Chapter 105

"What's the plan?" Torey narrowed his eyes.

Nicole gracefully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her red lips curling into a scheming smile.

"Let Susan be my dance double. She'll perform the moves while I show my face."

She had to admit—Susan's dancing was breathtaking. If she could use those skills to enhance her own image, this endorsement deal would be even more spectacular.

After all, the audience would only remember her face.

Torey studied her in silence, his gaze lingering.

Nicole pressed her advantage. "My popularity and body of work have already proven marketable. Using a newcomer is too risky."

She lifted her chin confidently, waiting for his surrender.

Torey suddenly let out a derisive laugh.

"Miss Capra, do you think I'm blind? Why would I choose you when I have Susan, who dances like a goddess?"

Nicole's face twisted.

"You—"

"Just stating facts." Torey shrugged. "With Susan here, I'd never settle for second best."

Second best?!

Her nails dug into her palms. She was widely recognized as a beauty—how dare this foreigner insult her like this!

"Andrew..." She turned to him with wounded eyes.

"You're beautiful," Andrew said flatly, but his gaze remained locked on Susan.

The words pierced Susan's heart.

True beauty wasn't about appearance—it was about the way the one you loved looked at you.

"I'll go prepare the contract," she murmured before hurrying away, her slender frame disappearing down the hall.

Nicole leaned against Andrew's shoulder, venom flashing in her eyes.

If she couldn't take it by force...

Then she'd destroy Susan instead.

Susan carried a bouquet of daisies to the cemetery.

"Happy birthday, Bella," she whispered, brushing her fingers over the photo on the tombstone.

The girl in the picture smiled brilliantly, forever frozen at twenty-two.

"I'm sorry I haven't gotten justice for you yet."

A cold wind tugged at her coat as four hulking men suddenly blocked her path.

Susan's pupils contracted.

It was them—the monsters from that night.