<b>Chapter </b><b>99 </b>


    “What are you staring at?”


    Theo walked out of the lounge with his grandma on his arm and spotted Kelly by the door, clutching an envelope, so pale she looked ready to faint. Even her breath was shaky.


    Kelly flinched at his voice, stuffing the photo back into the envelope in a panic. “It’s nothing.”


    “Theo, take Grandma on ahead. I’ll just grab some water and catch up,” she said, not meeting his


    eyes.


    Theo didn’t think much of it and led his grandmother into the ballroom.


    Left alone, Kelly dropped onto the sofa, pulling the photo out again, her eyes fixed on the four bold characters scrawled across it. If not for this photo, she might have forgotten everything that happened three years ago.


    /* <![CDATA[ */


    fpm_start( "true" );


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    Patricia was alive, after all.


    So, all those years Howard’s people searched and never found her–where the hell had Patricia been hiding?


    That bitch.


    She set a fire and let it burn them for three years. Now she was back, and Kelly wasn’t about to let her walk away unscathed.


    Inside the ballroom, conversation buzzed from every corner.


    Theo was right at the center, just like before he’d gotten married–charming, confident, the golden boy everyone gravitated toward. People clustered around him, hanging on his every word, while the young women watched him like he was the only thing in the room.


    A wealthy widower was still a catch–twice as much, even,pared to any up–anding guy.


    “Where’s Ruby tonight? Aren’t she and Theo childhood friends? Didn’t think she’d miss this,” someone whispered, scanning the crowd.


    Someone else smirked. “Are you sure she’s not here by choice? Or did the Newton family finally cut


    ties with the Martins?”


    “The Newtons lost so much on Patricia. Of course they’re wary of Ruby. If they married into the Martins again, the Newtons would be aughingstock for life.” <fn92fb> N?w ?ovel chapt?rs are published on find[?]ovel</fn92fb>


    “Getting burned twice by the same family–not worried about their reputation, I guess?”


    “At least Patricia had something going for her. She was gorgeous, talented, and everyone knew it. She lost her legs saving someone–that’s tragic, sure, but people respect her. If Ruby tried to swoop in after all that… well, that’s practically soap opera material.”


    Softughter rippled through the circle–rich, easy, and cutting.


    Off to the side, Wendy held her ss, fingers idly tracing the rim, saying nothing. Everyone knew she and Ruby were close, but Wendy never spoke up for Ruby when she wasn’t around.


    <b>11:19 </b>


    O


    Everyone in the room was sharp enough to read between the lines. No one needed to spell it out.


    It was Mrs. Newton’s big birthday bash. Even the Miller family had shown up. But not Ruby–the so–called childhood friend.


    Gossip was everywhere.


    Sitting in her car, Ruby scrolled through thetest rumors on her phone, her heart sinking like a stone.


    Suddenly, Patricia’s words echoed in her mind: “If I let go, can you handle whates after?”


    Looking at herself now, she knew she hadn’t caught a thing.


    Patricia’s exit had left the Newton family reeling. Now, the Newtons kept the Martins at arm’s length. Even if Ruby wanted to make waves, she didn’t have the power anymore.


    As the party wound down, Theo stepped out to the hotel garden for a breath of fresh air.


    At that moment, Ruby was driving out. As she passed the flowerbeds, her eyes caught Theo, standing alone in the moonlight with a cigarette in hand.


    Her foot hit the brakes, screeching the car to a stop.


    Theo looked up, startled by the noise. Across the distance, their eyes met and held.


    Ruby gripped the wheel, fighting the urge to get out and walk over. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to–it was just that she knew Theo needed to keep up appearances, and the one thing she could still give him was that dignity.