with faux innocence.
Arianna tilted her head, her own expression equally sweet—but her eyes?
Ice.
“Yeah,” Arianna said, letting her gaze roam slowly over Harmony like she was sizing up prey.
“Just the two of us. Felt overdue, don’t you think?”
“Hmmm...talk? Is this where you beg me to stay away from Xander?”
She took a slow, deliberate step forward, eyes gleaming—wild, electric, too bright to be sane.
“Because if it is…” she breathed, voice syrupy with mock sympathy,
“you’re wasting your breath.”
Her smile stretched wider, something feral flickering beneath it.
“I’m never letting him go,” she whispered, almost reverent now like it was a sacred vow.
“You don’t just give up on something that belongs to you. Not when you've waited this long. Not when you've earned it.”
She let out a soft laugh—low, shaky, and just a little too high at the end.
“He was mine the moment I decided he would be. You? You’re just...temporary noise.”
............
Rochelle climbed onto the stage, the microphone in her hand glinting under the lights.
She adjusted it slightly, the metal of the mic screeching just enough to make the guests glance up in unison.
“May I have your attention, please?”
Her voice rang out, commanding yet sweet. The room fell silent, all eyes turning toward her as she smiled graciously, her eyes scanning the crowd with a quiet thrill.
“Thank you all for being here tonight,”
Rochelle began, her voice warm and inviting, yet carrying a playful edge.
“I trust everyone’s enjoying themselves? The music’s been great, the drinks are flowing... and of course, the company—well, who can complain about that?”
She gave a small, knowing smile, her eyes glinting as she scanned the crowd. A few guests laughed politely, the atmosphere light and cheerful.
“Now, I know some of you came here tonight just to relax and let loose,” she continued with a chuckle,
“but I’m afraid I’ve got a little surprise in store. You know me—always a bit of a show-off, can't resist a good moment to make an impression.”
She paused for effect, glancing over at John, who was still standing by the stage, looking mildly annoyed.
“So, John,” she said with a teasing tone,
“Darling,” Rochelle said sweetly—though the word tasted like ash on her tongue.
“I’ve prepared a little something just for you.”
The room hushed, a ripple of curiosity passing through the crowd.
All eyes shifted toward John, whose expression barely flickered, but his eyes sharpened—locked on hers.
Rochelle doing something for me?
He didn’t trust the smile curling on her lips. It was too smooth, too polished. And that dangerous glint in her eye? That wasn’t affection. That was something else.
She looked radiant. Composed. Deadly.
Still smiling, she tilted her head at him like this was all part of some quaint little celebration.
“I do hope you like it,” she purred before turning to face the guests, her voice suddenly bright and theatrical—practised.
“I’ve put together a little something for my dear husband,” she announced, her tone laced with something too sugary to be sincere.
“A collection of memories, you could say. A tribute to the man he’s become.”
Her eyes briefly found his again—smouldering.
“A trip down memory lane,” she added, her smile sharpening like a blade.
“From sweet, innocent boyhood… to who he is today.”
The guests clapped politely, unaware of the storm brewing beneath the surface.
As she spoke, a sly smile tugged at the corners of her lips, her eyes not quite meeting John’s.
“Don’t worry, love,” she said, her voice light and playful as she turned to him.
“It’s nothing too embarrassing. At least... I hope not.”
The guests stirred, whispers flowing as John’s face hardened, his jaw tightening.
He looked up, eyes narrowing with suspicion. What was she up to now?
His gaze met hers, cold and unreadable.
He sighed, frustration simmering beneath his calm exterior, but his feet moved anyway, drawn to the stage with a sense of inevitability. He stepped closer, the silence hanging between them as he stood beside her.
“What are you doing, Rochelle?” His voice was low, a quiet growl laced with a warning that was hard to ignore.
“Me?” she repeated, a pout playing at her lips, though the amusement in her eyes was anything but innocent.
“Is that really how you thank me for the special gift I’m about to share with you? So mean.”
John’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of something darker passing between them—an unspoken question.
His pulse quickened, an uneasy tightness in his chest growing with every passing second. Something wasn’t right, and he could feel it, crawling up his spine, settling deep in his gut.
But before he could voice his suspicions, Rochelle was already turning away from him, her hand flicking toward the screen behind them.
With a subtle gesture, she set it into motion—images flashing to life, the past creeping onto the large display.
Pictures began to flash across the screen, grainy childhood photos of John—his first steps, a family picnic, awkward teenage smiles.
“Rochelle?” His voice was tight now, sharp with growing unease as his eyes cut back to her.
She glanced at him, that unsettling smile still playing on her lips. She shrugged, unfazed, her fingers lightly tapping the mic.
“Relax,” she purred, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. “Just go and sit down and enjoy the show.”
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