Chapter 2

While I was lost in the memories of my previous life, a sharp slap suddenly came from outside, followed by Charlotte's arrogant and vicious voice.

"You bitch," she spat, full of malice. "How dare you give me attitude? Wait until I'm in charge of the household. I'll sell you off to the dirtiest brothel in town."

Hearing the commotion outside, a cold smirk tugged at my lips. Oh, really? Let's see if you two could still get what you wanted this time around.

"Penny, let her in," I said, sitting back down and looking at the door with a calm, almost leisurely air.

Charlotte ignored Penny and barged right in.

Charlotte probably thought her scheme was already a done deal, so she didn't even bother to put on a show anymore.

"Where's Edward?" Charlotte asked, her eyes scanning the room for Edward the moment she walked in.

I didn't say a word. I picked up the now-cooled honey water and walked straight up to her.

"What are you doing?" Charlotte blurted out, startled by the look in my eyes.

When she saw what I was holding, panic flashed across her face. She clearly knew the honey water had been tampered with.

I grabbed her by the collar and, as she was about to scream, forced the honey water down her throat.

Charlotte choked and coughed, most of the honey water spilling onto her clothes, but enough made it into her mouth. With how ruthless they were, even a single sip would be enough to do the trick.

"Isabelle, you're crazy. Edward won't spare you for this," she screamed, jabbing her finger right in my face, her voice shaking with fury.

Staring at this two-faced liar, without hesitation, I landed two sharp slaps across her cheeks.

"Charlotte, people shouldn't go after what isn't theirs. If you do, it'll be disastrous for you," I said, my voice icy and merciless.

Now that I got a second chance, there was no way I was letting these two get away with it.

Charlotte was already terrified after drinking the honey water. After those two slaps, she stood there, frozen in place. By the time she tried to call for help, her mind was already going fuzzy.

Watching her crumple to the floor, I called Penny in.

Edward's manservant tried to enter, but I blocked his way.

"Edward had something urgent and slipped out the back door. He said to stick to the plan. So, what exactly is this plan?" I asked, feigning curiosity.

The manservant met my probing gaze and forced a couple of nervous chuckles. He didn't even pause to consider how odd that sounded and only said it was Edward's order and that he didn't know anything else. Then he hurried off.

Penny walked in and was clearly stunned when she saw Charlotte sprawled on the floor. "Madam, w-we—" she stammered.

"Didn't she slap you? Go ahead, slap her back," I said, my tone icy.

Penny was a clever girl. Even though she didn't really understand what was happening, she crouched down in front of Charlotte and gave her two hard slaps across the face.

Still not satisfied, she stood up and kicked Charlotte twice for good measure.

"Alright, we're short on time. Penny, help me get her up," I said, my tone crisp and urgent.

Penny and I hauled Charlotte over to Edward's room together.

When I noticed the sleep-inducing scented candle sitting on the table, my gaze turned icy.

They really thought of everything, huh? Even prepared this. Talked about being thorough.

I set the scented candle burning, and then Penny and I slipped out of the room.

Not even fifteen minutes after we left, the other two men sneaked up to the door, glancing around.

"Get the job done, and you'll get enough money and a ticket out of here. Screw it up, and you're a dead man. Understand?" Tommy, Edward's right-hand man, hissed.

The other guy sounded downright sleazy, rubbing his hands and kept assuring him, "Relax, even if there's no money, as long as tonight goes as planned, I'm happy enough."

"Alright, get in there. Don't dawdle. Time's ticking," Tommy snapped, his eyes full of disdain.

He shoved the man inside, then stayed by the door, listening closely. When he finally heard sounds coming from within, he slipped away, looking satisfied.

Just as Penny and I were about to slip away, Shane suddenly showed up out of nowhere, hauling someone by the collar.

"This guy was lurking around. He seemed to be searching for Edward," he reported.

I squinted, sizing up the guy. It was Victor Young, one of Edward's sleazy friends.

Victor had always preferred men, and I'd once overheard he had feelings for Edward.

Back then, the thought made my skin crawl. Having a friend like him was utterly disgusting.

Now that she thought about it, if the two of them could become friends, they were probably cut from the same dirty cloth.

"Victor, haven't you been obsessed with Edward for ages? Well, tonight I'll grant your wish," I said, my tone icy and mocking.

"Toss him in that room too, and make sure he gets a dose of aphrodisiac," I ordered.

Shane shot me a surprised look, but followed orders without a word.

Penny was dumbfounded, standing there for a moment. She remembered what she'd witnessed, and now, seeing Victor tossed into that room as well, even an idiot could figure out what was about to go down.

"Madam, you finally went for it," Penny breathed, genuine relief in her voice; there wasn't a trace of pity.

She'd always found Edward and Charlotte unbearable. For the past month, she'd been so frustrated she could barely stand it. Now she could get her revenge.

"Come on, let's get ready to watch the show," I said.

*****

Today was Wendy's birthday party, and the place was crowded with guests.

While everyone was chatting and laughing, Tommy suddenly let out a startled cry.

He scrambled over to Wendy, practically tripping over himself in his haste.

"Bad news. Mrs. Harrington, she..." He trailed off, glancing nervously at the crowd as everyone turned to stare at him, as if he'd realized he'd said something he shouldn't have.

That perfectly timed pause only made everyone's curiosity burn even hotter.

Wendy took one look at Tommy and knew right away something was wrong.

She recalled how Edward had told her days ago that he wanted to make Charlotte his lawful wife.

'He must be making his move today,' Wendy guessed to herself.

She felt a flicker of annoyance, but thinking of her son's wishes, that irritation quickly faded.

She deliberately put on a stern face and snapped at Tommy, "What nonsense are you talking about? What happened to Isabelle?"

Tommy avoided her gaze, and once he had everyone's attention, he finally spoke up, "Madam Harrington, I saw Mrs. Harrington go into a side room on the west side with a man."

After saying that, he lowered his head, hiding his expression, looking like he was scared out of his wits.