Chapter 276
[ 498 words ]
Chapter 276:
In the tea room, Caroline picked up the fifty-thousand-dollar check. She held it up to the light as if inspecting the watermark. Her silence stretched agonizingly.
Cornelia smirked, fully believing that the sight of that much money had short-circuited the poor nurse’s brain.
Cornelia pressed her advantage.
“Jarrod is a violent, unstable man,” Cornelia warned. “He will eventually discard you. This is your only chance to walk away rich. Accidents happen to people who cross the Romero family. Just look at your overly curious father. His little investigation cost him his life, and the inquiry into his death faded into nothing. Don’t you ever wonder why?”
і𝗇𝘵𝗲𝗇ѕ𝖾 𝗿𝗼m𝗮nc𝘦 o𝗇 𝗀𝗮𝗅ոov𝖾𝗅ѕ.𝗰om
Caroline’s eyes narrowed infinitesimally at the threat. Her training instantly identified the subtle shift from bribery to lethal intimidation.
In the van, Jarrod heard the threat. He half rose from his seat, ready to storm the building and tear his stepmother apart.
K.C. Bell raised a hand, urgently whispering for the Colonel to wait. He pointed at the audio feed, indicating Caroline was about to speak.
Caroline slowly lowered the check.
She let out a soft, melodious laugh. It sounded completely devoid of fear or intimidation.
Cornelia’s smirk faltered. She was confused by this reaction. The bodyguards shifted slightly, sensing the sudden change in the room’s atmosphere.
Caroline looked Cornelia dead in the eye. Her voice dropped an octave, losing all the submissive nurse pretense. She adopted a tone of cold, aristocratic mockery.
“Have you suffered a recent head injury, Cornelia?” Caroline asked sharply. “Because offering one million dollars to the legal wife of the Romero heir is insulting to everyone’s intelligence.”
In the surveillance van, Jarrod froze. The breath caught in his throat as he heard Caroline claim her title with such fierce, unyielding pride.
A slow, predatory smile broke across Jarrod’s face. The crushing insecurity in his chest evaporated instantly, replaced by a massive surge of absolute adrenaline and pride.
Back in the room, Caroline casually folded the fifty-thousand-dollar check in half. She was completely unbothered by Cornelia’s escalating fury.
She leaned across the table. Her gray eyes glinted dangerously, preparing to deliver a counterattack that Cornelia would never see coming.
Caroline remained standing. She looked down at the folded check in her hand, then back at Cornelia’s apoplectic face. Her expression was one of cool amusement.
Cornelia’s eyes blazed with absolute outrage.
“Put that check back on the table immediately,” Cornelia demanded, her voice shrill. “If you aren’t going to sign the annulment, you get nothing.”
Caroline tilted her head. Her expression shifted to one of innocent confusion.
“Oh, I thought this was generous shopping money,” Caroline mocked sweetly. “To compensate for my wasted afternoon.”
One of the bodyguards took a menacing step forward. He cracked his knuckles, ready to physically retrieve the check from her pocket.
Caroline didn’t even flinch. She didn’t look at the bodyguard.
“If you touch me,” Caroline’s voice cut through the air like a razor, “Jarrod will ensure you never use your hands again.”
The bodyguard hesitated. He looked at Cornelia. He knew the Colonel’s reputation for extreme violence, and the threat paralyzed him.
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