No matter what she was planning, I had to be prepared. I packed a voice recorder and some pepper spray in my bag. “Whatever happens, I have to face her,” Victoria told herself.

By around eleven, I arrived at the tea house.

It was an upscale spot, with plenty of guests having business discussions in the lobby. A waiter came over politely to ask if I needed anything.

I ordered a cup of coffee and sat down to wait.

Was Isabelle going to demand I leave Braylin forever, or ban me from ever seeing anyone from the Jennings family again? I had no clue what she’d pull today.

If that’s all she wanted, it wouldn’t even bother me. Honestly, that’s exactly what I’ve been thinking anyway.

Just after noon, Isabelle walked in.

She came alone, flashed me a smug smile, and slapped a pile of photos down in front of me. “Punctual, huh? Maybe I’ll let you off the hook.”

I picked up the photos and flipped through them—they were all explicit, totally NSFW. My heart skipped a beat, almost stopped cold.

I stared her down. “Just tell me what you want. Name your terms.”

“That’s it. You can go now,” Isabelle said, getting to her feet. “Victoria, are you really never going to see Uncle Ryan again?”

“I won’t!” I shot back.

“Oh, really?” Isabelle turned, giving me a sly look. “What if he shows up to see you?”

I froze, unable to answer.

Isabelle leaned in, both hands pressed firmly on the table. “You know, I actually have a way to make sure you and Uncle Ryan never cross paths again.”

I was stunned, just staring at her.

But then she broke into a relaxed smile. “Eh, forget it. I’m not that cruel. You can go now–just make sure you hold onto those photos.”

I couldn’t read her at all, and deep down, something just felt off.

I grabbed the photos and practically bolted out of the tea house.

I drove straight home, but the moment I walked in, my head was spinning.

I thought to myself, maybe it was just because I barely slept last night and I was feeling totally out of it.

I pressed my hand to my forehead, feeling woozy, and flopped onto the couch. After a while, I started burning up, like something weird was rushing through my body.

I started to panic. I remembered the coffee I had at the tea house. ‘Did they put something in my drink?’ I wondered.

My throat felt parched, so I dashed into the bathroom, hoping the cold water would snap me out of it.

But right then, I heard someone knocking at the door.

I froze, heart racing, and hurried over–scared out of my mind that some random guy might be outside.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that Isabelle was behind this, trying to trap me.

But when I saw who showed up on the video feed, I instantly snapped back to reality.

‘Edward? What the hell is he doing here?’ I thought, stunned.

Just then, Edward looked right into the camera and said, “Ryan couldn’t make it, so he asked me to bring over the stuff you left at his place.”

My mind was a mess. ‘Did Isabelle really tell Ryan to come see me right now?’ I thought, completely thrown off.

‘She spiked my coffee, and then sent Ryan over? Is she trying to set me up?’ I realized, a chill running down my spine.

‘This woman is downright vicious. Is she actually planning to use the Chamberlain Family to get rid of me?’ I wondered, horrified.

Isabelle’s mind was truly terrifying—I never imagined she’d scheme like this.

‘If Ryan had come today, and I’d opened that door… If neither of us could resist, The Chamberlain Family would have ruined me for good,’ Victoria thought, a chill running down her spine.

“Victoria…” I heard Edward calling my name from outside.

I spun around and practically bolted for my bedroom, stumbling as I went.

I couldn’t open that door–no matter what. Even if it killed me, I’d rather die in here than let anyone in.

I turned the cold water on full blast, letting it drench me from head to toe. The bone-chilling cold helped me regain a bit of clarity.

It was so cold I could barely stand it. The wet clothes stuck to my skin, making the chill seep right into my bones.

Right then, it felt like I might die here in this bathroom–my insides were burning, but the freezing water left my skin completely numb.

Desperate, I slumped against the wall, my legs too weak to hold me up, sliding down to the floor as water flooded my mouth and nose. I almost drowned right there.

Half-delirious, I thought I heard someone fiddling with the lock at my front door, but I told myself it had to be my imagination.

That is, until Edward was suddenly standing right in the doorway of my bathroom, his tall figure casting a shadow over the room.

He was clutching a key in his hand.