Chapter 16
Alaric’s hand froze inches from the door.
In disbelief, he peered through the glass panel to see what was happening inside.
Jenna sat in the center of her friends, her face heavily made up. Gone was any trace of the innocent, vulnerable girl he thought he knew.
Instead, her expression radiated smug superiority.
“Of course I landed him. Haven’t you heard? His frigid fiancée Stella Forbes has run off to some space research
facility. She won’t be back for at least a decade, maybe two!”
The group of women broke into applause.
“Jenna, you’re a legend! Breaking up an engagement as solid as the Forbes–Gilbert alliance? Genius.”
“Teach us your ways! How did you get Stella to walk away on her own?”
Jenna’s smile grew even more self–satisfied.
“I had a whole strategy. For starters, the only reason Alaric agreed to the wedding in the first place was because I drugged him. In his confused state, he slept with Stella.”
Outside the door, Alaric’s pupils contracted violently.
That night with Stella–she had always maintained they were both drunk. But Alaric knew better; drunkenness
didn’t explain what happened.
He had assumed Stella had drugged him to force him into marriage.
But he’d only been half right-
He had been drugged.
But it wasn’t by Stella. It was by Jenna.
But why would Jenna do that?
Not only was Alaric confused, but Jenna’s friends were equally baffled.
“I don’t get it, Jenna. Weren’t you basically forcing your uncle to marry Stella? Why would you do that?”
Jenna smiled slyly.
“That’s where you’re all missing the point. The business ties between the Gilbert and Forbes families are too strong–that marriage was inevitable. Whether Alaric fought it or not, he’d eventually have to marry her.”
09:35
Addio To The Stand In Past, This Time I Chose To Reclaim My Own Life
92.7%
Chapter 16
“So I seized the opportunity to make him believe Stella had manipulated him. I wanted him to truly despise her!”
Outside, Alaric could barely believe his ears.
Was this calculating woman really the sweet, innocent Jenna he thought he knew?
Inside, Jenna’s friends continued to praise her ruthlessness as her expression grew increasingly triumphant.
“That was just the beginning. Then at the auction, I deliberately showed interest in her mother’s artwork. Alaric bought it at an outrageous price, and I ‘accidentally‘ broke it.”
“Next came Stella’s birthday party. I drugged myself to make Alaric sleep with me. Once that happened, I knew he’d never be able to let me go.”
“But that wasn’t enough. I made him believe Stella had drugged me, so he’d hate her even more!”
“I didn’t expect Stella to up her game by injuring herself to gain Alaric’s trust. That accusation didn’t work, but no matter–I had an even bigger plan!”
“I set fire to the Forbes mansion, and in that critical moment, Alaric saved me instead of Stella! That’s when Stella finally gave up on him completely! Brilliant, right?”
Outside the door, the last trace of color had drained from Alaric’s face.
He never imagined that everything that had happened recently had been orchestrated by Jenna.
Inside, she continued to boast.
“I did all of this to make Stella lose faith in Alaric and walk away on her own! And it actually worked!”
“That idiot Stella ran away with her tail between her legs! The position of Mrs. Gilbert is all mine now!”
Jenna was enjoying her moment of triumph, her nose practically in the air, when suddenly-
BANG!
The door flew open with tremendous force. Seeing Alaric standing there, his face like stone, Jenna’s smug smile froze as the blood drained from her face.
“U–Uncle Al?”
