Chapter 45

Meanwhile, Yvonne had returned to the main hall, intending to say her goodbyes to Mrs. Gonzalez.
“The cake is on its way out. You and Matthew can cut it with me. Please stay until then,” Mrs. Gonzalez urged, taking Yvonne’s hand with a warm smile.
Faced with such sincere affection, Yvonne found it impossible to refuse. Fine, she thought, I’ll stay for the cake. It’s not like I’m in a rush.
The house was packed, and Mrs. Gonzalez was busy with her guests, so Yvonne slipped away to the quiet of the garden. The Gonzalez family’s landscaping was impressive, with elegant pavilions and a large, man-made ornamental pool. Yvonne found a bench by the water’s edge and started scrolling through videos on her phone.
She was engrossed in a particularly amusing clip when Queena stormed up to her, slapping the phone out of her hand and onto the ground.
“Yvonne, what did you do to Rachel and Edith? Why are they avoiding me?!” Queena demanded.
The Young and Ward families were both at the party. When Queena had tried to greet her two best friends, Rachel and Edith had recoiled as if she were carrying a disease and quickly walked away. Queena was convinced Yvonne was behind it.
Yvonne let out a small, contemptuous laugh. She bent down, picked up her phone, and only then looked at Queena. “Do you know why I only went after them last time and left you alone? When you do something bad together and everyone else gets hurt except you, no one’s going to want to play with you anymore.”
Last time, Rachel and Edith had both been injured, and Daisy had been utterly humiliated, but Queena had emerged unscathed. Mrs. Young and Mrs. Ward were sharp women; they would surely have warned their daughters to stay away from Queena. The vicious little clique was officially disbanded.
Queena’s perfectly made-up face twisted in fury. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you, Yvonne? But so
what? They’re nobodies. My parents and my brother will always be on my side and Matthew will be mine
sooner or later. I’m going to take everything from you, Yvonne. I’ll make you regret ever coming back to the Spencer family.”
After delivering her threat, Queena ripped the necklace from her neck and threw it into the nearby pool. With a dramatic shriek, she lunged toward the edge, feigning a jump.
“Queena!” Matthew appeared right on cue, wrapping his arms around her. “What are you doing? This pool is over six feet deep, and you can’t swim. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“My necklace! The one you gave me!” Queena sobbed, collapsing into his arms. “Yvonne… she ‘accidentally’ knocked it into the pool. I have to get it back.”
Yvonne stood nearby, arms crossed, watching the performance with a cold sneer. No wonder the little drama queen was giving it her all. The scumbag had finally made his entrance.
“First you pretend you want to break off the engagement, and now you’re so jealous of Queena you throw away her necklace,” Matthew
snarled at Yvonne. “Don’t thinkal et
games will make
me give in He
glared at her and commanded, “Get
the necklace back.”
“Let me guess, if I told you she threw it in herself, you wouldn’t believe me, would you?” Yvonne looked at him as if he were an idiot. “Matthew, if you have a problem with your brain, go see a doctor.”
The necklace had sunk to the bottom of the deep pool, completely out of sight. Besides, she hadn’t thrown it in. Why should she be the one to retrieve it?
Yvonne tried to walk past them, but Matthew grabbed her arm.
“Have I been too easy on you, Yvonne? Is that why you’ve become so brazen? It’s time someone taught you a lesson. If you want to be the future Mrs. Gonzalez, you need to learn to be obedient!” As he spoke Matthew dragged her forcefully to the edge of the pool.