Chapter 6: The Trap is Set
Kimberly’s hands clenched around the USB, her knuckles turning white. The image of Declan disconnecting her mother’s ventilator played on a loop in her mind, each replay sending fresh waves of icy rage through her veins.
Lucian watched her carefully, his gaze unreadable. “He didn’t just betray you,” he murmured. “He took everything from you.”
Kimberly exhaled slowly, her voice lethally calm. “Then I’ll take everything from him.”
She turned to Lucian, eyes blazing. “What’s your play?”
A slow, dangerous smirk curved his lips. “Declan’s desperate. And desperate men make mistakes.” He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen. “His creditors are circling. His investors are jumping ship. All he has left is one final card to play—and we’re going to make sure it’s the one that buries him.”
Kimberly arched a brow. “Valerie.”
Lucian nodded. “She’ll do anything to save him. Including selling out his last remaining asset—the Walsh family’s private holdings.”
“And you want me to intercept the deal.”
“Better.” His smirk widened. “I want you to be the buyer.”
Two Days Later – The Blackstone Club
Valerie sat in a dimly lit VIP booth, nervously tapping her nails against her champagne flute. The man across from her—a supposed Swiss investor—had just offered an obscene amount of money for the Walsh estate.
“You understand, of course, this must remain confidential,” she whispered, leaning in. “If Declan finds out—”
“He won’t.” The investor’s voice was smooth, his face obscured by the shadows. “The transfer will be untraceable.”
Valerie exhaled in relief. “Then we have a deal.”
The investor slid a contract across the table. “Sign here.”
Just as her pen touched paper, the booth’s lights flicked on—revealing Kimberly lounging in the seat beside him, a mocking smile on her lips.
“Hello, Valerie.”
Valerie shot up, her face draining of color. “You—!”
Kimberly tapped the contract. “Did you really think I wouldn’t track Declan’s last desperate move?” She tilted her head. “Selling his family’s estate to cover his debts? How… pathetic.”
Valerie lunged for the papers, but the investor—now revealed as one of Lucian’s men—snatched them away.
Kimberly stood, her voice dropping to a lethal whisper. “Tell Declan he just lost everything.”
That Night – Walsh Mansion
Declan stared at the empty safe where the family deeds had been stored, his hands shaking with rage.
Valerie burst into the room, tears streaking her makeup. “She played us! The buyer was her!”
Declan backhanded her across the face. “You idiot!”
Valerie stumbled, her eyes widening in shock—then hardening into something far more dangerous.
“You want to hit me?” she hissed. “Fine. But remember—I’m the only one who knows where the bodies are buried.”
A chill ran down Declan’s spine.