Stella continued, "Since they can't just sweep Jonathan's marriage under the rug like they did with Israel, they were definitely going to hunt for a high-society bride. Jonathan is still the designated heir; he's smart, and the resources he can pull are way more dangerous than we want to admit. We had to cut off his path to a political marriage completely. Judging by his aggressive moves lately, if he had successfully manipulated Miss Hayser, he would have easily swallowed her entire family fortune."

Sitting nearby, Haynes nodded in agreement. "Miss Hayser was publicly humiliated in front of her entire social circle. She's going to hold a lethal grudge against both Jonathan and Queenie. With her temper, she'll make it her life's mission to destroy them."

Then, a thought occurred to him. He looked at Stella. "How did you manage to drug Jonathan? Taking down Queenie is child's play, but Jonathan is a paranoid executive. He's not easy to corner."

"He isn't," Stella admitted. "He operates on the level of a family head, so trapping him took some serious maneuvering. We had to utilize Coleman, Israel, and Miss Hayser's entire clique. First, we got her friends to pressure her into gifting him the cologne. Then we swapped out the bottle with our spiked version before it was delivered. We timed Coleman's visit right before the package arrived to ensure he encouraged Jonathan to use it. At the exact same time, Violet Yancey used Israel's phone to lure Jonathan to the club. It was a massive logistical headache. Luckily, the dominos fell exactly where they needed to."

Haynes' gaze remained heavy. "Jonathan is sharp. Once the dust settles, he's going to realize you were the architect behind this."

Stella shrugged, her tone indifferent. "Let him. We've already crossed the point of no return. As long as we keep Coleman's involvement scrubbed from the record so his cover isn't blown, it doesn't matter."

"Will Jonathan suspect Coleman?" Abby asked nervously.

"Hard to say," Stella replied. "Anyone in the room is a suspect. But Coleman's actions were perfectly natural, so even if Jonathan doubts him, he won't have any concrete proof."

"So what's our next move, Star?" Abby asked, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"Compile every piece of evidence proving Jonathan deliberately targeted Miss Hayser for her money, and send it directly to her inbox. How she decides to butcher him next is entirely up to her."

Abby practically sprinted for the door. "Oh, I live for a good revenge bloodbath! I'm sending those files right now. Talk to you guys later!"

Stella nodded as she left. The dossier they were handing over was ninety percent truth and ten percent carefully fabricated poison.

Once they were alone, Stella turned to Haynes. "Thank you for playing along. If you hadn't agreed to meet Queenie, pulling her out of her shell would have been a nightmare."

Haynes' voice dropped, rich and somber. "I'm the one who owes you a massive thanks. You took out a psycho who was breathing down my neck."

Stella blinked, slightly taken aback. "I figured you might think my methods were a bit... ruthless."

"If you hadn't outsmarted her today,

you'd be the one destroyed right now," Haynes stated flatly, a dark, lethal chill settling in his eyes. "If we're talking about ruthless... Queenie

a hundred times worse than you. Abby was right. You went too easy on her."

Queenie hadn't just arranged for one sleazy man to assault Stella-she had paid for an entire group. Her malice was beyond depraved. Worse she had even tried to

mentally abuse Tittle Keen hel

whispering toxic garbage in the kid's ear about how his mother was going to abandon him.

If Stella hadn't explicitly said she still needed Queenie as a pawn, Haynes would have ripped the woman apart himself.

...

As the scandalous footage leaked online, the news of Jonathan finally waking from

his coma swept through the city like a hurricane.