“The Frasers are finished…”
She murmured quietly to herself, barely pausing in her work.
Jonathan had shaken the very foundations of the Fraser family long ago, so all she had to do was fan the flames a little and the whole thing would go up in smoke.
Niamh frowned slightly, twirling her pen between her fingers.
“The real problem is Marina…”
A shadow crossed Niamh’s face.
She remembered what Carlisle had said to her.
Just seeing the Frasers go bankrupt wasn’t nearly enough…
As Niamh wracked her brain for a solution, her phone suddenly buzzed insistently.
When she saw the caller ID, a knowing smile flickered across her tired face.
***
Meanwhile, Marina could barely focus on work.
To be fair, there wasn’t much real work coming in these days.
Her studio hadn’t quite hit rock bottom like Neovista Realty, but it was only staying afloat thanks to cash infusions from The Thomas Group.
It was all borrowed time–constant transfusions, with no way to generate anything
on her own.
Marina was growing more agitated by the minute.
Once upon a time, Susy had been her most valuable ally.
But in the blink of an eye, the Fraser family had collapsed before her own eyes.
Marina had thought that Susy’s trip to Varythia would be the thing that finally turned the tide for the Frasers.
Instead, it hadn’t just failed to resurrect them–now Marina herself had become a target for online abuse.
“How utterly stupid.”
Marina glanced at the trending comments, suddenly reminded of how she’d once
10:20
manipulated public opinion to push Niamh Into the spotlight.
How much of Susy’s current predicament was Niamh’s handiwork? There was no way to know for sure.
But Marina was convinced that Niamh had played a role.
If Niamh was coming after Susy now, then Marina knew she wouldn’t be far behind. She bit her thumb in frustration.
“I need to make my move first.”
***
Nighttime, Aldenville Central–South Heights.
The place glittered with lights and buzzed with noise; even at this late hour, people were still pouring in, cars lining the streets.
Elmer White scanned their tickets and led Niamh into Lontaris World.
The theme park had only been open for a little over two years, so everything still felt shiny and new.
Back when it first opened, Niamh had been dying to visit.
She’d tried dropping subtle hints to Jonathan more than once, but he never seemed to pick up on them.
Back then, Niamh had naïvely believed Jonathan loved her.
Maybe she thought that, after marriage, love would fade a little, or just transform into something softer–like companionship.
At the very least, she’d been sure he cared for her.
Otherwise, why would he have pursued her in the first place? Why marry her at all?
But after the wedding, Niamh had been expected to play the perfect, self–sacrificing wife and mother for the Thomases. Wanting to go to a new amusement park just wasn’t something she could ask Jonathan for.
She’d hoped, time and again, that he’d take the initiative and bring her.
Time and again, she’d been disappointed.
Eventually, Lontaris World faded into the background of her life.
Chapter 440
She never expected Elmer to bring her here tonight.
“In winter they hold a Snow Carnival here,” Elmer said, holding up a glossy flyer. “It’s totally different from the usual rides.”
Winter or not, the place was packed–so many people that Niamh could barely believe her eyes. Everywhere she looked, the crowd was a sea of faces.
“Let’s go queue up for the Ice Tunnel Race! It’s supposed to be the most exciting thing here!”
Elmer glanced back at her, but the tide of people suddenly swept between them, separating the two.
When the crowd finally shifted, Niamh caught sight of Elmer’s smile again.
They shared a quick, knowing grin.
“Nia…”
Elmer reached out his hand.
“It’s so crowded in here–I don’t want to lose you. Would you mind if I held your hand?”
10:20
