Ynda had practically handed Vivian the leverage herself, and with Sophie’s screenshot in y, there was no way Vivian would just let this slide.
The thought of Charles telling Ynda to erase her from his world made Vivian’s blood boil–she was itching to get back at every single one of them.
Vivian couldn’t help but think, ‘Why does Charles get over things so fast? It must be that bitch Ynda messing with him!‘
She squeezed the carved sandalwood token in her palm, eyes gleaming with vicious intent, as a frosty smile curled on her lips.
Earlier that night, her grandfather had warned her that something’s off with Gradytely and told her to be extra careful.
His words basically spelled out that someone had their sights set on the Andrade manor, hinting at Charles being the culprit–but Vivian just couldn’t buy it.
She took a deep breath, thinking to herself, ‘If I can just ditch that eyesore Ynda, maybe things with Charles will go back to how they used to be.
Using a burner phone, she shot Ynda a text,ying it out:e alone to pick up the sandalwood token, and don’t even think about bringing backup–or she’d torch the thing without a second thought.
When Ynda saw the message, she finally breathed easy, relief washing over her.
“This is thest chance in this game, Ynda thought to herself. ‘Charles once gave me that token, but now Vivian’s using it as leverage against me. He might act heartless, but there’s no way he won’t feel something.’
All she needed was a flicker of guilt–a single moment of hesitation–and victory would be hers.
She sat in her room at Moonbay Estate, staring at the address sent from the random number–it was somewhere near a reservoir way out on the edge of town.
Ynda wasn’t bad in the water, and ever since she got shoved into that pool, she’d made it her mission to train herself to hold her breath as long as possible.
‘Vivian definitely chose this ce because she wants me dead, Ynda thought, suspicion growing in her
chest.
She quickly messaged Charles and attached the location.
[Babe, the sandalwood token Athena gave me was stolen, and someone wants me to meet them here. If I don’te back tonight, promise me you’ll look for me at this spot.] <fn1a25> For original chapters go to FindN0vel</fn1a25>
Once she sent over the address, Ynda slipped behind the wheel and set off by herself, swallowed by the night.
It was a forty–minute drive to the reservoir–forty minutes alone with her nerves and dread.
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Tonight, Charles was in the middle of a meeting with his own crew, going over all the fallout from Grady’s death.
As soon as he got Ynda’s text, his brows pulled tight with worry, and without even thinking, he dialed her number.
But Ynda didn’t answer.
Charles immediately told Jack Nn, who was next to him, “Go get Ynda and bring her back from this spot. Right now.”
Honestly, the whole sandalwood token thing didn’t even ring a bell–there were so many odds and ends lying around Moonbay Estate, he couldn’t possibly remember every single one.
Jack didn’t hesitate for a second–he rounded up his crew and peeled out, racing through red lights without so much as blinking, determined to intercept Ynda before she had a chance to run into trouble.
Ynda, on the other hand, was in no hurry whatsoever. She deliberately slowed down, dragging out the drive and giving herself time to think things through.
Jack kept Charles in the loop on everything, and once Charles was certain Ynda wasn’t in immediate danger, he simply ordered, “Just keep her under surveince for now.” That calm, decisive tone made it pretty clear who was in control.
Ynda, ever observant, immediately spotted a familiar license te among the cars that sped past. ‘No way Charles himself would show up in the middle of the night just for me, she thought. ‘Must be Jack watching my back.‘
After all, Jack was Charles‘ right–hand man–the one always ready to get the job done, no matter how messy things got.
Ynda pressed down on the elerator, picking up speed and soon reaching the spot they’d agreed on.
The reservoir was eerily quiet, the kind of silence that made your skin crawl. She got out and walked forward alone. It didn’t take long before she spotted a burly guy standing by the water’s edge.
The dim lighting made it impossible to see the man’s face clearly.
He gripped the sandalwood token in his hand, lifted it deliberately, then tossed it straight into the reservoir.
Ynda hadn’t even had a chance to react when someone shoved her hard, sending her straight into the
water.
Ssh!
The reservoir walls towered above her–there was no way she could climb out on her own. Out here in the middle of nowhere, even if she screamed her lungs out, nobody would hear her.
The man sneered from above, then quickly vanished into the darkness.
Ynda kept herposure, searching the water until she found the sandalwood pendant. She clipped it
7:51 Fri, Sep 26
securely around her neck, thinking to herself, I’m not panicking. I can do this!
From up above, Jack’s voice echoed through the night. “Ynda, grab the rope!”
Ynda sounded genuinely surprised, “Jack?”
She acted as if she hadn’t expected him to be there at all.
She gripped the rope, and in no time, Jack’s team hauled her out of the reservoir.
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Jack took one look at her, soaked to the bone, and quickly gestured toward the nearby car. “Ynda,e on
-get in. That was reckless, even for you. Let me drive you home.”
Ynda just smiled, fingers lingering thoughtfully on the pendant at her neck.
“This is a keepsake Athena left for me. I can’t afford to lose it,” she said quietly, letting the weight of her words hang in the air.
Jack shot a nce at the pendant but kept silent.
Once she was in the car, Jack drove her straight back to Moonbay Estate.
Ynda took a long, hot shower, letting the water wash away the chill. She didn’t need to say a word–Jack would fill Charles in on everything that went down tonight.
Late at night, Ynda was burning up with a fever. Half–conscious, she noticed someone sitting at her bedside. Her fingers curled tightly around the pendant at her neck as she started to ramble,pletely out of it.
One moment she was whispering, “I’m sorry,” and the next she was quietly sobbing–her emotions spilling out in broken whimpers.
Someone reached out and gently brushed away her tears, then stood up and slipped out of the room.
Once she was certain she was alone, Ynda slowly opened her eyes.
She wasn’t delirious enough to forget who it was–Charles had been right there with her.
After Charles left the room, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it slowly. The sandalwood pendant felt oddly familiar–Ynda had given it to him once, saying it would keep him safe.
He didn’t believe in that kind of stuff, but he’d worn it anyway. Then, when Sophie asked for it, he’d just handed it over without a second thought.
‘So, was it Sophie who did this?‘ Charles wondered, his mind racing.
He spun his phone absentmindedly between his fingers, then hit up Sophie’s number.
When Charles started asking about the sandalwood pendant, Sophie’s eyes lit up for a split second–then she nervously ducked her head, her voice dropping low. “Oh, I ran into Ms. Andrade on set that one time. She was kind of buddy–buddy with that actor, so I thought I’d cozy up to her, you know? She took a liking to the
7:51 <b>Fri</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b>26
pendant, so I handed it over. Charles, I’m really sorry… Honestly, if it were anything else, she probably wouldn’t have blinked an eye. She doesn’t care about money anyway.”
Her voice faded to a whisper; she looked down, guilt written all over her face. I totally messed up this time! Sophie thought, heart pounding.
Charles pretty much knew the truth before he even dialed–this wasn’t Sophie’s doing.
Sophie wasn’t clueless enough to go after Ynda with some tantly obvious move.
He crushed out his cigarette in the ashtray, his tone cool. “Alright.”
Sophie kept quiet, knowing full well that the more she talked, the easier it was <i>to </i>slip up.
She nervously swallowed. “If you liked it, I can make you a new one sometime.”
Charles had had no idea it was Athena’s keepsake. Realizing Ynda had trusted him with something so meaningful was enough to give his heart a brief, guilty squeeze.
She hadn’t told him back then.
He understood just how much Athena meant to Ynda–so that sandalwood pendant had to be her most treasured possession, woven with memories and emotion.
For some reason, a restless frustration began to simmer inside him—one he couldn’t quite exin.
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