I Walked Away And He Lost His Mind (Zephyra and Steven) novel Chapter 202

Janice kept insisting on another round with Steven, clearly trying to get him drunk. She offered me a glass too, but I was blunt.

“I don’t drink.”

Her expression darkened for a moment, but she quickly replaced my glass with juice, her smile returning.

My father scolded me under his breath. “It’s a celebration. Don’t put her on the spot.”

I watched Janice’s bizarre behavior. I had just ripped into her, and then Steven had publicly humiliated her daughter. Why wasn’t she furious? Why was she offering me drinks?

I kept my composure and picked up a glass of juice for her. “Let’s drink together.”

Janice’s smile didn’t falter as she took the glass. I mirrored her smile and downed the juice in one go.

A slight, triumphant curl touched Janice’s lips, a detail I missed at the time.

Steven, thoroughly buzzed, went upstairs to rest in my room early.

After I’d had my fill of food and drink, I headed to my room to grab something. Suddenly, a hand clamped down on my arm. It was Janice, her face a mask of guilt.

“Zephyra, I know you hate me. The relationship between your mother, your father, and me was a tangled mess. But as your aunt, have I ever been cruel to you over the years? After your mother passed, I was the one who looked out for you. Are you going to keep giving me the cold shoulder forever?”

My Aunt Janice was a master actress. She never took things too far, never spoke too harshly, always playing the innocent victim. If I hadn’t been reborn, if I didn’t know what a ruthless monster she truly was, I might have actually believed her.

I looked at her and smiled wryly. “If you have something to say, just say it. Bringing up the past will only make me angrier.”

Janice’s face stiffened, but she forced herself to continue. “Antonia has a blind date today, but… Mr. Lancaster’s scolding made her cry her makeup off, and now she’s throwing a tantrum and refusing to go. We can’t just stand the guy up. So, I’m begging you, can you just go in, make an excuse, and send him away?”

A faint, sharp smile touched my lips, a glint of steel flashing in my eyes. “Alright. But what’s in it for me?”

My gaze drifted slowly to the beautiful bracelet on her wrist, a gift from my father.

Janice gritted her teeth and forced a smile, slipping the bracelet off and pressing it into my hand.

“What’s the rush?” I said, my voice smooth. “It’s just sex. The door’s locked, and I can’t overpower you. I’ll play along. Just let me take a shower first.”

His grin was perverse. “Let’s shower together.”

I slipped into the bathroom and locked the door just before he could follow. He started banging on it, and I clapped my hands together with a cold smile.

But the next second, my face fell. Through the shower curtain, I saw the tall silhouette of a man.

Damn it. I’d miscalculated. She’d hired two of them.

I pulled the stun gun from the pocket of my dress and lunged, aiming it at the figure.

Suddenly, a large, well-defined hand clamped around my wrist, pinning me and the shower curtain against the wall. The faint scent of alcohol washed over me, followed by a familiar voice, seething with anger.

“Zephyra, it’s me—”