Chapter 3

The mug of black coffee burns Jeannette's palms, but she doesn't let go.

She sits cross-legged on Eleanor's plush living room sofa in Boston, her eyes locked on the massive eighty-five-inch television mounted on the wall. The screen is split in two. On the left, the silent, empty living room of the Manhattan penthouse. On the right, the perfectly made master bed.

For three days, Jeannette doesn't leave the apartment. She barely eats. She sits there like a statue, the dark circles under her eyes deepening into bruised shadows. Eleanor watches her, chewing her nails nervously, terrified that her best friend is losing her mind.

On the fourth night, it happens.

The screen on the left suddenly flares with light. The sound of a key turning in the lock crackles through the high-fidelity audio speakers in Eleanor's living room.

Jeannette's spine snaps straight. Her thumb slams down on the record button on her laptop. Eleanor drops her magazine and rushes to the sofa, her eyes wide.

On the screen, Devyn stumbles through the front door. His tie is undone. He is laughing, a sloppy, drunken sound. His arm is wrapped tightly around Zara's waist. Zara giggles, kicking the door shut with her heel before throwing her arms around his neck. They crash against the wall, kissing hungrily.

"God, when are you going to dump that boring, uptight bitch?" Zara whines, her voice echoing sharply in the quiet room.

Devyn smirks, his hands roaming over her body. "Soon, baby. As soon as the final payout from the Beaumont family trust clears into my account. Then I'll toss Jeannette out like the trash she is."

The words hit Eleanor like a physical punch. She grabs a velvet throw pillow and hurls it violently at the television screen. "That parasitic, gold-digging piece of shit!" she screams, her face red with fury.

Jeannette doesn't blink. Her face is a mask of absolute, terrifying calm. Her eyes are dead, completely devoid of emotion as she watches the man she was supposed to marry drag another woman onto the sofa. She taps the trackpad, zooming in on their faces to ensure the resolution is flawless.

The conversation that follows is vile. They mock Jeannette's conservative clothing. They laugh about how they hooked up in Devyn's car while Jeannette was inside a restaurant waiting for him.

The camera feed switches to the master bedroom. The pinhole lens captures every disgusting, undeniable second of their betrayal.

Two hours later, the recording stops.

Jeannette exhales slowly. Her fingers fly across the keyboard, encrypting the massive video file. She uploads it to three separate, secure cloud servers based in Switzerland and Singapore. She downloads a hard copy onto an encrypted USB drive.

She walks over to the wall safe, locks the drive inside, and turns to Eleanor. A slow, chilling smile spreads across Jeannette's face.

"The hunt is over," Jeannette whispers.

Eleanor shivers. "What are you going to do with it? That video is a nuclear bomb."

Jeannette walks over to the kitchen counter and picks up the thick, cream-colored envelope resting there. It's the invitation to the Langley family's annual charity gala. She runs her fingernail over the gold-foil Langley crest stamped on the front.

"I'm going to give them a gift," Jeannette says, her voice smooth as glass. "In front of every single person who matters in Boston."

Eleanor lets out a sharp, excited laugh. She immediately grabs her phone. "I'm calling my stylist. We need armor."

The next afternoon, a team of stylists pushes racks of haute couture into the apartment. Jeannette walks past the soft, ethereal white gowns without a second glance.

Her eyes lock onto a dress at the end of the rack. It's a vintage, deep-V halter gown made of heavy red velvet. The color is violent. It looks like freshly spilled blood.

When Jeannette steps out of the dressing room wearing it, the room goes silent. The dress clings to her curves like a second skin. The severe, sharp makeup the artist applied has stripped away every trace of the gentle, compliant fiancée. She looks lethal.

Eleanor lets out a loud, piercing whistle. "Boston is going to burn tonight."

Jeannette pulls on a pair of elbow-length black velvet gloves. She slips her phone-loaded with the hacking software-into a sleek black clutch.

Just as she's about to leave, her phone buzzes. A text from Devyn.

Miss you so much, darling. Hope Europe is treating you well. Don't forget to take your vitamins. Love you.

Jeannette stares at the screen. A wave of pure disgust rolls through her stomach. She blocks the number.

She steps out of the building and slides into the back of the black Lincoln stretch limousine Eleanor arranged. The rain is falling in a steady, cold drizzle over Boston. Jeannette leans her head against the tinted window, closing her eyes, running through every step of her plan.

The limo pulls into the VIP underground garage of the Boston Plaza Hotel. Jeannette pushes the door open herself. Her stiletto heel splashes into a small puddle, sending droplets of water flying.

She waves off the driver offering an umbrella. She walks alone toward the private elevator leading to the main ballroom, her posture rigid, her aura demanding space.

As she nears the elevator bank, she catches movement in her peripheral vision. A wall of massive men in identical black suits is moving toward the same elevator, surrounding a towering figure in the center.

Jeannette doesn't care. She speeds up her pace, presses the 'UP' button, and steps inside as the metal doors begin to slide shut.