"Hmph! You're all talk, Natalie," Joanna sneered. "No matter what you call me, it doesn't change the fact that Sebastian loves me. Did you see the photos I sent you? He cherishes me every single day. Meanwhile, he hasn't laid a single finger on you." She knew exactly where to strike to cause the most pain.

Natalie's face went white. She bit her lip, but then a cold, sharp smile spread across her face. "You know, Joanna, I'm actually grateful he never touched me. You're so filthy. If he had been with you and then came to me, I don't think I could ever eat again. It's just too disgusting."

Joanna's eyes widened in shock. What did she mean by that? Their gazes locked —Joanna's burning with fire, Natalie's as cold as ice.

"Natalie, you're asking for it!" Joanna hissed, a murderous look in her eyes. Did she know something?

"Joanna, when that scumbag was in that car accident, left crippled and blind, you got scared. You didn't want to take care of a disabled man, so you ran off with someone else. You left him a letter, blaming his mother and me for driving you away. You knew I was the real Scott daughter, not you, so you claimed you couldn't 'steal' my man. How noble of you."

"To maintain your victim status, you found a backup plan and framed his mother, getting her locked away in a mental institution. Do you really think Sebastian couldn't find out the truth if he actually looked into it? You may be good at hiding things, but can you hide them forever? No. Because your ambition is far too great for that."

Natalie's smile was thin and chilling. For the first time, Joanna looked afraid. It seemed Natalie knew far more than she'd let on. But then Joanna's confidence returned. How could Natalie possibly know these things? Not even her own parents or brothers knew the full story.

"Natalie, you're just spewing lies because you can't have him," Joanna retorted, her voice regaining its arrogance. "I let you have him back then because you were

the true Scott daughter. It was your own failure that you couldn't capture his heart. And now you're blaming me?" She deliberately raised her voice, but there was no one around to hear.

Natalie laughed, a sweet sound that was completely at odds with her sharp words. "Why would I blame you? I should thank you for coming back. If you hadn't, things wouldn't be nearly as interesting. You want to play a game? I'm ready."

"By the way," she added, "I doubt

Jero 20

Larry will be seeing the outside of al prison for a very long time. And when he does, you'll be the first person he looks for. I'm sure just wanted to teach me a lesson, but your goal was much simpler, You had Larry call him in front of me to drive a wedge between us. But that was a pointless move; it only exposed you. I had already cut ties with them. You overplayed your hand."

"Larry has been your most loyal dog, helping you frame me all these years without leaving a trace. Now that he's gone, all you have left is Yvonne. I hope she's as clever as she was six months ago for your next attempt. Maybe if you do better job this time, Sebastian will finally divorce me and you can marry into the Griffith family and focus on your grand ambitions. I'll be watching. I'll be watching you send them to hell, one by one."