Chloe Jenkins POV:
The entire family turned as one, their faces pale, their eyes like a firing squad. Their gazes, sharp and accusatory, pinned me to the spot. I froze for a split second, then quickly regained my composure, a practiced mask falling into place. My new ability was certainly making me popular. Popular in the sense that everyone now thought I was some kind of psychic demon.
I calmly walked back to the table, taking my seat as if nothing unusual had happened. Cristopher, his voice strained, asked, "Chloe, is everything... alright?"
Now they care about my personal phone calls? How utterly adorable. Just minutes after wanting to marry me off to a human trafficker.
System Update: Damon Ayers and his entire operation have been successfully apprehended. The rescued individuals are safe, and the evidence against him is overwhelming. Law enforcement credits an anonymous, highly detailed tip.
Good. One piece of Jami' s intricate web, snipped. I don't care what they heard. That was worth it.
The poor souls he had imprisoned... some of them had been missing for years, their families heartbroken. Jami, that monster, knew. She knew about his crimes and still used him. She' s not just manipulative; she' s truly evil, a sociopath who doesn't care who she hurts as long as she gets what she wants.
To use human suffering as leverage, to blackmail a pregnant woman into a forced engagement with a monster like Ayers… that' s not villainy. That' s pure, unadulterated depravity. And to think, my family adored her. They still do. They'd probably still defend her if she personally handed them the handcuffs.
"Everything's perfectly fine," I replied, my voice light. "Just wrapped up a loose end."
"What 'loose end,' Chloe?" Cannon demanded, his face flushing crimson, his voice tight with rage. "Are you talking about... everything that just happened?"
I frowned, feigning confusion. "What 'everything,' Cannon? I merely stated that everything was fine. Are you perhaps having another one of your episodes?"
Oh, he' s really losing it now. The pressure of knowing I know their dark secrets is cracking his precious CEO facade. It's almost comical how easily they unravel.
Cannon's face turned a dangerous shade of purple. He looked ready to explode, to lunge across the table and throttle me.
"Cannon!" Carlotta shrieked, pulling him back. "Stop it! This is a public place, for goodness sake!"
I lowered my gaze, pretending to be engrossed in the pattern of the tablecloth, while secretly activating my system again. Family gossip, please. Specifically regarding Joel and this Tiffany character.
Narrative Insight Reminder: Joel's tragic storyline. Joel falls deeply in love with Tiffany, who is emotionally volatile due to Jami's manipulations and her secret pregnancy. Jami uses her influence to convince Joel that Chloe is trying to sabotage his relationship. Joel, blinded by love and Jami' s gaslighting, actively turns against Chloe, sabotaging her career and leaking her journalistic sources, believing he is protecting Tiffany and their future. When Tiffany's pregnancy is revealed, Jami ensures Joel marries her quickly. However, the child is not Joel's, but another man's. Jami orchestrated the entire affair to secure Joel' s shares and gain control of his portion of the family fortune. The marriage collapses, Joel discovers the betrayal, becomes addicted to drugs supplied indirectly by Jami's underworld connections, loses everything, and eventually dies in a tragic accident, driven to despair. Tiffany, finally free from Jami's hold and filled with remorse, reveals the entire truth to the remaining Jenkins family before disappearing.
Good God. Joel. My sweet, foolish brother. He's not just a pawn; he's a sacrificial lamb. And Jami is the butcher.
To think, he'd turn on me, betray me, all for that manipulative witch and her pregnant puppet. It makes my stomach churn.
And the drugs. The accident. His ruin. All orchestrated by Jami. She's a monster who thrives on the destruction of others, especially those closest to her.
But... why should I care? This is the script. This is their destiny. I'm just watching the play unfold. A play where I'm the designated villain. If I interfere, I'm only delaying what's written. And if I try to save him, he'll just turn on me again, thanks to Jami's poisonous influence. Everyone makes their own bed, don't they?
I glimpsed Joel across the table. His eyes, usually gentle, were fixed on me with a mixture of suspicion and a dawning horror. He must have heard some of that. My unflinching internal monologue, detailing his future heartbreak and ruin.
I quickly looked away, my thoughts a jumble. No. I won't be the hero they don't appreciate. I won't sacrifice myself for people who only see me as a problem. Let them choose their own paths, suffer their own consequences.
I warned him once, indirectly. He didn't listen. He never does. He always falls for the soft, vulnerable act. My attempts to open his eyes were met with accusations, with his blind loyalty to Jami. He even helped her once, helped her steal one of my exclusive stories, believing it was 'distracting' me from the family. He stripped my resources, my hard-earned contacts, and handed them to Jami on a silver platter, all because she whined about feeling threatened by my success. He even helped her frame me for plagiarism once, nearly ending my career.
And even when he finally sees the truth, after everything is lost, after his life is in ruins, he's still so broken, so lost, that he becomes easy prey for Jami's darker connections. He ends up bankrupt, destroyed, and ultimately, alone. And then, he takes his own life. The only solace is that Tiffany, finally free from Jami's blackmail and manipulation, breaks down and tells the whole truth. But it's too late for Joel. Too late for any of them.
I am not their keeper. I am not their savior. They chose Jami over me every single time. Every single time. Let them reap what they sow.
Suddenly, Brady let out a loud, sputtering laugh, spraying a mouthful of wine all over Cannon's pristine white shirt. He tried to stifle it, his face turning red from the effort, but the sound was already out. Joel, sitting next to him, clamped a hand over his own mouth, his shoulders shaking with barely suppressed giggles.
Cannon, his face now a mask of fury, looked like he was about to combust. Carlotta and Cristopher stared at the three of them, their expressions a mixture of disappointment and utter bewilderment.
What a bunch of clowns. Their emotional states are like a roller coaster. One minute they're horrified, the next they're giggling like schoolchildren. They're too busy having their own dramatic realizations to notice the full scope of Jami's depravity.
And Brady, laughing. He's next on Jami's hit list, isn't he? He's the one she plans to get addicted to gambling and drugs, using his impulsiveness against him, ruining his athletic career, all to gain control of his trust fund. He'll end up owing money to dangerous people, losing everything, and then, driven to desperation, he too will take his own life. My brothers, two of them, gone because of her.
Brady suddenly stiffened, a choked gasp escaping his lips. The laughter died in his throat, replaced by a look of sheer terror. His eyes, wide and bloodshot, slowly turned to me.
Then there's Cannon. Jami plans to frame him for corporate espionage, using his arrogance and aggressive business tactics against him, making it look like he intentionally leaked sensitive company data to a rival firm. He' ll lose his position, his reputation will be ruined, and he' ll be jailed. While he' s in prison, she' ll ensure he contracts a deadly, untreatable illness, slowly wasting away and dying alone, forgotten.
And Cristopher and Carlotta, heartbroken and financially ruined by the loss of their sons and the company's collapse, will die of broken hearts, leaving Jami as the sole heir, having successfully eliminated all competition.
And me? The villain? She' ll kidnap me, torture me, make me watch as everything I' ve built crumbles, before finally killing me in a gruesome 'accident,' making it look like a tragic outcome of my own reckless journalistic pursuits.
Oh, I am so, so angry right now. This is not just a script; this is a declaration of war. And I am not going to be the sacrificial lamb in her twisted game.
I noticed the entire family was now staring at me, their faces a ghastly shade of white, tears streaming down Carlotta' s cheeks, Cristopher' s jaw hanging slack. Joel was openly sobbing. Brady looked like he was about to vomit. Cannon was shaking, his eyes wide with a terror that finally eclipsed his usual arrogance.
"What?" I asked, pushing my plate away. My appetite had vanished. "What happened now? Why are you all looking at me like I just killed your dog?"
Carlotta, through her sobs, forced a watery smile. "Nothing, dear. Nothing. We just... had a moment. Are you still hungry? The chef can make you something else."
Just then, the double doors swung open again. Mr. Henderson, the family' s long-serving butler, entered, a pristine silver cloche in his hands. "Dinner is served," he announced, his voice smooth and practiced.
I watched him, and a strange prickle of unease ran down my spine. His eyes met mine for a fleeting second, and in them, I saw a flicker of something dark, something akin to pure loathing.
Why does he hate me so much? What could I possibly have done to provoke such an intense reaction? System, reveal butler Henderson' s role in the Jenkins family narrative.
The system, as always, obliged. Narrative Insight: Mr. Henderson, the butler, is secretly obsessed with Carlotta Jenkins. He has been in love with her for decades, a silent, festering adoration. He believes Chloe is a threat to Carlotta' s happiness and a stain on the family legacy, a constant reminder of Carlotta's marital strife.
Oh, for crying out loud. Are you kidding me? A lovesick butler? This just keeps getting better.
