Natalie was about to take a shower when she received a video from Marshall.


    It showed Joanna being cornered by two men.


    She remembered Sebastian''s phone call just before she left. So Joanna hadn''t been lying this time; she really had been attacked. Judging by the surroundings, Natalie recognized the upscale neighborhood where Sebastian lived.


    [Natalie, this Joanna is even more vicious than we thought. She literally had someone killed just to win first ce.]


    Natalie hadn''t known the full story behind Joanna''s pianopetition victory. She only knew that the victim''s name was Serena Hsu. In her memory, Joanna had always been a decent pianist.


    Natalie texted back: [Be careful. She has hired killers. Joanna has always been exceptional, a top performer in everything she does.]


    Marshall replied: [You''re giving her too much credit. A woman that evil can''t be ''exceptional''. The only thing she excels at is maniption and seduction.]


    Natalie knew he was underestimating his opponent.


    [I''m not kidding, Marshall. Think about what happened to those people at yourpany. And what about your father''s car ident overseas? Do you really think these things are easy to pull off? She couldn''t have done any of it without meticulous nning. And there are people backing her that we don''t even know about. Her main target right now is Sebastian. The Griffiths are the most powerful family in Yaro. If she marries him, her status will skyrocket, and she''ll use that as a stepping stone to climb even higher.]


    Marshall: [Wow, when you put it like that, she sounds terrifying. /shivers/]


    Natalie: [Never underestimate a woman.]


    Marshall: [It''s just that when I saw her trembling like that, she seemed so easy to bully.]


    Natalie: [Go to bed.]


    She tossed her phone aside and went to get ready for bed. The fact that


    Sebastian was suddenly refusing to grant her a divorce was weighing heavily on her mind. She just wanted some peace and quiet.


    With her grandfather and brother out of the house, the vi was silent. Nataliey down and quickly fell asleep.


    But her sleep was gued by nightmares. She dreamed of her past life, of being tied up in that abandoned building.


    She watched in horror as they


    tortured her. The searing pain of a de slicing across her face, the crunch of an axe shattering her fingers—the agony was so reati stole her breath.


    But the worst part was the moment Sebastian pushed her off the roof.


    "No, Sebastian, please! Save me! Save our baby!"


    Thud. A stter of red on the pavement below.


    She saw herself reduced to a mangled heap of flesh and bone.


    "No!" Natalie shot up in bed, drenched in a cold sweat.


    Sunlight streamed through a crack in the curtains, and she realized it was just a dream.


    "Hah..." She gasped for air like a drowning fish, curling into a ball as the phantom pains wracked her body.


    Her phone started ringing incessantly. She fumbled for it, answering without even checking the caller ID.


    "Hello?"


    "Natalie, how dare you! Did you hire men to attack Joanna? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"


    The voice, thick with rage, belonged to Jared. The fog of her nightmare instantly cleared.


    "Hired men to attack Joanna?" Natalie asked coolly, sitting up. "Is she dead?"


    "How can you be so vicious? Her face is nearly ruined, and she''s


    about to start filming! You geti


    here and apologize right now or I''m calling the police!


    Natalie let out a bitterugh. He was always so domineering. "Jared, after all the cruel things she''s done to me, if really wanted her dead, doyou'' think she''d still be breathing?"