11
Yvette’s POV
"What?" I croaked, my eyes widening in disbelief as my fingers curled slightly at my sides.
Why would he agree?
"What do you mean he agreed?" The words fell out of my mouth before I could catch them.
I stood in the centre of the grand foyer, staring at Joel and Estelle as if they had just told me the sun had turned blue.
Just a few moments ago, he had looked at me like something he could crush without effort...
He had threatened to kill me... So why the sudden change of heart? Was this a trap?
"Are you alright?" Estelle asked, gently reaching for my hand.
"I... Yes," I replied quickly, forcing a small smile onto my lips. "It just happened so fast."
I could feel Joel’s eyes scanning my face for a reaction.
"Tell us," Joel said, stepping forward. "What exactly happened during the lunch?"
I felt a cold sweat prickle at my hairline. I hadn’t done anything except lie, tremble, and practically assault him to hide from Vanessa.
Cassian had called the Quinns a family of snakes; he had told me to tell our families the wedding was off or he’d kill me.
"You look pale, dear," Estelle said, stepping forward to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Tell us everything. What did you talk about? How did he act?"
I looked away, focusing on a speck of dust on the marble floor.
"I wouldn’t call it anything special," I began, forcing myself to remain calm.
"We talked about the marriage alliance... It was a little tense at first, but... I think we reached an understanding."
Joel’s eyes narrowed slightly. "What kind of understanding?"
"That the marriage is beneficial," I lied smoothly. "For both families."
I bit my lip, deliberately leaving out the part where he talked about the war, the ’betrayal’, and how he doesn’t trust the Quinn name.
I certainly couldn’t tell them that Vanessa and Lucas had been mere inches away.
If the Quinns knew the Swans were that close to discovering me, they might decide I was too high a risk to keep.
Estelle squeezed my hand. "Did he say anything harsh to you?"
A flash of cold blue eyes surfaced in my mind.
Tell our families you don’t want to get married to me... or I’ll end up killing you.
"No," I said softly. "Nothing I couldn’t handle."
Joel studied me for a few seconds longer before nodding once.
"Good." Joel nodded, appearing satisfied. "He’s observant. You’ll need to be even more so when dealing with him."
"I’ll keep that in mind," I said, the tension in the room easing slightly.
But inside me, it only grew.
Why did he agree?
The question wouldn’t leave me alone.
"Now that the alliance is confirmed," Joel continued, turning towards the staircase. "We don’t have much time. Starting tomorrow, your schedule is full."
Estelle nodded. "Yes, dear, we can’t afford any mistakes now."
I straightened instinctively.
"Your private tutor will be here tomorrow morning. You have ten days to master the basics of French, Spanish, Russian, and Mandarin."
I took a deep breath... hesitating.
The memory of the "good girl" Yvette, who used to hide in the Swan library, learning languages hoping to change her father’s coldness.
"I don’t need the tutor for Russian or Mandarin," I said quietly.
Joel paused, his eyebrows shooting up. "Excuse me?"
"After my parents found Vanessa... they never cared what I did as long as I was out of the way," I explained, my voice steadying.
"I spent years teaching myself. I can read and speak both... Not perfectly, but enough to hold a conversation. I just... it didn’t seem important to mention at the time because everything was happening so fast."
Joel’s expression shifted. For the first time, something like approval flashed in his eyes.
"Excellent. It makes everything much easier."
Estelle looked genuinely impressed. "That’s wonderful, Isabelle."
Wonderful.
If only she knew. I forced myself to learn just to survive in that house.
I gave her a soft smile.
Joel reached onto the side table and handed me a heavy, leather-bound photo album.
"This is your bible for the next twenty-four hours," he said.
I took it carefully. Inside were photographs, dozens of them.
Faces with names written under each image.
"There is a celebratory dinner tomorrow night. Isabelle’s cousins, our closest allies, and the inner circle of the Quinn associates will be there. You must know their faces, their scandals, and their nicknames."
Tomorrow?
Already?
"I will."
Joel’s gaze lingered on me for a moment longer. "Remember," he said. "If you fail to recognise a childhood friend, the game is over."
I swallowed, nodding instinctively.
"I understand."
But the truth was...
I was starting to realise something much worse.
There was no way out anymore.
~~~♧♧♧~~~
I retired to my room, the silence of the massive suite closing in on me.
I didn’t turn on the lights. I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the darkened silhouette of the furniture.
My room felt too big.
Too quiet.
Too unfamiliar.
The album sat beside me, untouched.
My mind wasn’t on the faces inside it.
It was elsewhere.
Back in that corridor.
Back to that moment.
Vanessa and Lucas hand in hand... Happy... laughing.
It didn’t help that I was finally realising everything was real now.
The wedding.
Cassian.
The life I was stealing.
My mind drifted back to the restaurant. The scent of Cassian’s cologne. Sandalwood and rain still seemed to cling to my skin.
He was the man from the club. The stranger who had held me while I wore a mask, the only man who had ever made me feel attractive, powerful, desired... instead of "Yvette, the charity case."
And now, he was the man who would either be my husband or my executioner.
But as the moonlight shifted across the floor, my thoughts turned to the one person who truly mattered.
Nathan.
By Joel’s timeline, I had been in this house for three weeks. Three weeks since the ravine. Three weeks since I watched the life drain out of the only person who loved me.
With trembling fingers, I reached for the tablet the Quinns had provided.
My hands shook as I typed the name into the search bar: Nathan Swan.
The screen flickered to life, and the first headline hit me like a physical blow.
"SWAN ADOPTED DAUGHTER COMMITS SUICIDE IN PRISON AFTER BRUTAL MURDER OF SWAN HEIR."
I scrolled down, my breath hitching in my chest. There were photos of the "funeral"—a sombre, expensive affair.
Vanessa was front and centre, draped in black lace, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.
Lucas stood behind her, his hand on her shoulder, looking like the grieving protector.
The article stated that Nathan Miller had been buried ten days ago in the Swan family’s private cemetery.
The police report, "confirmed" by the Swan family, claimed that Yvette Swan had killed him in a fit of jealous rage before fleeing the scene.
The report claimed I killed him... and later committed suicide in prison when the truth began to surface.
I stared at the screen until the words blurred.
They hadn’t just killed him. They had used his death to turn me into a monster.
I closed the tablet and gripped the edge of the silk duvet.
The "soft" girl who cried over broken nails was truly dead.
And Yvette Swan, the murderer, was a ghost.
I looked at the album Joel had given me.
My lips parted slightly as a quiet, broken whisper escaped.
"I’ll kill them..."
Not quickly.
Not mercifully.
But piece by piece.
Just like they did to me.
Tomorrow, I will meet Isabelle’s world. And one day, I would show Vanessa exactly what a real murderer looked like.