Chapter 3 Betrayal

Carly was boiling with rage. Declan had the nerve to take Rosalyn to her villa, a gift from her grandfather.

It was recently renovated, meant to be the dream home for Carly and Declan after their wedding.

Trying to calm down, Carly quickly closed the app once she had recorded everything.

If Declan crossed the line with her sister, he couldn't blame her for taking harsh actions.

She planned to use this video to her advantage and she was going to get the most out of Declan!

After drinking a lot of water, she still couldn't shake off her anger.

Rosalyn was her half-sister, with the same father but different mothers.

Carly only learned this shocking fact two years ago.

At that time, after his father Isaac Norris made his mark in the Sullivan Group, he brought Hannah McCoy and Rosalyn home, introducing them as the widow and daughter of a distant cousin.

Carly and her mother, Lindsey Sullivan, were too trusting and took his word for it.

Lindsey, in particular, felt sorry for them and made sure they were well taken care of.

She even treated Hannah like a sister.

But it was only after her mother's attempted suicide that Carly found out her father had been deceiving them all along.

Rosalyn was the daughter he had with Hannah, only six months younger than Carly.

Later on, when Carly thought about what came next, she clenched her lips tight.

Afterward, her grandpa passed away, and her mom had a mental collapse and wasn't always able to think clearly.

There were times she didn't even recognize Carly.

Isaac suggested they should put Lindsey in a psychiatric hospital, but Carly was adamantly against it, going as far as to threaten taking her own life.

She was determined to have her mother treated at Harmony Hospital.

It was top-notch in town, but its fees were incredibly high.

Luckily, Carly's grandpa had left a sizable fortune behind; without it, Carly couldn't have managed the costs for her mother's care.

Thinking over this, Carly's frustration grew, seeing Rosalyn's efforts to get closer to Declan for what they were.

It was a scheme to disrupt her engagement with Declan and block her from taking over the Sullivan Group.

Just then, Carly's phone rang.

Her ride was outside. She ended the call and left the convenience store.

At the curb, there was just one black car parked, its license plate obscured by the rain.

Carly lifted her bag over her head for cover and ran towards it, opening the back door.

She hadn't even realized the car was a luxury model.

Settling in, she was greeted by a familiar crisp, woodsy fragrance.

Carly suddenly noticed someone was next to her and quickly blurted out, "Sorry, I think-"

But before she could finish with "I got in the wrong car," she caught a glimpse of the man's face.

Her eyes went wide in surprise. It was the same man she had encountered the night before!

Kristian, comfortably resting against the car seat with his arms folded, gave Carly an amused look.

Feeling her heart rate pick up, Carly rushed to explain, "I'm really sorry, I just realized I'm in the wrong car."

Without giving Kristian another glance, she turned to leave the car.

However, Kristian was quicker. He pressed a button, and with a click, the door locked. Carly's breath hitched at the action.

Kristian flashed a knowing smile and teased, "What, you think you can just barge into my life as you please?"

Carly felt there was a deeper meaning behind his words but was at a loss for a witty comeback.

She then mentioned, "I've actually ordered a ride, and the driver's still waiting for me..."

She quickly checked outside, only to see no car in sight.

Just then, her phone rang, and she answered on speaker, relieved.

"Hello, ma'am. I accidentally picked up someone else! With the traffic jam, returning for you would take another half an hour. Please arrange for another ride. The platform will cover the cost. My apologies!"

Before Carly could respond, the driver had already ended the call.

The door on the driver's side swung open, bringing a blast of wind and rain inside.

Cormac climbed into the car, shut the door with care, and turned to hand something to Kristian.

"Here are the cigarettes you asked for!"

Catching a glimpse of Carly, Cormac's eyes widened in shock, his mouth agape.

"Why is she here? Is this another-"

"Cut the chatter. Just drive!" Kristian nudged the back of the driver's seat with his foot and gave him the directions to his villa.

Panic set in for Carly. "You don't have to go out of your way. I can just catch a taxi."

But Cormac had already hit the accelerator. Carly became desperate. "Let me out!"

Kristian let out a low laugh, moving closer to Carly, his voice hinting at something more.

"Why so scared? I'm not going to harm you."

His breath tickled Carly's ear, sending a shiver down her spine. She moved to the side, putting space between them.

Kristian gave her a quick look before leaning back, pretending to sleep.

Carly remembered how he had stopped immediately when she asked him to, the night before.

He likely wouldn't force her to do anything. Perhaps he was all talk.

As the storm outside grew stronger, Carly decided not to argue any further.

She planned to leave the car the moment they arrived at his villa.

The entire ride, Carly was on edge, only relaxing when they entered the villa complex.

Then, her phone pinged with a message from Rosalyn.

"Hey Carly, Declan just gave me a tour of your future home. It's gorgeous! The bed in the master bedroom is particularly amazing. It's so big and comfy!"

Rosalyn had cheekily attached a photo of the disheveled bed, hinting at what had taken place.

The disrespect made Carly's skin crawl as if she had ingested something repugnant.

Rage bubbled up inside her, causing her hands to shake so much that she nearly dropped her phone.

As the Bentley pulled to a stop, Carly inhaled deeply, then turned to the man next to her, her hand on his lap.

"Why don't we head to my place? We can pick up where we left off last night."