The Billionaire's Insignificant Wife novel Chapter 49

The Perfect Frame

At eleven o’clock at night, the mansion was already quiet.

The staff had returned to their quarters. Daniel was still locked in his study with his laptop and bourbon. Margaret had gone to bed in her own wing. Alina was locked in her room as usual.

And Clarissa stood outside Junior’s room with her hand on the door handle, listening to the boy’s steady breathing from inside.

She’d been waiting for this moment all day. Waiting for the mansion to truly sleep. Waiting until there were no witnesses.

With slow, careful movements, Clarissa turned the handle and opened the door.

Light from the corridor spilled in slightly, falling across the bed where Junior slept curled up. A Transformers robot toy was clutched tightly to his chest. Optimus Prime. A gift from Alina for Junior’s third birthday.

Clarissa knew this because she’d heard the story countless times. From Margaret. From the staff. Even from Junior himself when the boy was still comfortable enough to talk to her.

“Mama Alina said Optimus is strong like Junior. So Junior has to take care of him.”

Mama Alina.

Two words that made Clarissa want to vomit every time she heard them.

She stepped into the room with silent footsteps, closing the door behind her with a barely audible click.

Junior didn’t move. His breathing remained deep, steady. Sound asleep.

Clarissa stood beside the bed, staring at the boy who was biologically hers but felt like a stranger.

Five years. Five years she’d lost, re years Alina had stolen from her.

And now Junior slept with the robot that woman had given him. Clutching it like a treasure. Like Alina was the real mother and Clarissa was just… what? A guest? An intruder?

No.

Not anymore.

Clarissa reached for the robot with a quick but careful motion, pulling it from Junior’s embrace slowly.

Junior shifted slightly, frowning in his sleep, his hands searching for the missing robot.

Clarissa froze, waiting.

Bot Junior just turned over, hugging his pillow instead, and continued sleeping.

Clarissa exhaled the breath she’d been holding, staring at the robot in her hands.

Blue and red plastic. Not very expensive. Not very special. But to Junior, this was everything.

And that was exactly why this robot had to disappear.

The walked out of Junior’s room with the robot in hand, closing the door softly.

In the comdor,

paused briefly, listening. No sounds. No footsteps. The mansion was still quiet.

Clarissa walked quickly to her own room, entered, and closed the door.

Inside, she’d already prepared everything.

A small hammer she’d taken from the toolbox in the garage that afternoon. A large plastic bag. Rubber gloves.

She placed the robot on the floor, put on the gloves, then picked up the hammer.

Stared at Optimus Prime for one last moment.

Then swung the hammer down.

CRACK.

The robot’s head shattered. Plastic scattered.

Clarissa swung again. And again. And again.

Each strike brought a dark satisfaction. Each piece of broken plastic felt like a small victory.

This wasn’t just about the robot. This was about erasing Alina. Piece by piece. Memory by memory.

Junior would wake up tomorrow morning and find his beloved robot missing. He would cry. He would search.

And Clarissa would be there to comfort him. To give him a new toy. A better toy. A toy from his real mama.

Slowly, Junior would forget. Forget about Optimus. Forget about all the gifts from Alina. Forget about Alina herself.

Clarissa kept striking until the robot was completely destroyed. No part could be salvaged. Nothing could be repaired.

Just shattered pieces of blue and red plastic scattered across her bedroom floor.

She stopped, breathing slightly fast from exertion, staring at the destruction before her.

Then smiled.

Carefully, she gathered all the pieces into the plastic bag. Every small bit. Every shard. Nothing left behind.

She removed the gloves, hid the hammer back in a drawer, then picked up the plastic bag.

Now for the second part of the plan.

Clarissa opened her door, peeking out. The corridor was still empty. Mr. Harris wasn’t at his post outside Alina’s room because Daniel was supposed to be sleeping there, though in reality he was in his study.

Perfect.

Clarissa walked quickly but silently to Alina’s room at the end of the corridor.

She already knew the door was locked from the outside. Already knew Alina was trapped inside.

And that was what made this easy.

Charissa knelt in front of the door, opened the plastic bag, and began pushing pieces of the robot under the gap beneath the door.

ne by one. Slow but steady.

Small pieces that could slip through easily. That would be scattered across Alina’s bedroom floor.

That would be found tomorrow morning when the staff cleaned.

That would look like Alina had destroyed Junior’s toy in a fit of jealousy or rage or instability.

Clarissa pushed the last piece through, then stood, staring at the door with satisfaction.

Tomorrow morning, when Junior cried about his missing Optimus, they would search. And they would find the evidence in Alina’s room.

Evidence that the woman who claimed to love Junior was actually cruel enough to destroy a gift she herself had given.

Evidence of instability. Jealousy. Manipulation.

Exactly what Rachel Chen had warned about. Exactly what the Blackwoods needed to completely discredit Alina in any custody battle.

And the best part? Alina didn’t even know it was happening.

Clarissa walked back to her room with light, victorious steps.

Inside, she disposed of the empty plastic bag, washed her hands thoroughly, then sat on the edge of the bed.

Stared at her reflection in the vanity mirror.

Makeup already removed. Hair tied simply. A conservative nightgown, unlike the lingerie that had been wasted three nights ago.

But her eyes gleamed with something dangerous.

Triumph.

“You think you’re clever, Alina,” she whispered to her reflection, as if Alina could hear. “You think you can fight back. Get a lawyer. Plan your escape.”

Clarissa had heard the whispers from the staff. Had seen the way Mrs. Helen was protective of Alina. Had noticed the phone missing from Daniel’s inventory.

She wasn’t stupid.

She knew Alina was planning something.

But whatever that plan was, Clarissa would make sure it was destroyed before it could even begin.

“Tomorrow morning,” Clarissa whispered to her reflection, her smile widening, “everything changes. And you won’t know what hit you.”

Sue turned off the light and lay down on the large, empty bed.

Sleep came easily. No guilt. No hesitation.

Just the satisfaction of a plan executed perfectly.

In the room across the corridor, Alina lay awake in bed.

Unable to sleep despite it being past inidnight. Mind too busy with the conversation with Rachel. With the plan slowly taking shape. With hope that was dangerous but real.

She didn’t hear Clarissa in the corridor. Didn’t hear the plastic pieces being pushed under her door in the darkness.

Didn’t know that while she was planning freedom, her enemy was planning destruction.

Alina stared at the ceiling, thinking about tomorrow. Thinking about how to convince Daniel or Margaret that she needed to see a doctor. How to meet Rachel without being caught.

Thinking about Junior. Always Junior.

The little boy sleeping in the room at the end of the corridor, unaware that his beloved toy had already been destroyed. Unaware that two women claiming to love him were warring for his soul.

Alina didn’t know that tomorrow morning, when Junior woke up and cried for his missing Optimus, everyone would point fingers at her.

Comments

品質