?Chapter 544:


    Leah, ever perceptive, noticed the subtle shift in rissa’s demeanor. A brief flicker of coldness passed through her eyes as she asked, “Miss Hond, you don’t look so well. Are you sure you’re alright?”


    “Maybe I’m just a little worn out,” rissa responded, brushing her face and forcing a faint smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.


    “How about we take a break and sit down at a café nearby?”


    “Sure,” Leah agreed, though her voicecked the usual enthusiasm. Leah wasn’t truly interested in shopping either. It was merely a cover, a calcted move to secure her alibi if things went awry.


    As they stepped out of the mall, both of them spotted Corrine approaching from a distance, her presence undeniable andmanding.


    rissa’s heart skipped a beat at the sight.


    Corrine was dressed in a crisp white suit, her cool demeanor striking, her gaze cutting through the air like a sharp de.


    There was no mistaking it—Corrine had changed dramatically over the years.


    Her beauty was still undeniable, but it was the power she now exuded that truly set her apart, an aura so potent it seemed to make the ground beneath her feet tremble.


    rissa had imagined countless scenarios of facing Corrine again. In every one, she saw Corrine humiliated, reduced to nothing beneath her. But reality was nothing like that.


    The sight of Corrine standing before her, so self-assured, so undeniably powerful, left rissa seething. She couldn’t stand the way Corrine carried herself, the way she held herself above everything and everyone.


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    Taking a deep breath, rissa forced her lips to move.


    “Corrine—”


    The sharp sound of a p cracked through the air, and rissa’s words were cut off mid-sentence, her head jerking violently to the side from the impact.


    The smile in her eyes vanished instantly, and she held her cheek, staring at Corrine with wide, wounded eyes.


    “What did I do wrong?”


    Corrine’sugh was light, almost mocking.


    “You really think you can hide everything from me?”


    Her gaze flicked to the bracelet adorning rissa’s wrist, a smirk curling at the edges of her lips.


    “Do you know this bracelet gave you away?”


    rissa’s eyes widened in surprise, her hand instinctively moving to cover the bracelet.


    “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”


    Corrine took a step closer, her hand rising to gently pat rissa’s cheek in a sickeningly sweet gesture.


    “Let me offer you some advice, rissa. We’ve kept our distance all these years, and it’s been just fine. But don’t rush into your own destruction now.”


    Her touch was light, but the sting of her words hung heavy in the air, humiliation lingering in the space between them.


    rissa gritted her teeth, her eyes alight with anger and defiance, a half-smile ying on her lips.


    “Are you threatening me?” she demanded.


    “It’s a warning,” Corrine responded, her tone steady.


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