Chapter 464
[ 516 words ]
Chapter 464:
She ignored them. With a steady hand, she picked up her spoon and took a bite of the lukewarm stew. She chewed slowly, deliberately, her gaze fixed on the opposite wall. Her utter lack of reaction, her refusal to appear flustered or upset, was a more powerful defense than any outburst would have been. The whispering subsided.
She finished her meal, methodically scraped the bowl clean, and stacked it neatly on the tray. She stood up and carried the tray to the drop-off point, her movements calm and measured.
She was almost at the exit when a figure stepped into her path, blocking her way.
It was Ashley Wright. Her eyes were red-rimmed, as if she’d been crying, but the look she gave Caroline was pure, unadulterated venom.
𝖡𝗲 pа𝘳𝗍 𝗈f 𝘰u𝗿 𝗰𝗈𝘮𝗆u𝗇𝘪𝘁y 𝘰ո 𝘨𝖺𝗅n𝘰𝘷𝖾𝘭𝘴.𝘤𝘰𝗆
“You must be Caroline Thompson,” Ashley said, her voice dripping with contempt as she looked Caroline up and down. “You’re not that special up close.”
Caroline didn’t even bother to respond. She tried to step around her.
Ashley moved again, blocking her path. A nasty smirk twisted her lips. “Do you really think the Colonel cares about you? He just feels sorry for you. A little charity case he pulled out of the rubble. Men like him love playing the hero, especially for a pathetic victim.”
The words were designed to be poison, to seep under Caroline’s skin and plant seeds of doubt.
A few feet away, Evelyn Reed saw the confrontation and started to move forward, but Caroline caught her eye and gave a subtle, almost imperceptible shake of her head. Stay out of this.
Caroline finally turned her full attention to Ashley. Her gaze was cool and clinical, like a doctor assessing a particularly uninteresting rash.
When she spoke, her voice was quiet, but it cut through the air with the precision of a scalpel. “First. You don’t have the clearance to use my first name. You will address me as Mrs. Romero. Or, given your recent conduct, perhaps ‘ma’am’ would be more appropriate.”
She took a small step forward, and Ashley instinctively flinched back. The shift in power was palpable.
“Second,” Caroline continued, her voice dropping even lower, “your understanding of a man like my husband is as shallow as the makeup on your face. He doesn’t play the hero. He is one. And you are not qualified to comprehend one ten-thousandth of who he is.”
Her eyes narrowed, becoming hard and sharp as diamonds. “Third, and most importantly, stay away from him. Stay away from me. Because if you don’t, I can personally guarantee that your duties in this disaster zone will become significantly more arduous.”
The threat was unspoken but crystal clear. In a military hierarchy, the Colonel’s wife had influence.
Ashley stared at her, completely cowed. The force of Caroline’s personality, the unshakable confidence, the cold, surgical logic of her words, it was an assault Ashley was utterly unprepared for. Her face went from red to white, her mouth opening and closing like a fish, but no sound came out.
Caroline held her gaze for one more second, then stepped past her without another glance and walked out of the tent.
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