Her expression at that moment was hardly what Jasper and Rachel had hoped to


    see.


    Jasper''s brow furrowed. "Ste, what are you smiling at?"


    Ste''s voice was light, almost airy. "I''m smiling because you''re an idiot."


    Rachel let out a soft chuckle. "Ms. Cameron, I know you don''t want to seem weak in front of us, but you''ve already ended up in this sorry state. There''s no shame in admitting defeat."


    Her gazended pointedly on the ne around Ste''s neck.


    "If you''re willing to return that ne to me-oh, and hand over your Nocturne Ste violin-I think... Haynes might just be willing to forgive your little stunt of stealing hispany secrets."


    The ne Ste wore wasn''t the famed Neptune''s Tear but rather the one her mother had left her.


    Rachel didn''t care much for its actual value, but that hardly mattered. She wanted it, and that was reason enough.


    Anything she desired-whether it was the ne, the Nocturne Ste, or even Haynes himself—should naturally belong to her.


    Ste only smiled wider. "Ms. Pearce, I used to think you were clever. Turns out, you''re not so impressive after all. You should know I asked Haynes for a divorce a long time ago."


    "But you didn''t believe me. You thought I was ying hard to get, and you kept meddling."


    "To be honest, if it weren''t for your interference, Haynes and I would''ve split ages ago—and I would''ve left with nothing."


    "But thanks to you, Ms. Pearce, I got a very generous settlement."


    She paused, turning to Rachel with deliberate sincerity.


    "Really, Ms. Pearce, you''ve been such a help. Without you, how could I have possibly had the money to show up at those auctions and outbid you?"


    "That Neptune''s Tear-oh, you wanted it so badly, didn''t you? If it weren''t for your help, I never could have bought it."


    Rachel''s eyes burned red with fury. She forced a coldugh. "Enjoy it while you can. However you got that billion, you''ll cough it right back up!"


    Ste gave her a calm, almost indifferent smile. "Is that so? Well, let''s just wait and see."


    With that, Ste ended the conversation and walked away without a backward nce.


    Her words had hit their mark-every bit as sharp and ruthless as intended.


    Rachel stared after Ste, hatred twisting her features, her eyes burning with


    venom.


    Let the woman enjoy her moment, Rachel thought grimly. Once she steps out of here, we''ll see how long that smilests.


    Outside the police station, Ste and her attorney barely made it a few steps before a swarm of reporters seemed to materialize out of nowhere, surrounding her in a tight circle.


    "Ms. Cameron, after your sudden rise to inte fame and your swift cancetion, did you offend someone powerful?"


    "Ms. Cameron, why are you leaving the police station? Is your cklisting because of suspected criminal activity?"


    "Ms. Cameron, rumors say you''ve been using Mrs. O''Brien''s name to scam people. Were you summoned by the police for infringing on her rights?"


    The night Ste had been taken away, the tide online had shifted yet again.


    Thanks to Jasper''s deliberate efforts to stir the pot and a steady stream of gossip—the inte was now awash with rumors and insults about Ste, impossible to suppress.


    Jasper and Rachel exited the station just in time to see Ste trapped in the middle of the media frenzy.


    Jasper let out a snideugh. “Last time, she got lucky with that livestream. But there''s no way she''ll get off so easily again."


    He pulled out his phone and started a new livestream, eager to capture every


    moment.


    Rachel stood beside him, a chilly smile ying on her lips as she surveyed the scene. “Jasper, didn''t you say Haynes wasing too? When''s he supposed to arrive?"