But I knew Tanya wouldn’t actually drink it. She had worked too hard, wing her way toward


    wealth and status. If she didn’t give up after that hospital fiasco, there was no way she’d quit now.


    This was just another ploy to get Lindey to spill about Jace.


    Tanya probably thought Lindey and Matthew were hiding him, keeping them apart on purpose.


    “Tanya Twain, your games are getting real creative,” I said, stepping into the room.


    Lindey spun around, panic shing across her face.


    oked terrified I’d get the wrong idea.


    But Tanya? She wasn’t surprised. She must’ve seen meing. Even so, the way her hand shook


    on the bottle gave her away.


    Her expression shifted, turning all pitiful. “Keira, I had no choice. Jace is gone. His phone’s dead.


    You’ve seen it–I’ve got nothing left.”


    She wasying it on thick, but I wasn’t buying it.


    I nodded toward the bottle. “Isn’t your way out right there?”


    Her face darkened. Yeah, she wasn’t drinking it. This was all about squeezing Lindey for answers.


    Shameless. That’s Tanya to a T.


    “I know you’d love to see me dead. Fine, I’ll die–right after Jacees out and says it to my face.”


    Her endgame was clear she wanted to see Jace.


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    “If you wanna see him, go find him. Don’te here,” I said, stepping right in front of her.


    She was sitting, so I towered over her, making her look up at me.


    Tanya flinched but kept that defiant re. “If I could find him, I wouldn’t be here.”


    “And have you found him here?” I leaned in closer.


    Her lips twitched, but nothing came out.


    “What do you think Jace will do when he hears you came here, bothering his parents?” I asked,


    watching. the panic flicker in her eyes.


    She quickly stammered, “I… I didn’t have a choice. If there was any other way, I wouldn’t be here.”


    “No, you’ve been plotting this for a while. You wanted to walk in here and secure your spot in this


    family,” I said, letting all my contempt show.


    Tanya’s eyes widened.


    “Tanya, did you really think you could fool everyone? That no one would catch on to what you’re


    really after?”


    She swallowed hard. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”


    “You don’t?” I scoffed. “Then let me break it down for you. You


    were in love with Desmond, but he was just


    a regr office guy. Sure, his paycheck was decent, butpared to Jace–a CEO–it was pocket


    change.


    *Jace and Desmond were close, and Desmond adored you. He spoiled you. Jace took you two to


    all these fancy ces, and you got hooked on that lifestyle–the luxury, the status.


    “It didn’t take long for you to realize Desmond wasn’t enough to satisfy your hunger for more. You


    started resenting him.”


    Tanya shook her head, trying to deny it, but I kept going.


    Today, her mask wasing off. She needed to know the rest of us weren’t stupid.


    “But Desmond was too good to you, wasn’t he? Youldn’t just dump him. And you knew if you


    wanted the life you craved, Jace was the ticket. So you chance to be around Jace, building up this


    image


    with Desmond, ying your part, using every being irresistible. Am I wrong?”


    “No, that’s not true,” Tanya whispered, but her hand trembled so hard she could barely grip the


    bottle.


    “If it’s not true, then why are you shaking?” I leaned in, my voice low in her ear. “In fact, I’ve been


    wondering… was Desmond’s ident really an ident? Or was it someone’s n?”


    The moment I said it, Tanya let out a scream and shoved me, hard.