He Loves Me Right, Finally novel Chapter 173

Wynette followed the corridor signs to cabin 308.

She raised her fist and knocked hard against the door. "Snow! Get out here!"

The fury in her voice was unmistakable, raw and unrestrained.

Alice, standing behind her, had gone completely still.

She'd never seen Wynette like this before, not once, and for a moment she genuinely wondered if this was the same softly composed woman she'd spent the evening with.

"Snow!" Wynette knocked again, harder this time. "Now!"

Every time she thought about what Adriel was going through right now, the anger climbed higher.

On the other side of the door, Snow didn't know exactly what had happened, but she could feel the heat radiating off Wynette through the wood itself.

Each knock landed like a stone dropping into still water, sending ripples through her composure.

She lasted about as long as she could before she wrenched the door open.

"What is your problem?" Snow's eyes were blazing, her voice sharp with irritation. "Knock any harder and you'll break the door down. What do you want?"

She hadn't the faintest idea why Wynette was standing outside her cabin looking like a thunderstorm, and she had no intention of being spoken to like this.

Wynette looked at her. "You put something in that water."

Snow's face changed. Something flickered through her eyes, quick and unmistakable, before she looked away.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said.

Wynette watched the telltale shift in her expression and felt her voice go very cold. "You don't know? Snow, you're going to stand there and tell me it wasn't you who had that water sent to my room? That you didn't put something in it?

"And I'm guessing you're the one who sent someone to knock on my door too," Wynette said, her eyes fixed and unwavering.

Snow would never have done any of this herself, of course. That was too obvious.

But what she'd apparently forgotten was that this was a ship, and ships had security cameras.

Pull the footage, find the staff member and the person who'd knocked, and the thread would lead straight back to whoever had paid them.

The ship was owned by the Lawrences, which meant Snow couldn't have used anyone connected to her. She'd have paid strangers on the spot.

All it took was finding one of them.

Snow drew herself up and glared at Wynette, her voice climbing in volume. "What is wrong with you? I don't know what happened, and you come barging down here making accusations? Drugs? Where's your proof?

"You're standing here calling me a criminal with nothing to back it up," she snapped. "Maybe you're the one with the problem."

She cranked her voice louder, as if the sound itself could shore up what her composure was failing to hold.

Snow was not going to admit to a single word of it, no matter what.

But underneath the performance, the fear was there.

The truth was, she'd started regretting it almost the moment she'd done it.

Adriel had rejected her again in front of everyone, and then Wynette had stood there and dismantled her with that pleasant, utterly impenetrable smile.

Snow had gone back to her room and poured herself glass after glass of something strong, and somewhere between the anger and the alcohol, her worse instincts had taken over.

She'd followed Wynette and Alice down the corridor, watching them, the image of Wynette staking her claim seared into her mind.

She'd gotten a bottle of water, drawn the drug into a syringe, bribed a staff member with a watch she'd pulled off her wrist, and watched from the shadows while he delivered it.

She'd stationed herself nearby and waited, but Wynette had come and gone without looking remotely affected. Confused, Snow had sent the same staff member back to knock and draw Wynette out, and then watched again.

Still nothing. Wynette had been bright-eyed and completely fine. She clearly hadn't touched the water. The plan was dead.

Snow had turned around and gone back to her cabin, assuming the whole thing had simply passed without consequence.

And now Wynette was here, cold-eyed and furious, which meant somehow she knew. How?

She did it.

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