"No, no, that's fine."
Layla waved her hands quickly. "She said she wants some time alone. Don't bother her."
I nodded, though inside I was laughing.
Whenever Carissa wasn't "feeling well," she was usually off seeing Otis.
In my past life, I'd been gullible enough to believe it. I even had someone send a bowl of bird's nest porridge to her room.
Looking back, she probably dumped that porridge straight down the toilet.
After the banquet, the driver took me back to the Henson Estate in Crescent Bay.
As the car passed through the Harbor Bay tunnel, my phone buzzed.
A message from Colin.
"Miss Henson, I've got a lead on the first thing you asked me to look into."
"Otis Vance and Carissa Henson have been in contact since three years ago. You and he had only just met."
I stared at the message. My fingers tightened around the phone.
Three years ago.
Back when I was still in London finishing my master's.
Otis had reached out to me through my father's connections, saying he wanted to discuss a joint project.
I thought he genuinely valued my talent.
Turns out the whole thing was a setup from the very beginning.
I was the prey. He was the hunter.
And Carissa was the one who helped him lay the trap.
The car pulled up to the estate gates. I stepped out and noticed the living room lights were still on.
Carissa was sitting on the sofa, cradling a mug of warm milk, the TV tuned to a late-night financial broadcast.
The moment she saw me walk in, a sweet smile spread across her face.
"You're back! How was the banquet?"
"Fine."
I kicked off my heels and sat down across from her.
"Marina, there's something I want to tell you."
She set her mug down, her expression turning serious.
"Go ahead."
"I… I think I've fallen for someone."
Something flickered inside me, but my face gave nothing away.
"Who?"
Carissa bit her lip, as if she were wrestling with some monumental decision.
"It's… it's Otis."
When she said his name, her eyes were bright and glassy, tinged with a girl's shyness and longing.
She'd confessed the same way in my past life.
Back then, I thought she was being brave and honest. I was stupid enough to comfort her, telling her there was nothing wrong with having feelings for someone.
And then she showed up at my wedding in a white gown, standing at Otis's side.
"Carissa." I looked at her, my voice terrifyingly calm. "You do know he's my fiancé, right?"
"I know."
Her eyes rimmed red, her voice cracking with the first tremor of tears.
"That's exactly why I feel so terrible."
"But feelings aren't something you can control. I've been suffering too…"
She broke down mid-sentence, shoulders hitching, tears spilling like rain on pear blossoms. The picture of delicate, pitiful beauty.
In my past life, those tears had softened me completely. I even wiped them away for her.
Now I felt nothing. I simply sat there and watched her perform.
"Carissa, are you sure it's him you like, or is it his money?"
Her sobbing hitched.
"How can you say that?"
She lifted her head, eyes raw and red. "You really think I'm that kind of person?"
Of course you are.
I answered her silently, a cold laugh trapped behind my teeth.
"Just asking."
I stood up. "It's late. Get some sleep. We have the wedding dress fitting tomorrow."
"Marina…" Carissa stopped me. "You won't tell Mom and Dad, will you?"
I glanced back at her.
Tears still clung to her cheeks, but her eyes were perfectly, unnervingly clear.
"Don't worry. I won't."
I turned and headed upstairs, the faintest trace of an ice-cold smile curving my lips.
