She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 402

The private room fell silent.

A moment later, Aria let out a sharp, brittle laugh.

"What on earth are you talking about? Melanie is my sister. Even if we don't share blood, we're still family."

She casually tossed her hair, closely watching Evelyn's reaction.

"I'm not like you, driven out of my home because of her. No matter what, I'm still the second daughter of the Royce family. There's no reason for me to risk everything to plot against my own sister."

Aria's pretentious, high-and-mighty act made Evelyn roll her eyes internally.

"You don't need to put on a show for me, Aria. Sure, you're the second daughter now, but who's to say you won't be kicked to the curb in the future?"

Evelyn was tired of beating around the bush and cut straight to the point.

"You just said I have nowhere left to go. Have you ever considered that I might be a preview of your own future?"

That struck a nerve. The smug smile vanished from Aria's face, replaced by a tense frown.

"The way things are going, the Royce Group will inevitably fall into Melanie's hands. And that Mr. Whitmore you've been obsessing over? He'll be hers, too."

Preston's strikingly handsome face flashed in Aria's mind, immediately followed by the image of Melanie standing right beside him. She gritted her teeth in pure resentment.

Evelyn's lips curled into a smirk.

"Well? Still not interested in working together?"

Aria stared at her, suddenly cautious.

"How exactly do you plan to deal with her? Petty high-school drama won't work. It'll only backfire on us."

As much as Aria hated to admit defeat, she had to acknowledge Melanie's infuriatingly good luck. There had been multiple times when she and her mother had plotted flawlessly, only for things to somehow work out entirely in Melanie's favor.

Silence stretched across the private room once more.

Aria and Evelyn both remained quiet.

After a long pause, Evelyn broke the silence, her voice dripping with venomous hatred.

"We go all the way. No half measures."

Aria's eyes widened in horror.

"Are you saying... you want to kill her?"

Evelyn let out a chilling laugh, making no move to deny it.

"What's wrong? Are you scared? I thought you had more spine than this, but I guess I was wrong."

"Don't try to provoke me. It's not about being scared," Aria shot back. "I just have more to lose than you do. You've got nothing left to risk. Let me make one thing crystal clear: whatever happens, you are the mastermind. I am not getting dragged down with you."

Evelyn rolled her eyes, fully aware that Aria just wanted to reap the benefits without getting her hands dirty.

"Fine. I won't implicate you. Just do exactly as I say. But most importantly... I'm going to need cash."

Regardless, after the secret got out, his mother had dragged him home for a relentless scolding, followed by his father tearing into him at the office.

"You couldn't even deliver a simple gift properly, and there's zero progress on the supplement project. You are completely useless!"

As Dominic walked down the street, Gregory's harsh reprimand echoed on a loop in his mind.

But compared to his father's wrath, the impending finalization of his divorce with Melanie was what truly drove him mad.

He didn't want a divorce!

Did they really have to go through with this?

Dominic pulled out his phone, about to call her. But when he looked up, he froze. Just a short distance away, Melanie was walking shoulder-to-shoulder with another man into a boutique.

It felt like a sledgehammer had slammed into his chest. His face contorted with jealousy.

Without a second thought, he broke into a sprint, charging straight toward the storefront.

Inside the store, Melanie was picking up an order.

The man by her side was, naturally, Preston.

"Are you satisfied with this custom piece, Ms. Royce?" the store manager asked with absolute reverence.

"Yes, it's perfect," Melanie said, flashing the manager a polite smile.

Then, she turned to Preston to express her gratitude.