Chapter 2

"I'm entirely certain. You'll note my additional clause is included. I trust there will be no...delay in its execution? Also, I'll be observing the demolition in person. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

My voice was ice-cold.

This house was one of the properties my grandparents left me.

I'd never lived in it, and it had been cleared out ages ago.

It could be torn down anytime.

Mr. Davies was ecstatic.

He sprang to his feet, grabbed his walkie-talkie, and bellowed,

"She signed! Get all teams ready now! Move the heavy equipment to Plot 35, Ms. Thompson's house. Yes, that one! Start demolition immediately, don't wait another second!"

After he finished, he turned to me with an awkward smile.

In the past, that smile would have started another heated argument between us.

But now, I felt nothing at all.

"Ms. Thompson, please rest assured, our group's top construction team is waiting outside. Would you... would you like to move to our safe observation area? The view is much better there."

Mr. Davies nimbly led the way, taking me to a flat area some distance away.

More bullet comments appeared.

"Go, Ms. Thompson! She's going to take care of those two scumbags!"

I dialed Mark's number.

The phone rang for a long time before he finally picked up.

"Hello, darling, how's your business trip going?"

Mark's voice was as gentle as ever.

"Everything's going smoothly. What, do you miss me? I miss you too, sweetie. Just wait for me to come home.

"Oh, and how are the negotiations going on your end? Remember, absolutely don't agree to anything less than 25 million. These developers are filthy rich; we can't let them rip us off."

I didn't answer him.

Because at that moment, I saw the steel arm of a heavy excavator already raised high.

The next second,

It descended with the accumulated resentment of three years of negotiations, smashing violently into the roof.

BOOM.

A deafening crash.

It came simultaneously from the phone and from reality.

At the same time, from the other end of the line, a woman's terrified scream echoed.

After the scream, the call was instantly disconnected.

My heart plummeted to the bottom.

The woman's voice was all too familiar.

It was Mark's secretary, Chloe Miller, his so-called cousin.

Now it was clear. I'd been fooled.

Chloe wasn't his cousin at all. Just as the bullet comments said, she was his childhood sweetheart, his little mistress.

The bullet comments were true.

They really were in the basement.

They really were on-site.

And they really planned to bury me in the basement later.

I clenched my teeth in hatred, feeling an unprecedented sense of humiliation and dread.

We were all adults.

Why would they choose this time, this place, to have sex?

The reason was obvious.

Mark.

You like seeking thrills right under my nose, do you?

Then I'll give you a spectacle you'll never forget.

I turned to Mr. Davies, my voice cutting through the noise.

"Demolish it. Leave nothing standing."