The Daring Billionaire’s Wife novel (Vanessa and Dominic) novel Chapter 167

Author's POV

Carmella walks into the visitation room, filled with hope as she believes Dominic is the person who has come to pay her a visit but as soon as her eyes land on Patrick, she twists her face in disgust and stops in her tracks.

Taking note of how neatly dressed he is and his smile filled with some mockery, she rolls her eyes and proceeds to take her seat with a confident demeanor.

"You know," she begins, scornfully looking at him. "I thought it was someone actually worth my time who came to see me."

Calmly, he says, "What makes you think I actually want to be here and just have a chat with you?"

"Then spit it out." She leans back in her seat, her eyes filled with mockery.

"First of all, it's good to see you here, where you belong. You've been running from me for such a long time, thinking you can get away with everything you've ever done to me."

She narrows her eyes with a grin. "Wait, you came here to cry like a fucking baby?"

He sighs, shaking his head. "I'm pressing charges."

Her grin falters for a moment but quickly, she regains her composure and leans forward, placing her elbows on the table.

"Do you actually think you have a case against me? Oh, no! I'm screwed!"

Patrick scoffs, leaning forward as well with narrowed eyes. "As a matter of fact, I do. It was my mistake for falling for you. You destroyed me and got away with it for years. Now, it's time to face the consequences."

As he lists the charges and mentions that he has the evidence for it, her nonchalance begins to crumble as her eyes dart around the room.

She turns a little frantic as she attempts to reach for his hand, but he leans back and pulls away.

"If you go through with this, I'll ruin your life, just like I did before!" she warns him.

Despite the threats, he leans forward again while shaking his head. "That's where you're wrong. Just look at where you are and that's not even because of me. Don't forget that what you did to Vanessa is the reason you're here in the first place and the Richards won't go easy on you. Did you even see me that day after you attacked her? You made my blood boil and I feared the worst. I'm glad she survived. I know I messed up, so I'm happy for her now that she's moved on."

"Why the fuck do people gravitate towards that bitch?" She grits her teeth.

"Who wouldn't?" He smiles, deeply thinking about Vanessa, then turning serious again. "It feels so good to say that I have you right where I want you this time and there's nothing you can do about it."

With a sigh, he rises to his feet and she swallows hard, bringing her hands together.

"Hey, don't do this. I already have enough on my plate with what I did to Vanessa. You and I...we...we...shared some good times together!"

"See you in court, Angela." He faces the door, making his way out without looking back.

She calls out to him at the top of her lungs, desperate to change his mind but after he closes the door, she aggressively pulls her hair, realizing there's no escape from what's coming.

~

Carmella flinches at the echoing sound in the corridor of a grill door opening and she sits up on her small and hard bed, looking around her small cell as she catches her breath.

The sound of heels getting louder in the hallway begin to irritate her as they disturb her thought process about Patrick's visit a few hours ago. And when she can't take it anymore, she rushes to the bars and holds onto them to look into the hallway, ready to yell whoever it is to keep it down.

As soon as her eyes land on Vanessa, she angrily tightens her grip on the bars.

Not only does Vanessa seem more radiant than ever before, she walks with an unmatched confidence as she holds her head high, her baby bump perfectly fitting in her elegant dress.

Bodyguards and a few officers walk behind her, reminding Carmella of just how powerful Vanessa is.

Composing herself, she sneers and says, "I was wondering which dog was being so loud and now that I've seen you, it makes sense."

Vanessa chuckles softly, stopping right in front of her on the other side of the bars. "I heard you look like shit and now that I see you, it's actually much worse than that."

"You fucking bitch!" She grips the bars in an attempt to bend them and get her hands on Vanessa.

As she lashes out, jerking her head around while her face turns red with anger, Vanessa crosses her arms, her lips curving into a smile of satisfaction.

When Carmella finally lets go of the bars, she slams the wall and yells, "Fuck!"

"Now that your little tantrum is over," Vanessa says in a serious tone, grabbing her attention, "listen to me carefully. You've done a lot of bad things in your life but the worst thing you ever did was attack me that day. You'll get what's coming and I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life. The way I see it, you didn't care that you attacked me in the presence of everyone because you were certain Dominic would get you out after being threatened with revealing his secret. How did that work out for you?"

"Get away from here!" Carmella yells, realizing she can't go up against Mrs Richards.

"I definitely will, but I just want to thank you. When you slashed my stomach, your intention was to end my life and my relationship with Dominic but instead, I survived and that only brought us closer."

Suddenly, Carmella charges at Vanessa, attempting to grab her but she's instantly pulled away by one of the officers even if the spaces between the bars aren't wide enough.

"You think this is the part where you get to be happy? No! I won't let that happen!"

Vanessa raises her eyebrows, mockingly nodding in agreement.

From her handbag, her phone begins to ring and she smiles at the caller ID as she speaks to Carmella.

"Guess who's calling me?"