Chapter 414

In that moment, Elyse's heart skipped a beat as she caught sight of the icy smirk on Natalie's face.

"Natalie, we had an agreement, didn't we? All we wanted was to disrupt Nina's wedding so she'd end up taking your place with Linden. You're not planning anything beyond that, are you?"

Natalie, draped in a soft lavender gown, took a slow sip of her coffee, her gaze drifting to Elyse. With a faint smile, she said, "Mom, as long as we achieve our goals, does it really matter what path we take?"

Elyse's unease deepened. "She's still your sister,Natalie. Getting her involved with Linden is already too much. You can't go further than that. Once this is over, she'll still need to secure a good marriage."

Natalie let out a soft laugh, patting Elyse's hand reassuringly. "Mom, why do you always fixate on marriage? Money is the real power in this world.With it, anything is possible. I promise you, whatever Nina endures today, I'll repay her a hundredfold someday Right now, we need to focus on taking down Daniela,gaining Elite Lux, and securing her fortune. Isn't that what truly matters?"

Elyse nodded, her doubts melting away like they'd never existed. "Yes, we have to get rid of Daniela!"

Natalie gazed at the moonlit expanse outside, her laughter ringing with triumph. "Daniela, weren't you supposed to be so capable? Then why haven't you found Nina yet?"

Natalie reached for the coffee pot, bracing for a long night ahead, when her phone buzzed with an incoming call.

The roar of wind filled the line as a man's urgent voice broke through. "Miss Dury, I'm sorry, but the other side is too powerful. We can't hold our ground."

Before he could continue, Daniela's voice cut in, calm and sharp. "Ah, so it's Natalie. Elyse must be there with you. Be sure to send her my regards."

The line went dead with a soft beep, leaving Natalie frozen in shock.

Slowly, the smirk faded from her face, replaced by a flicker of panic. "Mom, do you think Daniela will call the police?"

Elyse chuckled dismissively. "Of course not. Besides,didn't you say you only had someone invite Nina out for coffee? Why would she involve the police?"

Elyse's forced smile vanished instantly as her eyes locked onto Natalie's panicked expression.Realization dawning, she asked, "What did you do to Nina?"

When Daniela discovered Nina, she was barely clinging to consciousness.

Blood streaked across her body, her tattered clothes clinging by threads, and a sickening odor wafted from her battered frame. Bound and helpless, Nina was left in a crumbling warehouse, surrounded by slithering snakes and the rotting corpses of rats.

In utter terror, Nina had succumbed to breakdowns again and again, her body overrun by ants and cockroaches, every breath a trembling challenge.

When Daniela stepped in, the vacant haze in Nina's eyes began to sharpen, inch by inch.

Daniela, drawing on her psychology background,recognized the signs of extreme trauma-whether caused by a man or an animal-that could plunge a victim into a bottomless fear of intimacy and men.

This wasn't a mere warning-it was a calculated,merciless act meant to shatter a person entirely.

Daniela swept the snakes aside with her foot, flung the decaying rats off Nina's frail body, and carefully poured alcohol over her skin to rid her of the ants and cockroaches.

Nina's bloodshot, fear-stricken eyes lifted to meet Daniela's, brimming with anguish. In a trembling voice, she whispered, "Daniela, my wedding will be cancelled,right?"