?Chapter 1282:


    “So, how do you n topensate me?”


    Besty didn’t answer right away. Instead, she toyed with the gemstone ring on her finger, her smile faint and wistful.


    Terrence had showered her with jewelry, but never once with a ring. Every time she hinted at wanting one, he would go cold and walk away.


    Terrence wouldn’t even get her the cheapest ring.


    That only made her crave it more. Rings clearly meant something to him—something sacred.


    So she bought her own and told the world he had given them to her.


    Now, with Terrence abroad and out of reach, her obsession had taken a darker turn. If she could get rid of Christina and reshape herself into her image, she could take Christina’s ce in his life.


    No rival would stand in her way. No woman would share her man.


    A flicker of madness danced in Besty’s eyes, quickly smothered by a soft, harmless smile.


    “Just name your price. Money’s the least of my worries,” she said sweetly.


    One way or another, Christina had walked right into Betsy’s trap.


    Betsy didn’t care how high thepensation went. Once Christina was out of the picture, she nned to step into her identity—and back into Terrence’s life. That money? Just the price of buying Christina’s identity.


    “I don’t need much,” Christina said calmly. “Just enough to fix the car.”


    “How about five million dors?” Betsy asked without blinking.


    The offer was too sudden, too generous—and that was exactly the point. She wanted to dazzle Christina, to keep her distracted whilecing hertte.


    Betsy watched closely. When she caught the faint sparkle in Christina’s eyes, her confidence swelled.


    She scoffed inwardly. So this was the woman who supposedly outsmarted Terrence? Just another gold-digger chasing easy money.


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    A small amount like this, and she was already hooked.


    Christina tilted her head, pretending to look intrigued. “My car’s a regr sedan. Even a new one wouldn’t cost that much. Are you sure you want to give me five million?”


    If Betsy wanted to y games, Christina figured she might as well y along.


    Work had been dulltely—this little drama could be entertaining.


    “Yes,” Betsy said sweetly. “Like I said, I’m not short on cash. I’ve got a good feeling about you. Who knows, maybe we can hit it off in the future.”


    In Betsy’s mind, Christina was already as good as gone. Soon, she’d vanish without a trace.


    And Betsy? She would be the new Christina—the one who returned to Terrence’s side, smiled his way, and took back everything she believed was hers.


    Christina would be her. She would be Christina.


    Wasn’t that what “hitting it off” really meant?


    The thought made Betsy’s lips curve, her smile soft with anticipation.


    She’d spent months studying Christina—every tilt of her head, every inflection in her voice, the way she smiled when she was pretending not to care. She’d practiced it all until the mirror couldn’t tell the difference.


    Terrence wouldn’t either.


    This time, she told herself, things would be different. She would stay by his side for good. No more pretending. No more running.


    As the thought bloomed, her eyes gleamed with something unsteady. The sweetness in her smile twisted, warping into something quietly unhinged.


    At that moment, the waiter arrived with twottes, cing one in front of each of them.


    “Please enjoy,” he said politely, shooting Betsy a brief, knowing nce before walking off.


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