She Was Never Just the Wife novel Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Laylah’s heart lurched as she wondered if he knew who she was.

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“Do we know each other?” She kept the bare minimum of politeness in her tone, though the distance in it was unmistakable. “If you don’t need anything, then please move. I have things to do.”

The man let out a soft laugh. It was quiet, but it still sent a chill down her spine.

“You’re overthinking this, Ms. Stein.” He spoke unhurriedly, the lighter in his hand clicking shut. “I’m not interested in you.”

Laylah’s expression changed instantly.

There was no courtesy in those words, only naked disdain. No man had ever spoken to her like that before. Shame and anger surged through her together, and heat rushed to her face.

“You-” She bit the word off, swallowing the rest by force. She couldn’t make a scene here. She couldn’t draw attention.

Taking a breath, she tried to step around him.

He moved again, blocking her path as neatly as before.

“What do you want?” Laylah snapped, this time unable to keep the edge out of her voice. “I don’t have time to play games with you.”

“Games?” He tipped his head, a flicker of mockery passing through his eyes. “I think what’s really interesting is your little plan for tonight.”

He said those last words lightly, but they hit Laylah like a thunderclap.

Her breathing stopped short. In that instant, it felt as if every drop of blood in her body had frozen. She stared at him, eyes wide, pupils tightening, even her fingertips turning cold.

“W-What are you talking about?” Her voice had started to shake, though she still tried to sound composed. “What plan? I don’t know what you mean.”

“You don’t?” he teased as he took a step forward, suddenly closing the distance between them.

Laylah instinctively stepped back until the cold wall pressed against her spine. The hallway was narrow, trapping her between him and the wall. She could smell the faint trace of tobacco on him, mixed with a cold, woody scent.

“The blue pill,” he said, his voice dropping lower, almost brushing her ear. “Colorless. Odorless. Dissolves easily in water. Nicely done, Ms. Stein. Clean and efficient. Even Beckham never noticed a thing.”

Laylah’s legs started to give way. She clutched the strap of her handbag so hard her nails nearly dug through the leather.

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Chapter 50

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“How do you know that?” Her voice shook badly now as she questioned, “Who are you? What exactly do you want?”

“Who I am doesn’t matter.” He straightened and put a little distance between them again, settling back into that lazy posture. “What matters is this, Ms. Stein-if you’re going to do something, you should finish it properly.”

Laylah stared at him, her heart pounding. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean is…” The man toyed with his lighter as he casually said, “What you’re doing is way too risky. Drugging someone is a serious crime. If Beckham starts looking into it afterward… Who do you think he’ll suspect first?”

Laylah’s face drained of color. Of course she had thought about that. She had staked everything on the drug doing its job-that once it kicked in, Beckham would either give in to it or write the whole thing off as a drunken mistake.

And if he had any doubts afterward, she had hoped the deal on the table-and the possibility of a child- would be enough to keep him from digging any deeper.

‘But what if… What if he really starts digging?’ Laylah thought, panic threatening to overwhelm her.

“There are cameras. The staff saw you, and your fingerprints are on the glass. Even if you get rid of it, all it takes is one word from Beckham, and Cloudscape will turn itself inside out. Do you really think you’d get away?”

Cold sweat slid down Laylah’s back. The room tilted for a second, and she had to brace herself against the wall.

“W-What do you want?” Her voice trembled with despair. “Are you going to expose me? Or are you trying to blackmail me?”

“Expose you?” he repeated, laughing under his breath. “If that were what I wanted, I wouldn’t be standing here wasting my time.”

He paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. “I just can’t stand some people, so I like to stir up a little trouble for them.”

Laylah caught the key part at once. “Some people?”

The man didn’t answer. He just looked at her, the meaning in his gaze impossible to miss.

In a flash, a name crossed Laylah’s mind-Celia.

‘Is he talking about the Ross family? Or… Celia herself?’ Laylah wondered.

“Do you have a grudge against the Ross family?” Laylah asked carefully, testing the waters.

The corner of his mouth lifted. “If that’s how you want to take it, Ms. Stein, sure.”

That was practically an admission.

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Chapter 50

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Laylah’s heart started pounding even harder. The fear inside her slowly gave way to something else-a desperate relief, as if she had grabbed hold of a lifeline, and a twisted thrill at finding an accomplice in the dark.

“You want to help me?” She licked her lips before pressing, “Why?”

“I already told you. I can’t stand certain people,” the man said coolly. “If Beckham completely turns against Celia because of this, maybe even ends up hating her… that should be interesting to watch.”

Laylah understood at once. This man had some old score to settle with the Ross family, and he wanted to use her to destroy whatever was left between Beckham and Celia. For her, it was exactly what she needed.

If someone could help her plant a scapegoat and erase the traces of the drug, the risk would drop sharply. Hence, she asked, “What exactly can you do?”

“The surveillance footage can disappear. The waiter’s memory can be nudged in the right direction.” He paused, then added, “And better yet… we can give Beckham someone to blame.”

“Who?” Laylah pressed, on edge.

“The person you hate most. Celia. What do you think?”

The moment that name left his mouth, something leapt inside Laylah. “What are you planning to do?”

“That’s none of your concern,” the man commented, putting away his lighter and pulled a pure black business card from inside his suit jacket. There was nothing on it except a phone number stamped in silver.

“Think it over. If you decide to go through with it, call this number. Someone will contact you and tell you what to do.” He held the card out to her.

Laylah stared at it. Her hand lifted halfway, then stopped.

“How do I know this isn’t a trap?” she asked, staring straight into his eyes.

The man smiled. This time, the smile finally reached his eyes-but the cold in them was enough to send a chill through her.

“Ms. Stein, do you really have a choice?” he countered. “You can gamble that Beckham won’t dig into this. If you lose, your reputation’s ruined and you end up in prison. Or you can accept my help and easily become Mrs. Lucero.”

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