Chapter 1
"Break Georgette's legs. Make sure she spends the rest of her life in a wheelchair," Zach ordered.
He sat in his leather chair, idly twirling an unlit cigarette between his fingers, his tone as casual as if he were asking for coffee.
Lawrence stood frozen in the doorway, too terrified to respond.
Zach looked up at him.
"You don't get it?" he said, his tone cold.
Lawrence swallowed hard and whispered, "Mr. Waters, Ms. Perry has withdrawn from the competition."
Zach's hand paused mid-motion.
"Withdrawn?" he echoed.
Lawrence said, staring at the floor, "She took a flight to Rands early this morning. She left a message.
"She said... she left a big gift for you and Ms. Knight. Congratulations on your wedding."
Zach flicked the cigarette into the ashtray.
"A big gift?" he sneered.
He let out a cold laugh and leaned back in his chair.
"What kind of present could a disgraced family reject like her possibly come up with?"
Lawrence didn't answer.
Zach waved him off. "Go on, the wedding's just three days away. Don't let someone like her kill the vibe."
As Lawrence left, he ran into Lulu Knight in the hallway.
Lulu was wearing a custom-made gown, her makeup was on point, and on her wrist was the Cartier bracelet that used to be Georgette's.
"Lawrence, is Zach in there?" Lulu asked.
"Yes, Ms. Knight," Lawrence replied.
Lulu pushed the door open and slipped her arm through Zach's.
"I heard she ran off?" Lulu asked.
Zach ruffled her hair. "Good riddance. At least she won't be an eyesore anymore."
Lulu smirked.
"See? I told you, someone like her can't do anything except play piano. Now she doesn't even have that, so what else is she good for? She might as well get lost," Lulu scoffed.
She paused, then added, "Oh, and did you find out what that 'big gift' she left was?"
"Don't bother," Zach said.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"She's just putting on a show," he added.