Chapter 2 Why Are You Coming Back?

• Odette's POV
• I wasn’t supposed to hear it. But then again, nothing about this return was supposed to go their way.
• I had come back to the Carrington estate unannounced under the pretense of retrieving some old personal effects—things long cleared out, but it gave me a reason to walk through the house again. To feel the walls. To hear the whispers.
• It was on my way past the west hallway that I caught it. The voices.
• "She actually said yes?"
• Brielle’s voice. Sharp. Mocking.
• "God, Ellis, you dropped to one knee in front of half the city’s media. I nearly laughed."
• I froze.
• Ellis’s voice followed, quieter but still tense. "It was impulsive. I didn’t plan it. She stepped out like she owned the moment. I panicked."
• "You panicked and proposed? In front of me?"
• I inched closer, out of view behind the doorway.
• "You were part of it," Ellis hissed. "You knew what I was going to do. We agreed on this."
• "No, you agreed. I was there to support Sebastian’s statement, not watch you fake-propose to the girl we buried."
• Buried.
• My nails dug into my palm.
• "It wasn’t about her," Ellis continued. "It was about keeping her calm. Keeping her close. Before she starts digging."
• "She already is," Brielle snapped. "She’s too quiet. And now she wants her wedding the same day as ours? That’s not coincidence. That’s strategy."
• "Then we stick to the plan," Ellis said. "Play the doting fiancé. Give her the illusion. We get her to sign the prenup. Secure the estate through marriage. Then..."
• He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have to.
• Brielle let out a bitter laugh. "Odette Carrington. The queen of comebacks.Who knew a prison jumpsuit could turn into designer armor overnight."
• I backed away before they could spot me, heart thudding but face still.
• Now I knew.
• Now I knew.
• Back at the hotel, I let myself unravel.
• The penthouse felt too clean, too still. I poured myself a drink and watched the city from behind glass.
• So the proposal was never about love.
• It wasn’t even about guilt.
• It was a ploy. A way to get closeenough to leash me. Control me. Silence me.
• But what they didn’t know was I had never intended to stay silent. Not for a second.
• I accepted Ellis’s ring because it opened doors. It brought me into their world again—the world they tried to lock me out of. The moment he went down on one knee, I saw it for what it was: an invitation back into the war room.
• And I was going to burn it to the ground from the inside out.
• Langley leaned forward, hands folded across the desk.
• "I take it you heard something."
• "They admitted it," I said. "They admitted the proposal was a tactic."
• Langley didn’t look surprised. Just grim.
• "That means they’re getting desperate. And when the powerful get desperate, they get reckless."
• He slid a folder across the desk. Inside were documents: company meeting transcripts, internal family trust fund memos, a few faded photographs.
• "What’s this?"
• "Breadcrumbs. The week your grandfather died, several assets were moved. Quietly. Into shell accounts tied to Brielle. And Sebastian was the one who signed off on them."
• "He had power of attorney after Grandfather's stroke," I murmured.
• Langley nodded. "For exactly nine days. Long enough to move millions."
• I flipped the page. There was a name at the bottom of one document I hadn’t seen in years.
• "Mira Patel," I read. "She was on staff back then."
• "She reached out to me yesterday," Langley said. "Didn’t say much. But she mentioned something about the surveillance drives from the night of the death."
• My pulse kicked up. "I thought those were destroyed."
• "So did everyone. But maybe one survived."
• That was the lead I needed.
• If I could get to Mira—if I could find that drive—I could prove everything. The frame job. The cover-up. The betrayal.
• "Set up the meeting," I said.
• I kept up the act. Wore the dresses Ellis sent. Smiled at charity galas. Let photographers catch us holding hands.
• Every moment made my skin crawl.
• But with every kiss on the cheek, I got closer to their secrets.
• I started with Mira.
• She met me in the back booth of a quiet diner outside the city, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds.
• "I don’t know how much I can help," she said, stirring cold coffee. "But I remember that night. Your grandfather’s light was still on. I went to take him his evening tea. I heard voices in the office before I opened the door."
• "Who?"
• "Brielle. And Sebastian. They were arguing. Then it went quiet. I didn’t go in. I should’ve, but... I was scared."
• "Did you see a drive? A backup?"
• She hesitated, then nodded.
• "He took something from the drawer. I saw him slide it into his coat."
• "You’re sure?"
• "Positive."
• That night, Ellis tried again. He poured wine, sat across from me like he hadn’t just plotted my downfall.
• "You’ve changed," he said.
• "Prison tends to do that."
• "I wish you’d believe me. That I still care."
• I stared at him.
• "Why are you coming back, Odette?"
• He asked it softly, but the edge was there. A warning dressed as a question.
• I smiled slowly.
• "Because I want what’s mine."
• He flinched like I’d slapped him.
• I rose from the table, left my wine untouched.
• Because five years ago, they locked me away for a crime I didn’t commit.
• Now?
• I was walking back through the front door. Wearing their ring. Smiling their smile.
• And plotting their ruin.