Chapter 258

Rachel's POV

I sat in the private room, taking measured sips of my latte. Four security personnel stood positioned at the corners of the room, with two more outside. Perhaps such an elaborate security arrangement was overkill for meeting Serena, but I'd learned never to underestimate her. After all, the most dangerous predators often appeared the most harmless.

The guard by the door spoke quietly into his earpiece, announcing her arrival. I nodded, maintaining my composure while my heart rate quickened ever so slightly. When she appeared in the doorway, leaning on a cane and completely alone, I couldn't quite hide my surprise. The last time I'd seen her, she'd been surrounded by her usual entourage. Now, here she was, vulnerable and seemingly defenseless. It had to be a trap.

"Sit," I said coolly, gesturing to the chair across from me. She didn't hesitate, lowering herself carefully into the seat. I noticed she favored her left side-the injury wasn't just for show.

"Would you like something to drink?" I asked, maintaining the pretense of civility.

"Water," she replied simply. Her voice betrayed nothing.

The silence that followed felt heavy with unspoken accusations. I set down my cup, the soft clink against the saucer unnaturally loud in the quiet room. "I must admit, Serena, I'm rather surprised you'd come to see me alone. I'm... flattered by your apparent trust."

The words tasted bitter in my mouth. When I'd received her request for a meeting, I'd spent hours trying to decode her true intentions. She wasn't stupid-she knew exactly what I'd done, how close I'd come to destroying her, not once but three times. Yet here she sat, seemingly at my mercy. The rational part of my mind screamed that this had to be some elaborate scheme, but curiosity had gotten the better of me. I wanted to see what game she was playing.

"Why did you ask to meet?" I asked directly. Two decades of navigating the Thorne family's complex social dynamics had taught me when to dispense with pleasantries.

"I'm here to discuss Lucas," she said, her gaze steady. "And to clarify our situation."

I felt my expression darken. Was she here to gloat? Everyone in our circles knew that Lucas's heart belonged to her, that his marriage to me had been nothing but a business arrangement. The whispers, the pitying glances-I'd endured them all, telling myself it didn't matter as long as I had the Harrington name.

"What exactly do you want to clarify?" My fingers tightened around my cup.

"As of today, Lucas and I are finished. Completely and permanently." Her words were clear, precise, like surgical cuts.

My heart stuttered, but years of experience kept my face neutral. Our previous encounters had taught me to be wary of anything that seemed too good to be true. Serena Sinclair didn't give up-not on anything, and certainly not on someone she loved.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd stop wasting your resources on monitoring me," she continued, her tone matter-of-fact. "Your attention would be better spent elsewhere."

I couldn't help but laugh, the sound sharp and brittle. Did she really expect me to believe she was walking away? Just like that? I hadn't survived this long by being naive. Twenty years of carefully cultivating my position, of learning to spot every subtle manipulation and hidden agenda-did she think I was that easily fooled?

Before I could voice my skepticism, she reached for her phone and slid it across the table.

My hands trembled as I stared at the photos on my phone screen, feeling my blood turn to ice in my veins. As someone who had always prided myself on maintaining perfect composure, I found myself utterly failing to keep my emotions in check. Rage surged through me like wildfire, threatening to consume everything in its path.

"What exactly are you trying to prove?" I fixed my gaze on Serena Sinclair, my voice barely containing the fury building inside me. The audacity of this woman was breathtaking-mere minutes ago, she had been calmly discussing how Lucas and I had gone our separate ways, and now here she was, showing me intimate photos of them together? Was this her way of gloating? Of marking her territory?

The more I thought about it, the more my anger intensified. She knew perfectly well that despite my long-standing engagement to Lucas, our relationship had remained strictly formal. We hadn't shared even the most basic intimacies-not even holding hands properly. Every interaction had been measured, calculated, appropriate for public consumption. Yet here she was, flaunting these photos like some sort of trophy.

"Serena Sinclair," I spat out her name like it was poison, "don't think for a moment that I won't retaliate." My fingers gripped the phone so tightly I could hear the case creaking.

She met my gaze with infuriating calmness, her composure only feeding my rage. "These photos aren't meant to prove the depth of my relationship with Lucas," she said evenly. "And I'm certainly not showing off. Consider this a demonstration of boundaries-mine, specifically. Cross them, and I'm perfectly capable of making everything public."

I studied her with cold calculation, trying to see past the confident exterior to any hint of weakness. But there was none. The woman before me was different from the one I'd first met all those months ago. Gone was the uncertain heiress trying to find her footing in our world. In her place stood someone who had learned to wield power with the same ruthless precision I'd always prided myself on.

"Let me be perfectly clear," she continued, her voice carrying an edge I'd never heard before. "If you dare touch anyone I care about, I won't hesitate to burn everything to the ground-my reputation, yours, all of it. How do you think society would react to learning about this twisted triangle between us? How would your grandfather handle the scandal? The Thorne family name doesn't carry enough weight to survive that kind of publicity, does it?"

The realization hit me like a physical blow. This wasn't just about showing me photos-this was calculated retaliation. Because I had used kids to threaten her, she was now demonstrating that she could play the same game, and play it better.