The Scorned Heiress: No More Mercy novel Chapter 137

Before Eleanor's poisoning threw everything into chaos, Tara had scheduled a catch-up with her best friend, Tricia. Now, they finally have the chance to sit down together.

Settled in a chic, softly lit café, the two women sip their iced Americanos.

"Tara, I swear, every time I see you, you're somehow even more gorgeous. Seriously, what skincare are you using? Your complexion is literally radiant," Tricia says, her large, expressive eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Tara laughs, shaking her head. "Oh, please. You're practically glowing with pure feminine magnetism, and you're jealous of me?"

Tara doesn't let many people into her inner circle, but Tricia and Bianca are her closest confidantes. They are a million times better than her cold-blooded brothers—especially Alec. He is completely blind and brainless to have let a catch like Tricia go.

She would reject carefully curated scripts and styling choices just to assert dominance. Through it all, Tricia swallowed her pride for Alec's sake. But eventually, the truth became obvious: Jade was doing it on purpose. Jade was insanely possessive of her brothers and viewed Tricia as a threat. By pulling manipulative stunts to make Tricia look incompetent and demanding, Jade successfully drove a wedge between the couple. The toxic environment ultimately pushed Tricia to dump Alec and flee overseas to heal her broken heart. Jade was entirely to blame.

It had been a torturous period, but sitting here now, Tricia realizes the silver lining was gaining Tara as a sister. Whenever Tricia had fought with Alec, Tara had been the one offering a shoulder to cry on. Learning about the Dennis family's twisted dynamics—the way the parents and brothers mercilessly bullied their own flesh and blood for an adopted fake—had absolutely sickened Tricia.