The air in the private dining room was toxic. Beatrice was breathing heavily, her chest heaving with rage, but Connorreached out and grabbed his mother's arm, forcing her to sit back down.
Connor's face was pale, but his eyes burned with a desperate, manic determination. He refused to believe Anissa was truly gone. He thought she was just acting tough because she was hurt He needed to prove his devotion.
He reached into the innerpocket of his suit jacket with his good hand. He pulled out a small, black velvet jewelry box and slid it slowly across the polished mahogany table toward Anissa.
“Anissa" Connor said, his voice dropping to a soft, pleading whisper. "| know words aren't enough | know! hurt you. But | want to show you that I've changed.”
He reached over and poppedthe lid of the box open.
Resting on the white satin was a thin silver chain holding cluster of small, cloudy crushed diamonds. Under the harsh overhead lights of the restaurant, it barely sparkled,
“I had this custom-made at Tiffany's,” Connor lied smoothly, his chest puffing out slightly. “It cost me fifty thousand dollars It's the last bit of money | have to my name, Anissa. | spent everything had left to shaw youmy true heart
Ashlee, sitting across the table, stared at the necklace. Her eyes widened in genuine sickeningjealousy, She clasped her hands together. “Oh my god, Anissa Fifty thousand dollars ? That is so romantic. He gave you his last dime. How can you be so cold to him?"
Lorraine nodded vigorously. “It's true love, Anissa. A man who gives you hislast dollar is a man you can trust. Not like Harding whojust buys yous off with his spare change”
They were buildinga pathetic, cheap altar of moral superiority, trying to force Anissa to kneel at it.
Anissa looked down at the tiny, dull necklace. Her face was completely devoid of emotion.
0.0% 1235 HH!
cv % +120 Points at most She reached out with herright hand. She used ner thumb and indextinger to pinchthe thin silver chain lifting the necklace out of the box She held it upin the air, examiningit for two seconds as if it were a dead insect. ‘Then, she moved her hand over the bowl of rich, creamy lobster bisque sitting in front of her.
She opened her fingers.
Plop.
‘The fifty-thousand-dollar necklace dropped directly into the thick orange soup sinkinginstantly to the bottom.
Connorleaped out of his chai. His eyes bulgedin absolute horror. ‘What the hell are you doing?! That was my last fifty grand”
Anissa picked up her heavy linen napkin She slowly, elegantly wiped a tiny drop of soup from her thumb.
‘Fifty thousand dollars?" Anissa r epeated, her voice dripping with absolute, freezing disdain Connor, that wouldn't even cover the sales tax on the jewelry my husbandbuys me."
She reached across her body with herright hand. She grabbed the cuff of her left sleeve and slowly pulled the black fabric up her forearm
The overhead lights hit her wrist.
The room exploded in a blindingflash of light. Wrapped around Anissas wrist was a thick heavy bracelet made entirely of flawless white diamonds, interwoven with massive, impossibly rare blood-red rubies. The sheer brilliance of the stones was physically painful to look at, It was the legendary "Phoenix Wing bracelet, the missing companion piece 10 the priceless Phoenix necklace Harding had already givenher. Beatrice Snow gasped loudly. She slapped both hands over her mouth. She was a former society queen: she knewexactly what shewas looking at
“That's...” Beatrice choked out, her face turning chalk white. ‘That's the Phoenix Wing It vanished at the Sotheby's auction in Geneva last year. It sold for ten million dollars “
Connorstared at the rubies His jaw went completely slack. The massive, insurmountable wall of wealth crashed down on his head, instantly crushinghis delusion Harding wasn't using Anissa. Harding was treating her like a queen Connor's fifty-thousand-dollar sacrifice was a pathetic joke. He collapsed back into his char, utterly defeated
aan 1244 N1
sa #% +120 Points at most Ashlee couldn't handle it. The jealousy mutated Into pure, hysterical madness.
She slammed her hands on the table and stood up, pointinga shaking finger at Anissa.
“Youre lying” Ashlee screamed, her face twisting into an ugly mask. “Harding Snow is a cold-blooded machine! He would never spend ten million dollars on a piece of trash like you! You must have found out one of his corporate secrets! You're blackmailing him!'
Anissas eyes narrowed into dangerous sits.
She didn't argue. She didn't yell. She didn't even reach for her water glass to retaliate. Instead, Anissa raised her hand and elegantly snapped her fingers.
The heavy oak door of the private room opened instantly, The maitre d "and two massive, suited security guards st epped inside Anissa didn't even look at Ashlee. She k ept her eyes locked on Lorraine.
"This woman is havinga hysterical breakdown and disturbingmy meal," Anissa instructed the maitre d, her voice a symphony of absolute, chilling authority. "Have your security escort her out the back service alley. And send the bill for my ruined appetite to the Roy Group's bankruptcy lawyers *
Ashlee let out a piercing high pitched shriek of shock as the two guards grabbed her by the arms and physically dragged her out of the room, her designerheels scraping pathetically against the mahogany floor. Lorraine jumped up, grabbingnapkins and frantically trying to reach for her daughter. ‘Are you insane?!" Lorraine screamed at Anissa. ‘She is your sister!”
Anissa stood up. She placed both hands flat on the table, leaning forward, her presence dominating the entire room.
“I am the Matriarch of the Snow Empire” Anissa said, her voice dropping to a terrifying absolute calm. "My husband spends his money on me because am his And if any of you ever disrespect me again, | will drown you’
She looked at Connor, who was staring blankly at the soup bowl.
“Take your cheap sincerity’ Anissa sneered, and rot in hell
67.1% 1242 ml
Š Manying My Exs Powerful Bilonaie Un. #2 +120 Points at most