Chapter 339

The guards froze, hands hovering over their holsters. They took a collective step back. Everyone in Meridia knew that name. Heir to the Noir family fortune and leader of the Umbrella Organization, crossing her was a death sentence.

“Useless! All of you!” Eleanor spat, a trickle of blood leaking from the corner of her mouth. She trembled with fury, her glare fixed on Hazel.

“It was you. You turned him against me,” she ground her teeth.

Why did Hazel always show up to ruin everything just when she was about to succeed? She deserves to die!

If Hazel had the Lynch data, Eleanor was finished anyway. Fine, she thought, if I’m going down, I’m taking her with me.

“Hazel!”

A voice cut through her rage, and Thorn Noir appeared at the end of the hall.

He was still in his pajamas, a dusty footprint visible on his sleeve and a fresh scrape on his cheek from his earlier brush with death.

He couldn’t believe Hazel was actually here, in Meridia.

Lana moved to block his path, but Thorn swatted her arm away and strode right up to Hazel, pulling her into a desperate hug. “I knew it,” he breathed. “I knew you wouldn’t leave me.”

Sienna’s expression soured. She shoved him off, her voice laced with irritation. “Get off me, Thorn.”

Only then did Thorn seem to notice Eleanor sprawled on the floor. The realization that she’d been threatening Hazel ignited his temper. He pointed a shaking finger at her. “You bitch, Eleanor! You were going to hurt her? After all the other crap you’ve pulled?”

Eleanor saw the adoration in his eyes–all of it for Hazel–and let out a bitter laugh. “Thorn, we were childhood sweethearts. If she hadn’t come between us, we would have been married by now.”

Thorn shot a nervous glance at Hazel before rounding on Eleanor. “That’s absolute bullshit, and you know it. When did I ever say I wanted to be with you? I told you no ten years ago, flat out.”

“But I love you, Thorn,” Eleanor pleaded, her voice cracking. “I would do anything for you. What does she have that I don’t? I can help you. You want to take back control of the Noir family, don’t you? You need me for that, right?”

Eleanor was becoming unhinged. The moment she’d heard Thorn was returning to Meridia to reclaim his birthright, she had been ecstatic. He would need her, need the Lynch family’s power.

She’d been waiting with giddy anticipation, clinging to the promise his uncle had made: help them take back the Noir empire, and Thorn would be hers.

“I don’t need anyone’s help,” Thorn said, his voice like ice.

When he turned back around, Hazel and her entourage were gone.

Sienna had told Lana to keep an eye on Felix before disappearing into the operating room herself.

Relia looked on, confused. “Why is she going in there?”

Lana wore a blank mask. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to. We made a deal, and we’ll honor it.”

An incredible thought bloomed in Felix’s mind. Could she be Dr. Soliar?

A few days later…

Julian Ford stood at the penthouse window, gazing out over the Noir family estate. So that’s where she spent…

“We’ve located Ms. Hart,” Clark Vanier said from the doorway.

Julian’s expression softened.

“…city of Meridia.” Across

Julian could just make out the cars of her livery.

12:56 PM

It was a good choice of words. Clark had lost a year’s worth of his salary for teasing Julian at the Hart residence, but with that one sentence, he’d just earned it all back.

“The invitation to the gala has arrived, Sir. Shall we…?” Clark prompted.

Julian gave a single, decisive nod.