The Scorned Heiress: No More Mercy novel Chapter 254

Regret crashes into Evan with the force of a freight train. He has never hated himself more than he does in this exact second. He curses the moment he walked out of their engagement party for Jade. He curses himself for never cherishing Tara when she was his.

Notcing the utter devastation on Evan's face, Jade's triumphant high evaporates. Why is this happening? What does that bitch have that she doesn't? Tara is just manipulative, playing hard to get to keep men hooked. The audacity of Tara clinging to Danny while still twisting the knife in Evan's heart makes Jade want to scream.

"Enough. We're not standing out here all night. This is our event. We cannot just abandon the guests," Jake cuts in, his sharp, commanding tone slicing through the tension.

Having spent years being groomed as the heir to the Dennis Group, Jake is far more calculating than Alec or Jade. He reads the explosive dynamics in the hallway and expertly neutralizes the bomb before it detonates.

"Jade, you and Evan need to go downstairs and entertain. We will figure out the rest later," Jake orders.

"You're right, Jake," Jade agrees quickly, desperate to escape the humiliation. She drags a shell-shocked Evan toward the staircase, and the rest of the group quickly disperses. Frankly, staying anywhere near Tara and Danny is a masterclass in embarrassment.

Once the hallway clears, Tara glares at the heavy arm still wrapped securely around her waist. "Are you going to let go now?"

Her heart is racing again, that strange, fluttering rhythm kicking up against her ribs.

Meanwhile, out on a deserted stretch of the yacht's deck, the mood is decidedly less romantic.

"Don't play dumb, Jade. I know exactly what you did. You used me to lure Evan into that room so you could sleep with him," Lana hisses, her eyes flashing with fury.

Lana feels entirely played. The original plan they cooked up was to trap Tara in a compromising position to ruin her reputation. Instead, Jade flipped the script, throwing herself into Evan's bed and securing her own future. Lana realizes she just handed Jade the ultimate prize on a silver platter.